Bookshare features Archives - Page 10 of 10

Published August 26, 2016

Assign and Read: Getting Bookshare Books is Easier Than Ever

The end of summer ushers in a new school year, new students, and a mad rush to get textbooks and other educational materials. How can teachers and school librarians get accessible books for students with print disabilities and save time? Assign and Read Bookshare has made getting students books quick and easy. In one fell swoop, teachers can add students and set them up to read with the newly updated “Assign and Read” feature: Add students to rosters Give them a Student Login (so they can access Bookshare independently) Add books directly to Reading Lists That’s all teachers need to…

4 Comments

Published August 16, 2016

Creating Equal District and Schoolwide Learning Opportunities for Students with Disabilities

Raising academic performance to meet the mandates of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) is a critical mission for school leaders, yet finding solutions to accommodate diverse student populations across districts and schools can be overwhelming and costly. Students with learning disabilities or visual impairments, for example, have difficulty reading print books. Often, they need accommodations like audio, large print, or braille to make classroom and homework materials accessible. The effort and resources required to produce accessible educational materials (AEM) is significant. Teachers and librarians struggle to find textbooks and Common Core materials in accessible formats. Parents stress about support…

20 Comments

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…

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.…

Bookshare and Assistive Technology Help Young Adult Pursue Dreams

Elina Hughes has athetoid cerebral palsy which makes it almost impossible for her to hold a book or pencil, yet this disability doesn’t stop her from pursing her dreams, acquiring knowledge, attending college, and creating beautiful works of art using two important resources: Bookshare and assistive technology (AT). In 2015, Elina and her mom, Karla Hughes, created a video, “Assistive Technology Rocks My Classroom,” to submit to President Obama for the White House Student Film Festival. This amazing mother-daughter duo are on a mission to emphasize the need for more assistive technology in the classroom and to shine a spotlight…

Category: Bookshare features

Assign and Read: Getting Bookshare Books is Easier Than Ever

Creating Equal District and Schoolwide Learning Opportunities for Students with Disabilities

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

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

Bookshare and Assistive Technology Help Young Adult Pursue Dreams