February is Black History Month, when we celebrate the achievements of African Americans and honor the generations of people who struggled to achieve equality in American society. Did you know that black history is also celebrated in other countries like Canada and the United Kingdom? In this blog, we have collected a number of worthy titles, many written by black authors*, that you can use in your classroom, read with your child, or read on your own. Titles for Younger Readers by Grades Henry’s Freedom Box by Ellen Levine True story of an ingenious man who mailed himself to freedom.…
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Monthly Support Tip: How to Get NIMAC Textbooks for Students with IEPs
As one of your trusty support specialists, I often receive calls from teachers asking how students with Individual Memberships and IEPs (Individualized Education Plans) can access textbooks, particularly those from the NIMAC repository. I tell them that this can easily be done with Reading Lists! Reading Lists are virtual bookshelves that let teachers and members save books for future reading. Teachers can create Reading Lists with assigned reading, including NIMAC-sourced textbooks for students with IEPs, and share them with students linked with their organization. (Note: Students must have an Individual Membership to access shared Reading Lists.) To read the books,…
Leave a CommentSuspenseful High School Fantasy Takes Teens On Life-Lesson Journey
Bookshare members and educators alike will enjoy The Heart of Applebutter Hill, a suspenseful novel written by Bookshare member and author Donna W. Hill. Donna, who has been blind since birth, takes young readers on a fast-paced journey of high school mystery and fantasy to teach important lessons about bullying and stereotyping kids with disabilities. This is a great read for middle school and older readers. The main character, Abigail, is a gifted teen who is blind. She and friends, including a boy who uses a wheelchair, go on an amazing journey, encountering many prejudices along the way. They travel…
Leave a CommentHow did an Occupational Therapist Help to Build Statewide Delivery of Accessible Instruction Materials?
In 2010, the Iowa Department of Education (DOE) developed True AIM, a statewide initiative to ensure that all students with qualified print disabilities receive timely access to accessible instructional materials (AIM). To deliver on this promise, the Iowa DOE partnered with Benetech, Bookshare’s parent nonprofit. Nancy Dunn, an occupational therapist and Bookshare Mentor Teacher, supported this initiative at the Iowa Heartland Area Education Agency. She and others on the assistive technology team trained educators about the benefits and delivery of accessible instructional materials. Their efforts helped to build capacity in more than ten Iowa districts. What did Nancy and the…
Leave a CommentUpdated Bookshare Web Reader Now Lets You Read on Safari!
Bookshare Web Reader, the popular and free reading tool, can now be used on current versions of the Safari browser for Mac! With this newest update to Bookshare Web Reader, Mac users can use Safari to find, open, and read Bookshare books directly within the browser. In addition, they can also listen to words read aloud and follow along with synchronized word highlighting. This full set of reading features was previously only available only on Google Chrome. This is a particularly great update because in addition to using the Safari browser, Mac users can take advantage of high-quality voices available…
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