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Category: Bookshare Collection Highlights

Published October 10, 2016

Bookshare Has the Books for Teen Read Week

By guest author Kathy Swartz, Bookshare Operations Administrator and Librarian Teen Read Week, October 9-15, is a reading event sponsored by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). The goal is to get tweens, teens, and young adults reading and talking about books. Bookshare, an accessible online library for individuals who cannot read traditional print books because of a visual impairment, physical disability or severe learning disability, has many books for this audience, and now we have even more. Thanks to a generous donation by Carole Lake, a long-standing supporter of Bookshare, we have been able to add an additional…

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Published October 6, 2016

Son’s Dyslexia Diagnosis Prompts Mom’s Search for Answers

Seth Gast has dyslexia and a language disorder. For three years, he has used Bookshare’s online accessible library for schoolwork and to find Boy Scout manuals to obtain his merit badges and become an Eagle Scout. His mom, Dina Gast, credits his academic progress to a renowned dyslexia center, excellent teachers and tutors, and Bookshare. In recognition of National Dyslexia Awareness Month, here is Seth’s story. Early Reading Frustration Entering first grade, Seth was a bright little boy, but his mom noticed his enthusiasm for school and learning diminish. He liked books, but seemed to be frustrated with reading. A…

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Published September 20, 2016

Benetech Delivers 10 Million Accessible Ebooks

Benetech’s Bookshare technology makes reading possible for over 425,000 individuals unable to read standard print and empowers students and adults to succeed in school, work and social inclusion.  PALO ALTO, Calif. — September 20, 2016 — Benetech, the leading nonprofit empowering communities in need by creating scalable technology solutions, today announced that over 10 million accessible ebooks have been downloaded through its Bookshare initiative. Bookshare is the world’s largest online library for people who are blind, visually impaired or have a physical disability that interferes with reading, such as dyslexia. “Access to information is a basic human right,” said Jim Fruchterman,…

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Published November 30, 2015

U.S. Marine Corps Veteran, now Economist, Appreciates Bookshare’s Vast Collection

“The online library helps me to stay current on in-depth issues and research for my profession,” says Tim Fallon. Four years ago, after losing much of his sight in an IED explosion in Afghanistan, Timothy Fallon, a former First Lieutenant in the U.S. Marines, learned about Bookshare at the Central Blind Rehabilitation Center at Edward Hines, Jr. VA Hospital. “The staff and the program at Hines for visually-impaired veterans are great,” he said. “They take the time to get to know their clients and knew that I wanted to return to college. They encouraged me to sign up for a…

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Published November 11, 2015

Visually-Impaired Veteran Helps Peers Transition to Civilian and School Life

“Technology training, leadership empowerment, and accessible books make all the difference,” says Tim Hornik The word “awesome” doesn’t begin to describe the work of Tim Hornik, a retired U.S. Army Captain and chair of TAVVI , the Technology Association for Veterans with Visual Impairments, the technology committee in the Blinded Veterans Association (BVA). Tim is visually impaired and a long-time Bookshare member. We originally featured his work in 2014, and it’s no surprise that today he remains diligent to help returning veterans make successful transitions to civilian and school life. In our first blog, Tim was a busy new father.…

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