k-12 Education Archives - Bookshare Blog

Published July 26, 2016

Brave Means Learning How To Defy The Odds

Our son, Rosdom, is very smart and brave. We recognized these characteristics early in his childhood, but we also saw some unusual behavior that held clues that he would not grow up as a typical child. In preschool, specialists told us that Rosdom would not be able to read, write, or function socially. This information led to many exhausting nights and conversations with teachers, researchers, scientists, and parents who live with similar circumstances. We worried about his education and future. We explored learning environments, resources, and strategies to support children with multiple disabilities. We found Bookshare and assistive technologies. Accessible…

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Published June 15, 2016

Bookshare Member Amare Leggette Competes in 2016 National Braille Challenge

Amare Leggette, an energetic eight-year-old from Eastover Elementary School in Charlotte, North Carolina, will compete against nine students in the Apprentice age group at the 2016 National Braille Challenge. “Amare is a fast reader and eager learner,” says Holly Jeffries, his teacher of the visually impaired. “He has a natural ability to skim, comprehend, make contractions, and knows when to reread text. He also loves new vocabulary words and enjoys putting them on our school braille word wall. I know he is prepared for the competition and is ready to take home the prize!” Blind since birth, Amare has read…

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Published June 3, 2016

Can Accessible Ebooks Be the Pathway to Reading Comprehension and Summer Fun?

Parents of children with disabilities often ask Linda Sherouse, a Library Media Specialist at North Hampton School in New Hampshire, how can I encourage more quiet time for my child who has a disability?” Linda’s reply is to find a good book and consider resources, like Bookshare, the world’s largest online library of accessible ebooks for people with print disabilities. “Over the years, I’ve helped many kids love to read voraciously and on their own,” says Linda. Bookshare – A Viable Reading Resource As an avid proponent of accessible books, Linda provides reading support for pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. She…

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Published May 10, 2016

Bookshare Supports Librarian’s Goal for Inclusive Library Service

Many thanks to Kate Owen at Thetford Academy for sharing her advocacy of Bookshare and for training more teachers to be proponents of accessible ebooks. Kate’s Vision As an educator and librarian, I have always worked to build an inclusive library service to meet the needs of all learners. This year, over one-third of our students are eligible for extra services according to their IEP or 504 plans. Many of these students qualify for Bookshare. The online accessible library has become an integral part of building an inclusive library to accomplish my goal. Not So Long Ago… When I first…

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Published April 22, 2016

Bookshare’s 400,000th Title Brings Unprecedented Access to Readers with Print Disabilities

Bookshare has added its 400,000th title to the ever-growing online accessible library collection and we are celebrating this record-breaking milestone with you and our 400,000 members around the world! Today, through Bookshare’s extensive collection, any person who cannot read traditional books due to blindness, low vision, dyslexia, and physical disabilities can read and enjoy a huge variety of academic, career, and recreational titles just like everyone else. Glory Over Everything, the sequel to the New York Times bestseller The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom, is the title that helped Bookshare cross the 400,000 threshold. This accomplishment represents an unprecedented level…

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Published April 18, 2016

Texas Librarian Appreciates Bookshare’s Accessible Ebook Collection

Special thanks to Adair Apple, a Librarian in Evans Elementary School, Corpus Christi, TX for sharing the reasons why she chooses Bookshare to support students with print disabilities. “In our district, librarians are responsible for both print and digital accessible resources as well as adaptive technologies. Bookshare is one of the resources we use to support students with qualifying print disabilities, such as visual impairments and physical and learning disabilities that hinder reading. For effective learning, and since many children are more tech-savvy today, we want to get reading resources and technologies into their hands as early as possible. Now,…

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Published April 7, 2016

AT Specialist’s Goal: Universal Right to Reading Independence

Reading Independence Fifteen years ago, Michelle Thomas, a seasoned special educator, crossed into the realm of assistive technology (AT) to help more students with disabilities become independent readers. Thomas says, “It is a universal right to read. Instead of viewing AT as a crutch, I wanted to help more teachers view it as an effective learning tool.” Today, this avid digital reader and Bookshare Mentor Teacher shares her thoughts about equity, accessibility, and best practices for using the online accessible library in her district. Academic Achievement through Bookshare and Chromebooks Thomas’ role in one of the largest school districts in…

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Let’s Make a Deal! Mom Makes Reading Fun and Challenging for Daughter with Dyslexia

Published March 29, 2016

Let’s Make a Deal! Mom Makes Reading Fun and Challenging for Daughter with Dyslexia

Reading challenges are a common occurrence in the Gutierrez household in Redwood City, California. Mrs. Judie Gutierrez loves to read and likes to challenge her twelve-year-old daughter, Laura, who was diagnosed with dyslexia, a learning disability, in third grade. Several times a month, this mother-daughter duo challenge each other to make reading fun and interesting by visiting their public library and local bookstores to find titles worthy of discussion. “Story time is sacred,” says Judie, a Ph.D., busy mom, scientist, and president of the Redwood City Education Foundation. “We like the sport of reading, and you can learn a lot…

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Published March 8, 2016

2016 National Education Technology Plan Resonates with Benetech Priorities of Equity and Accessibility

Benetech is a nonprofit company leveraging Silicon Valley technology and process to create and scale solutions for pressing social issues. Two Benetech initiatives, the DIAGRAM Center and Born Accessible, are cited in The 2016 National Education Technology Plan (NETP) released by the Office of Educational Technology of the U.S. Department of Education. The report recommends that “education stakeholders should develop a born accessible standard of learning resource design to help educators select and evaluate learning resources for accessibility and equity of learning experience.” More significantly, though, all of Benetech’s work closely aligns with these two key themes of the report:…

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Published February 23, 2016

CEO Credits Bookshare for Unlocking His Love of Reading

“I’ve read more books this year than I’ve read in my lifetime,” says Stan Gloss, CEO of BioTeam, Inc. Diagnosed with dyslexia over 50 years ago, Stan Gloss grew up with angst and worry about his reading difficulties. He recalls long hours muddling through printed books at a snail’s pace. Stan loved to learn, but his reading difficulty made comprehension and studying three times harder than for other students. “I learned to persevere by using compensatory strategies like memorization, flash cards, rewriting notes, tape recording classes, finger tracking, and highlighting to help me through school,” he says. “Even in graduate…

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Category: k-12 Education