visual impairments Archives - Page 11 of 14

Published July 5, 2011

The American Association of Deaf-Blind (AADB) Symposium 2011

During the week of June 19 – 25, over 600 individuals participated at the American Association of the Deaf-Blind National Symposium – “The Future is in Our Hands”- in Ft. Mitchell, Kentucky. For Bookshare, it was the first time to be an exhibitor at this conference. “Delegates” are association members who have combined hearing and vision losses and voting rights in the General Assembly meetings. Each had at least one accompanying SSP (Support Service Provider) to enable them to access their environments and make informed decisions. In other environments, SSPs only provide visual information, via sign language. In this specific…

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Published May 11, 2011

Find Hidden Savings in Textbook Purchases

When a state or district has or had money to buy new textbooks, textbook selection committees comprised of curriculum specialists, teachers, administrators and others review the available options and select the books that best fit the curriculum. The complex process takes many months, and may include previews of the choices in districts around a state, before the best new textbook is chosen. The process lumps the learning styles of 90% to 98% of the students into one learning style, although every classroom teacher knows that all students learn differently. The needs of between 2% and 10% or more of the…

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Published March 9, 2011

A Very Special Collection: The Schneider Family Book Award

Credit goes to Carrie Karnos, Bookshare’s Manager of Scanning and Proofing for this post and the collection. The Schneider Family Book Awards honor an author or illustrator for a book that embodies an artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences. Three annual awards of $5000 and a framed plaque are given in the following categories: birth through grade school (age 0–8), middle school (age 9–13) and teens (age 14–18). (Age groupings are approximations). The book must emphasize the artistic expression of the disability experience for children and or adolescent audiences. And the book must portray some…

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Published February 15, 2011

NFB Offers Opportunities for Students in STEM

With rapid advancements in technology and new science discoveries being made every day, it is more important than ever that high school students be knowledgeable in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) in order to achieve future success in the world of employment. Unfortunately, students with disabilities are often discouraged from pursuing math and science studies or left out of key educational experiences needed to prepare them for STEM careers. As part of our goal of expanding educational opportunities for students with disabilities, we’re pleased to tell you about the 2011 National Federation of the Blind Youth…

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Published February 15, 2011

NFB Offers Opportunities for Students in STEM

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Published January 26, 2011

Announcing the Read2Go App: The DAISY reader for Bookshare on the iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch

Our members talked, and we listened! Announcing the new Read2Go App, the DAISY reader for Bookshare on the iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch. Read2Go is an accessible e-book reader that was developed by Benetech (the parent nonprofit for Bookshare), in partnership with Shinano Kenshi Co. Ltd (best known for its PLEXTALK® brand of digital talking book players). Read2Go is the most full-featured, accessible DAISY reader for the Apple device market. This very easy-to-use app for the iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch connects directly to Bookshare for immediate on-the-go reading. From within the app, individual users and schools supporting students can…

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Published January 7, 2011

What We’re Reading {January 7, 2011}: Start the New Year with these Award Winners

There were so many terrific books published in 2010! This week I thought I would share some of the titles that won various awards in 2010. All of these books are available in the Bookshare collection. Happy Reading! 2010 National Book Award Winners Nonfiction: Just Kids by Patti Smith Poetry: Lighthead by Terrance Hayes Young People’s Literature: Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine Man Booker Prize of 2010: The Finkler Question by Howard Jacobson While these books didn’t win the big prize, they made the short list: Parrot and Olivier in America by Peter Carey Room by Emma Donoghue In a Strange…

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Published December 7, 2010

Bookshare and ReadWorks– Collaboration to Help Improve Literacy Nationwide

What is ReadWorks? ReadWorks provides K-6 teachers and school leaders with a proven, research-based program focused specifically on teaching reading comprehension. ReadWorks, developed by educators, sole mission is to close the achievement gap in reading comprehension throughout the United States. ReadWorks provides: Lessons and units that explicitly teach the essential Concepts of Comprehension©. These are the skills and strategies students must master to be successful readers. Lessons and units with suggested pacing, printable student materials, non-fiction passages with questions and vocabulary, extension activities and assessments. Alignment with every state’s ELA standards plus the Common Core State Standards. Alignment with core…

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Published November 29, 2010

Western Suffolk NY BOCES’ Teacher Shares Student Outcomes

Maria Aranguren, Teacher of the Blind and Visually Impaired sent us this wonderful letter. One of the biggest challenges facing students with visual impairments and their teachers continues to be the ability to access print instructional materials in alternate formats. Bookshare has done a tremendous job of addressing this issue and I wanted to share some of our student outcomes with you. This year our total number of registered members for Western Suffolk Boces has grown to 62 students and 23 sponsors. For the first two months of the 2010-2011 school year, our members and sponsors have downloaded 22 novels,…

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Published November 17, 2010

A Path Towards the Least Restrictive Environment

True or False: 1. Special education students are general education students first. 2. All students are special education students. The answer, both are true. Teachers who use Bookshare tell us again and again that students in special education can make progress in the general curriculum when it is presented to them in a format they can access. If the format of the material is appropriate to their learning needs, they can consume it. As consumers of the general curriculum, aren’t they general education students – just learning from a different format? In fact, all students learn differently. Some make copious…

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Category: visual impairments