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Category: social good for society

Stay Connected to Get More Out of Bookshare!

In this blog, you’ll get the scoop on all your favorite online hotspots like the Bookshare blog, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest so that you can quickly reach our staff, get timely answers to your questions, learn about Bookshare products, trainings and events and connect with the broader community that supports people with print disabilities. Are you fully connected? If not, join us now! The Bookshare Blog If you like reading stories, the Bookshare blog is your best bet! It’s a great place to keep up with real-time news and events, learn best practices, and enjoy testimonials from members who use…

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ATIA 2014 Conference & Bookshare Roundup!

This year’s conference was a resounding success, and we thank the Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATIA) for the great work they do to organize the conference and other events throughout the year. Conferences, like ATIA, are very important for learning new knowledge and for special opportunities to meet with new and long-standing Bookshare members in person. Bringing together such a diverse community of educators, parents, researchers, and developers helps us all to grow and share new and better ways to support children and adults with disabilities.   To that end, here’s a quick roundup of our presentations, trainings and lively…

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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…

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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…

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Winter Olympics 2014—Let the Games Begin!

The 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, start on February 6! To help inaugurate this amazing international competition, the Bookshare Collections Development team has put together a wonderful list of books for all ages. Do you want to know how and when the first games started? Do you want to learn more about specific events like hockey or skiing? Do you want to read about Winter Olympic athletes, like speed skater Apolo Ohno? Get ready for the winter games with these great books, add them to your Reading List, and share with others! Books for Children and Adolescents Tacky and…

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The Sharjah International Book Fair: Towards Accessibility without Borders

Have you ever wondered how Bookshare builds such a rich and varied collection of titles so quickly in the library? Each month, we add more than 3000 titles to engage the hearts and minds of members of all ages. We currently have 223,000+ (and counting) titles in the collection. Educational and general interest trade titles in English comprise the majority of our collection, but our goal is to bring Bookshare services to many more people with print disabilities in more geographies and languages. To that end, we’re working hard to expand partnerships with the international publishing community. That’s where Robin Seaman,…

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Leading Accessible Communities – LIVE Discussion with Online Community Managers

January 27, 2014 is Community Manager Appreciation Day and we’re thrilled that two of Benetech’s employees, BJ Wishinsky, Bookshare’s Social Media Coordinator, and Allison Hilliker, Benetech’s Operations Associate, will team up to talk with community managers around the country on the important topic of accessibility. Online Community Managers help individuals and organizations build connections online around common goals and personal, social, or business interests. BJ and Allison’s goals are to help more community managers understand their role in removing barriers to access and inclusion for community members with disabilities. They will help other leaders in the field to learn about…

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Calling All K-12 Bookshare Members: Enter the White House Student Film Festival by January 29 2014!

Are you or do you know a Bookshare student member in grades K-12 who enjoys filmmaking? Do you use Bookshare to help with your studies at school?  If yes, President Obama has a super cool contest for you! Enter the White House Student Film Festival! The White House is holding its first ever film festival to showcase the power of technology in schools and students who win may get to  visit the White House! We know that you use Bookshare to learn all sorts of amazing things.  Do you use Bookshare Web Reader to read and listen to your textbooks and…

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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…

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Happy Holidays and to All Good Cheer!

Whether you’ve just celebrated Hanukkah or are getting ready for Christmas, Kwanzaa, or many other wonderful holiday traditions, we are sending much good cheer from our family to yours! December is a great time to wrap up important events—like wrapping up a handmade gift or wrapping up with a cozy blanket to read a good book with a child or loved one.  Here at our offices, we’re wrapping up the year with more than 200,000 titles for our Members to enjoy! We thank our Bookshare collections team for putting together this joyous list of winter holiday titles for all ages.…

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