There’s no better form of flattery than receiving a really cool testimonial about the Bookshare library. Whether you do it in a handwritten note, a quick email, or a video testimonial, it’s just awesome to receive your thoughts and we always feel so honored! That’s why we’re featuring this fabulous video created by Carson Maxson, an 8th grader from Olivet Middle School, Michigan, and his English teacher, Sallie Spencer, a former K-12 principal and Bookshare Mentor Teacher. How Read2Go Moved My Life Carson and Sallie created this video, “How Read2Go Moved My Life,” for the first White House Student Film…
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Parent Advocates for Learning Portability for Children with Chronic Illness
Each year, thousands of students miss school due to a chronic illness and fall behind on their homework. This is the case for Hailey Bopp, a Texas youngster who is blind and has cognitive delays. “When Hailey misses school, she gets sad and depressed,” says Ann Bopp, her mom, “because she doesn’t get to read the books her teacher and classmates are reading.” To mitigate her daughter’s frustration, Ann signed Hailey up for a Bookshare individual membership and advocates for the online library to other families in similar situations. “Using Bookshare and an iPad, Hailey keeps up with reading assignments…
Leave a CommentPraise 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 CommentNYC Tech Coach for Visually Impaired Students Shares Value of Bookshare’s Online Library
David Cohen, the Vision Technology Coordinator for the New York City Department of Education’s District 75/Citywide Services, is considered the go-to guy for anything tech-related. David has 18 years experience working with students who are visually impaired (VI) in one of the largest districts in the United States. He says a good portion of VI students in his districts now attend general education classes and that “technology is an empowering learning solution for students and the district.” David’s main job is to work with staff, students, and parents to help them evaluate personalized learning needs. Whether it’s assistive technology, digital…
2 CommentsJourney with Dyslexia – Guest Blog by Robbi Cooper, a Bookshare Parent Member
Special thanks to Robbi, Andrew and Ben Cooper for their story and to the National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD) for showcasing the Cooper Family. Our October blog recognizes National Learning Disabilities Month. ************************************ My husband and my son are dyslexic. My husband, Andrew, did not understand that he was dyslexic until adulthood, long after reading difficulties in school left him frustrated – a fate that we did not want for our son. My son, Ben came into the world a bright and vibrant child, but when he entered kindergarten we were told that he was not learning the way…
Leave a CommentGuest Blog: “Dyslexia Should Be About Strengths, Not Shame,” by Ben Foss
Experts in dyslexia have for many years focused on teaching children to read in the conventional way. But there are hidden costs that impact many children who have a hard time in a mainstream classroom: shame and bullying. I’m dyslexic. When I was a kid, my mom read aloud to me. When I went away to college, I used to fax my term papers home to her in New Hampshire and have her read them to me over the phone so I could find my own spelling mistakes. I went on to become the Director of Access Technology at Intel…
2 CommentsDyslexia Specialist Says, “Introduce Children with Print Disabilities to Technology Early to Help Them Be Independent!”
Cathy Wilson is a dyslexia specialist at Coppell ISD, TX, and a Bookshare mentor teacher. She trains her colleagues and students who qualify how to use the online Bookshare library and reading technologies. Last year, Cathy had nearly 40 youngsters on her Bookshare organizational account. This allowed her and other approved teachers, or sponsors, to find and download books for students who qualify. She has helped more than 90 percent of these students get individual memberships. “Introducing children with print disabilities to technology early helps them to be more independent and eventually find and download books on their own,” she…
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