Bookshare Blog

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 March 7, 2011

What We’re Reading: Mardi Gras and a Celebration of New Orleans

My first trip to New Orleans was when I was just out of college. A group of us went to celebrate Mardi Gras. During that trip I fell in love with the city, the people, the sights, the sounds, the smells, and the architecture. It was magical to me. So many of the people we met came from families who had been in the city for generations. They told stories that captivated us. We learned about voodoo, about creole, what etouffee was, and we heard stories about what the city used to be like “way back when.” We met shop owners, restauranteurs, artists, gypsies,…

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Published March 2, 2011

The Power and Role of Technology in the Field of Learning Disabilities

Many excellent paper-based tools exist to teach reading to students with learning disabilities (LD), and for years, educators have relied on them. At the LDA conference in Jacksonville last week (February, 2011), I decided to explore the power and role of technologies such as digital books and content in addition to paper-based approaches in the LD field. The consensus of the hundred-plus educators attending my session entitled “Get Ready for Digital Books” was that the LD profession recognizes that digital books and content are here. The question is not “are you ready,” or do you want to incorporate digital content,”…

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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…

NFB Offers Opportunities for Students in STEM

Exciting New Apps Seen at ATIA

I walked the hall at ATIA 2011 in Orlando, FL specifically looking for apps for iPads, iPhones, and iPod touches (iOS devices) that simplify life for individuals with disabilities and exemplify the convergence between consumer and assistive devices. At first, I wasn’t sure how many I would find, but it didn’t take long to discover quite a few. As a technology user since the very early days of the Apple II+, I have watched applications and uses of technology continually descend to the lowest common denominator, to the cheapest, smallest platform available. The trend is happening again with the Apple…

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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 26, 2011

Attention MAC Users…Read:OutLoud Version 6 Bookshare Edition 2.0 for MAC and PC Now Available!

Read:OutLoud Version 6 Bookshare Edition with support for Snow Leopard on Macintosh computers is now available! But it’s not just for MAC users. We highly recommend ALL Members upgrade to this version for better performance with large books. Read:OutLoud Version 6 Bookshare Edition is a DAISY reader designed for people with learning disabilities. Read:OutLoud allows users to read multi-modally, take notes, look up definitions and more. It is not recommended for use with screen readers and can only read Bookshare books. Read:OutLoud Version 6 Bookshare Edition includes the following enhancements: • Supports Mac OS 10.4 – 10.6 and Windows XP, Vista, and 7 • Opens books faster • Supports…

Agreement with Leading Independent Book Publisher Brings Eclectic Collection to Bookshare Members

One of the leading independent book publishers in North America, and the largest woman-owned trade book publisher in North America, Sourcebooks, has signed an agreement with Bookshare to provide an extensive selection of titles across its imprints. This partnership means that our Bookshare members will receive access to an eclectic and exciting breadth of Sourcebooks titles. When asked about this partnership, Betsy Beaumon, the Vice President and General Manager of the Literacy Program at Benetech had this to say: “Our agreement with Sourcebooks is especially important because, in addition to their wide-ranging list of general interest titles, they publish several…

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Published January 12, 2011

RAND Corporation to Offer Publications through Bookshare

RAND Corporation has entered into an agreement granting Bookshare world rights to distribute its collection of more than 15,000 RAND research publications, reports, and commentary to people with print disabilities. And we think this is pretty exciting! RAND is a fascinating organization, doing some amazing work, and being able to bring their collection to our members will be especially important to our postsecondary and graduate student members. RAND is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decision making through research and analysis. RAND focuses on issues such as health, education, national security, international affairs, law and business, the environment,…

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