Events Archives - Bookshare Blog

Published June 15, 2016

Bookshare Member Amare Leggette Competes in 2016 National Braille Challenge

Amare Leggette, an energetic eight-year-old from Eastover Elementary School in Charlotte, North Carolina, will compete against nine students in the Apprentice age group at the 2016 National Braille Challenge. “Amare is a fast reader and eager learner,” says Holly Jeffries, his teacher of the visually impaired. “He has a natural ability to skim, comprehend, make contractions, and knows when to reread text. He also loves new vocabulary words and enjoys putting them on our school braille word wall. I know he is prepared for the competition and is ready to take home the prize!” Blind since birth, Amare has read…

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Published January 30, 2016

Meet the Bookshare Accessible Books for Texas Team at TCEA

TCEA – February 1-5, 2016 – Austin, TX At its annual conference, the Texas Computer Education Association (TCEA) brings together campus- and district-level educators to explore the role of technology in achieving best practices in teaching and learning. This year’s conference will feature more than 900 industry expert and peer-led presentations on technology integration across all curricula areas for pre-K through higher education. Do you support students with print disabilities, such as learning or physical disabilities or visual impairments? Will you be attending TCEA? The Accessible Books for Texas (ABT) team will be on hand in Booth #1856 to demonstrate…

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Published July 3, 2015

Counting the Reasons to Celebrate in July

Bang the drum! Toot the horn! Throw the confetti! July is a momentous time to celebrate, and we hope you’ll join us in this month-long party. Happy 25th anniversary to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). On July 26, 1990, the ADA was signed into law to ensure the civil rights of people with disabilities. This legislation established a clear and comprehensive national mandate for the elimination of discrimination against individuals with disabilities. The ADA has expanded opportunities for Americans with disabilities by reducing barriers and changing perceptions, and increasing full participation in community life. Through its global literacy initiatives…

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Published April 20, 2015

Bookshare Volunteers Rock!

On this Volunteer Recognition Day, we thank our volunteers who make Bookshare the best it can be. Bookshare and Benetech, our parent nonprofit, are so fortunate to have the generous support from volunteers around the world. You are positively impacting people with print disabilities, and we appreciate your life-size contributions! In this blog, let’s catch up on the latest and greatest from the Bookshare volunteer community. Congratulations to Marcus Garner! Did you know that every year through the Mayrie ReNae Scholarship Fund, Bookshare provides a free membership for someone in need? Mayrie is remembered for her volunteer work and valuable…

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Published March 23, 2015

Canada Reads with Bookshare!

Calling all Canadians…do you love to read a good story? How about 225,000 amazing stories, all available at your fingertips for FREE? Canadians with qualified print disabilities can easily access all the latest ebooks, like NYPD Red 2 by James Patterson, Oprah’s Book Club titles, like I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb, and CBC Canada Reads books, like When Everything Feels Like the Movies by Raziel Reid. Free ebooks—How Is This Possible? The Centre for Equitable Library Access (CELA) partnered with Bookshare, the world’s largest accessible online library for people with print disabilities, to offer a…

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Published March 9, 2015

Born Accessible and the New Golden Age of Inclusive Education

Betsy Beaumon’s Keynote at the 52nd Annual Learning Disabilities Association of America Conference. First published on the Benetech website on February 25, 2015. Rapid advances in technology are remaking the content landscape and have made it possible to get more content, in more ways, to more people. Will the digital revolution usher in a golden age of access to books and information for people who cannot use standard print, such as those affected by dyslexia and other learning disabilities? Benetech President Betsy Beaumon posed this challenge in her keynote address at the opening of the 52nd Annual Conference of the…

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Published March 2, 2015

Oh, The Places You’ll Go With Bookshare!

“Will you succeed? Yes, you will indeed. (98 and 3⁄4% guaranteed!)” – Dr. Seuss This positive message is one of the best known lines from the Dr. Seuss classic, “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” This uplifting book is an all-time favorite of both children and adults and is the featured title for this year’s Read Across America Day. We celebrate this national event by encouraging all Bookshare members and book lovers everywhere to read this wonderful story. Read it yourself. Read it with a friend. Read it with your child. Read it to the end. The story reminds us of…

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Published February 27, 2015

Bookshare Member and Accessible ebooks Shine at TCEA and SXSWedu

“Learn Anywhere” was the theme of this year’s Texas Computer Education Association (TCEA) Conference, held February 3–6 in Austin. TCEA is one of the largest regional EdTech (educational technology) events in the U.S., and Benetech’s Accessible Books for Texas (ABT) team was on hand to demonstrate tools that help Bookshare members read accessible ebooks anytime, anywhere. Hundreds of Texas educators, administrators, school librarians, and school IT professionals stopped by the Bookshare/ABT booth to learn how their students with print disabilities can succeed at reading with accessible ebooks from Bookshare. They also learned about the wide variety of reading tools to…

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Published February 20, 2015

Full Steam Ahead at CSUN 2015!

The 2015 CSUN Conference is less than a month away, and we’re excited to be there to share all the great news and developments from Benetech and Bookshare, including product updates, accessible math, 3D printing, accessible images, publishing and more! Join us for these can’t-miss events! The Poet Image Description Training Module, Thursday, March 5, 9:00 AM, La Jolla AB, 2nd Floor, Seaport Tower. Bookshare User Feedback Meeting, Thursday, March 5, 12:00–1:30 PM. The location of the room for the event will be announced on March 4. Space is limited, please RSVP to reserve you space and receive the location…

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Published January 21, 2015

Attending ATIA 2015? Get Bookshare Updates and Give Us Your Feedback!

Are you going to the Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATIA) Conference in Orlando, FL? On Thursday evening, January 29, we will host a special ATIA session to meet with Bookshare members, ask and answer questions, and share feedback. You can also learn more about new and exciting developments at Bookshare and our parent nonprofit, Benetech. We hope you will join us! Please RSVP. ***************************************************************** What: Bookshare: Latest and Greatest When: Thursday, January 29, 2015 Time: 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. Place: Caribe Royal Orlando Hotel in Rooms Cayman I and II Light refreshments will be served. ***************************************************************** Please also check out…

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Category: Events