As 2013 comes to an end, we want to send our heartfelt thanks to all educators, sponsors and Bookshare Mentor Teachers who continue to partner with us to provide accessible educational opportunities to their students. With that sentiment, we’d like to share this letter from Theresa Brousseau, a teacher of the visually impaired, who wrote us this letter.
“Thanks to Bookshare, I feel good that I’m able to help more students with print disabilities achieve their goals, make progress and be successful! As a VI teacher, the students I work with require reading assignments in accessible formats to access the curriculum. We find many teacher-recommended books and K-12 textbooks readily available in Bookshare in formats such as DAISY Text, DAISY Audio, MP3 and BRF (Braille Ready Format) to meet their needs.
“In the past, finding required schoolbooks took time at the expense of students, who would wait for books with long delays. Now, they receive their books at the same time as their peers, making learning more uniform and equitable, especially when it comes to doing research and homework.
“Bookshare provides access to both the digital formats and the reading technologies they need to keep the pace. Many students are more engaged in learning and there are no more excuses about not having appropriate materials to do class assignments or homework.
“Bookshare is great for students who are visually impaired, as well as for students with print disabilities who are struggling readers, such as those with severe dyslexia. Now, these students can perform on grade level with audio materials that have text-to-speech.
“I also appreciate all of the portable devices that support students’ individual preferences and learning styles. Using technology is more socially acceptable, and students feel good about tapping into digital accessible books versus being seen as different using audio books on tape or CDs.”
About the Bookshare Mentor Teacher Program
The Bookshare Mentor Teacher program began in 2010 to support the nation’s top teachers and assistive technologists with training tools to engage educators, parents, and students in the effective use of Bookshare’s online library and reading technologies. Since that time, over 500 educators and specialists have joined the network. They work in their local communities and schools to advocate on behalf of students with print disabilities. They also develop and share best practices across the United States.
Learn more about the Bookshare Mentor Teacher program at: http://communications.bookshare.org/mentor-teachers/
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