Catherine Fortney, an Occupational Therapist and Assistive Technology Facilitator at the Francis Howell School District in St. Charles, Missouri, says her Bookshare student members love Individual Memberships and Student Logins—a new feature that lets students log in on their own and read assigned books wherever they want. Students’ Reading Transformations Fortney also likes to share stories of transformation with colleagues, administrators, and parents. “Transformative stories fortify the value of Bookshare,” she says. “The online accessible library is a game changer in special education, especially for students with learning, vision, and physical disabilities, such as muscular dystrophy.” Gabby, a high school student…
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Let’s Raise Awareness of Dyslexia and Learning Disabilities in October
Did you know that 2.9 million children in the U.S. have a specific learning disability and one in five students has a brain-based learning and attention issue related to reading, writing, math, or organizational skills? According to the National Center for Learning Disabilities, 1 of out every 10 students in the U.S. is dyslexic, and 80 percent of children placed in special education with a learning disability are dyslexic. In October, Bookshare is supporting Dyslexia Awareness Month and Learning Disabilities Awareness Month. It’s the perfect time to put a spotlight on learning disabilities like dyslexia, as well as resources like Bookshare…
Leave a CommentNavigate Dyslexia with These Recommended Books for Parents!
Are you a parent of a child with a print disability, like dyslexia? As part of our efforts to support parents in navigating their child’s learning differences, here are two helpful books that were written specifically for parents by people with dyslexia. Ben Foss, dyslexia advocate and well-known author, wrote The Dyslexia Empowerment Plan: A Blueprint for Renewing Your Child’s Confidence and Love of Learning to help families build a pathway to independence for children with dyslexia. Here is Ben’s three-step process: Identify your child’s strengths. Share those strengths with school administrators and educators. Explore technologies that will help your…
1 CommentOh, 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…
Leave a CommentBookshare 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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