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Category: Bookshare features

John Miller’s Story: You Don’t Need Sight to See the World

Bookshare member navigates life transitions with a positive attitude, assistive technology, friends and family, and a dose of humor. John Miller, a native of Charlotte, North Carolina, is a graduate student, aspiring journalist, and author of a travel blog. You may not think this is unusual until you learn that John is blind. John has an insightful way of seeing the world and that perspective shines through his poignant – and often humorous – blog posts. One reader commented: “I feel the special warmth and generosity of your character that shines through your words.” When I interviewed John last month,…

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Help Your Child Become a Reading STAR

Follow these guidelines to set your child up for summer reading success As the end of school draws near, students dream of summer freedom – freedom to choose some fun activities as well as the books they want to read. Is your child ready for summer reading? Make sure they have access to Bookshare, either with a Student Login provided by their teacher or with an Individual Membership. Then follow these guidelines to help your child become a reading STAR*: Space Encourage reading anywhere and everywhere Try places like the beach, the pool, grandma’s house, a tent in the backyard,…

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Veronica Lewis is a Champion of Self-Advocacy

Bookshare member successfully navigates college life and offers valuable advice for students with disabilities “A disability is something you have, not who you are.” As graduation nears for many high school students, thoughts turn to college and the importance of survival skills. Topping the list is the ability to advocate for yourself because the days of spoon-feeding and hand-holding are over. This advice is especially important for students with disabilities, and a student who embodies this sentiment completely is Veronica Lewis. “Self-advocacy is learning how to speak up for yourself, as well as learning, building a support network, problem solving,…

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Bookshare (Still) Needs Your Support

Ask your Members of Congress to approve funding so Bookshare can continue to offer free, accessible ebooks to U.S. students with disabilities. By Jim Fruchterman, Founder and CEO, Benetech Bookshare funding remains in jeopardy as Congress continues to consider the budget for both the 2017 and 2018 fiscal years. We urgently need your help to ensure that Bookshare’s federal funding is not eliminated. For those of you who contacted your Members of Congress last fall and urged them to support Bookshare funding, we thank you for your efforts and dedication to date, but we need your help by writing to…

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Benetech Showcases Leading Edge Literacy Initiatives at 32nd Annual CSUN Conference

See what’s new with Bookshare, DIAGRAM and Born Accessible Assistive technology — whether it’s a mobile app or a modified wheelchair — can transform the lives of people with disabilities. The latest in the field of assistive technology will be the focus of the world’s largest gathering of people who develop or use assistive technology, taking place at the 32nd Annual CSUN Assistive Technology Conference from February 27-March 3 at the Manchester Grand Hyatt in San Diego. The “CSUN Conference,” as it is known in the industry, is organized by California State University, Northridge’s Center on Disabilities. It provides a unique…

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Doctor Shares Daughter’s Discovery of Accessible Ebooks

Special thanks to Dr. P. Travis Harker and his daughter, Paloma, for sharing their story. “I Won’t Read Again!” In fourth grade, Paloma Harker declared to her parents, “I am done with reading. You can’t make me do it!” Since her earliest days in school, Paloma had trouble decoding and comprehending printed words. She loved stories and listened attentively as her father read to her, but reading on her own was difficult. By third grade, she knew that she did not read at the same level as her classmates. Each time she tried, she experienced frustration. By age nine, she…

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Learn How to Read Easier with Bookshare at the 2017 ATIA Conference

Are you going to the 2017 ATIA Conference in Orlando (January 18-21)? The 2017 ATIA Conference is where the assistive technology community meets to network, learn and share, and Benetech is excited to be in on the action. We invite you to visit us in the Benetech/Bookshare booth (#419) and attend our presentations. Come see how to get easy access to over 500,000 ebooks in alternative formats for students who cannot read or process printed text. Here’s a preview of what you will learn: New Bookshare Features We’ve made Bookshare faster and easier with new features like Assign & Read,…

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Visits to Largest U.S. School Districts Yield Valuable Insights for Bookshare Team

By Christine Jones, Senior Education Program Manager, Global Literacy Program, Benetech Early in 2016, Benetech began a concerted effort to learn even more about how schools are providing services to students who experience barriers to reading printed text and how Bookshare can work more seamlessly in these diverse environments. We decided to go “under the hood” by partnering with some of the nation’s largest and most under-resourced school districts. To date, we have met with key team members at more than thirty districts and have learned a great deal about their needs and challenges, as well as how Bookshare can…

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Bookshare Touches Lives All Year Long

The goal of Benetech’s Bookshare initiative is to make reading accessible to everyone. Bookshare is the world’s largest accessible online library that serves over 400,000 members with print disabilities. In September, Bookshare reached a significant milestone when it delivered the ten millionth book downloaded. That’s an awful lot of accessible ebooks making reading possible for individuals with blindness, low vision, a physical disability, or a learning disability like dyslexia. Another way we are bringing the benefits of Bookshare to a wider audience is through partnerships with public libraries. Libraries in New York, Georgia, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia now offer free Bookshare…

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