Team-Up for Textbooks: Volunteer to Help Students with Print Disabilities

Post written by Brenda Hendricksen, Volunteer Program Manager for Benetech and published on August 19, 2014 on the Benetech blog.

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Across the U.S., thousands of students with print disabilities will start their school year without the textbooks they need for class.

These students need their books converted to accessible formats. To meet that need, the Benetech Volunteer Program is launching a new project for the 2014-15 school year—and we’re inviting you to join us!

When a Bookshare member needs a book for school that is not yet in our collection, the member submits a request and Bookshare creates an accessible digital version of that book. However, students often don’t know what books they need until the first days of school—a hectic time when Bookshare receives thousands of book requests. During this time, the process of making a textbook accessible can take from 8-12 weeks, with proofreading being the most time-intensive and costly component. Meanwhile, students with print disabilities risk falling behind in school as they wait for the books they need.

Volunteers can help fulfill students’ book requests faster during periods of peak demand by joining in Benetech’s newest volunteer initiative: Team-Up for Textbooks!

Here’s the idea: through targeted outreach to parents, schools, and community partners, we will recruit volunteer teams to proofread student requested textbooks. By teaming up, we will not only speed up the delivery of student textbooks, but will also build awareness to strengthen the web of support for students with disabilities.

Sign up today and make a difference for a student with a disability now while creating a lasting resource that will support students for years to come!

To sign up visit: http://bookshare.TeamUp4Textbooks.sgizmo.com/s3/

For more information about Bookshare and other volunteer opportunities, visit the Bookshare website.