Skip to content

Category: deaf-blind

Honoring Women in History—March

March is Women’s History Month. Do you know the name of a woman astronomer who discovered a comet in 1847? Who was the first woman Indian Chief to lead the Cherokee Nation? Who fought for a woman’s right to vote? We’ve pulled together some interesting titles about women activists, leaders, poets, and individuals who conquered remarkable odds to improve society. First, to answer our question about a woman astronomer.  Maria Mitchell (1818–1889) was an astronomer who discovered a comet, which was named after her, on October 1, 1847. She was the first woman elected to the American Association for the…

Leave a Comment

Ode to February…The Month of Hearts and Romance Novels!

February is a grand time to bundle up with a good romance novel. According to the Romance Writers of America, two basic elements comprise every romance novel: a central love story and an emotionally satisfying ending. What better way to celebrate the month of love than to browse Bookshare’s collection of romance titles, or review this reference book of the 100 best selling romance novels! Who are some of your favorite romance authors? Tell us on Facebook and Twitter * * * Nora Roberts was born into a family of readers and had never known a time that she wasn’t…

Leave a Comment

Teacher-Recommended Titles for Black History Month

Earlier, we wrote about Black History Month. In this blog, we want to share some great reading recommendations from one of our amazing sponsor members, Donna Schneider.  Donna is an Assistive Technology Specialist and Bookshare Mentor Teacher.  She gave us her list of teacher-recommended books to read and learn about  black history.  Some titles meet Common Core Standards, so please share them with other teachers and students. Here’s a tip! Use Reading Lists to save, organize, and share these books with students who have Individual Memberships.  View this tutorial for educators or this tutorial for Individual Members. * * *…

Leave a Comment

January Is Braille Literacy Month

Louis Braille was born on January 4, 1809, in Coupvray, France.  He is the inventor of the braille code, and students of all ages can read and learn about him in many titles in the Bookshare library. At age 16, Louis attended the National Institute for Blind Youth in Paris. He and other blind students would read by tracing raised letters in print with their fingers. Writing required memorization of these letter shapes to reproduce them on paper. The task of reading and writing were painfully slow, and few blind students mastered the technique. Some say that Louis would poke…

Leave a Comment

Two FREE “Bookshare for Educators” Workshops during ATIA 2014 Conference in Orlando

Educators near or close to Orlando, Florida, and those who will attend the ATIA 2014 conference, reserve your seat now for FREE Bookshare training workshops on Friday, January 31. This is your chance to get hands-on training and answers to questions directly from our Bookshare trainers. You do not have to register for ATIA to participate.  The events will take place at the Caribe Royal Hotel in conjunction with ATIA 2014. Once we reserve your spot, we’ll send you details in a confirmation email.  Space is limited, so please sign up on the waiting list for these in-depth training sessions:…

Leave a Comment

Praise for Accessible Books and Reading Technologies by Bookshare Mentor Teacher

As 2013 comes to an end, we want to send our heartfelt thanks to all educators, sponsors and Bookshare Mentor Teachers who continue to partner with us to provide accessible educational opportunities to their students.  With that sentiment, we’d like to share this letter from  Theresa Brousseau, a teacher of the visually impaired, who wrote us this letter. “Thanks to Bookshare, I feel good that I’m able to help more students with print disabilities achieve their goals, make progress and be successful!  As a VI teacher, the students I work with require reading assignments in accessible formats to access the…

Leave a Comment

Bookshare Listed Among World’s 100 Most Inspiring Applications of Digital Technology for Social Innovation

This post is reposted from the Benetech Blog. The Nominet Trust, a United Kingdom leading social tech funder, included Bookshare, a Benetech Global Literacy initiative, on its list of 100 global ventures using digital technology to solve some of the world’s biggest social problems. Through its innovative technologies, Bookshare is raising the floor for people with print disabilities (such as visual impairments, physical disabilities, or severe learning disabilities) by providing them with the world’s largest collection of accessible copyrighted content and reading tools. Bookshare currently has over 250,000 members and a collection of more than 220,000 titles, which are delivered…

Leave a Comment

White Cane Awareness Walk 2013: National Disability Employment Awareness Month

The Bookshare staff would like to share highlights from the Palo Alto White Cane Awareness Walk, in which we participated on Wednesday, October 16th in honor of National Disability Employment Awareness Month.  This blog was originally published on the Benetech website. This annual event is held each October on or in proximity to White Cane Safety Day, a national observance celebrating the ability of people with impaired vision to lead independent lives. With the white cane as a symbol of their independence, the Awareness Walk is open to all: white cane users, support cane users, human guides, walker users, power mobility users,…

Leave a Comment

Best Practice — Teacher Makes Stories Come Alive Through Accessible Books and Sensory Learning!

We’re sure you’ll agree that Jennifer Cassese Appleton, a reading specialist at Virginia’s Alternative Paths Training School, has mastered the art of blended learning. She is also the parent of four children, including a son with dyslexia. Jennifer wants all students to have an engaging reading experience, no matter their learning or print disability. How does she engage her students to read with curiosity and anticipation? For many books that her students read, they also do a companion learning project involving art, music, or cooking. “When you pair good literature with a sensory learning experience, you create positive memories in…

Leave a Comment

Get Ready for Back-to-School with Bookshare!

Back to School is a time for teachers, parents, and students of all ages to brush off the summer dust and get ready for a brand new school year. How can you be sure that you are ready to make this year a success on day one? By making sure you are prepared with the books, tools, and information that you or your students need before class begins. That way, you can spend more time focusing on teaching and learning and less time getting ready. Bookshare can help! Throughout the fall, we’ll provide you with step-by-step information to set up…

Leave a Comment