Jordan Lefler is a Dyslexia Specialist at the Louisiana Key Academy in Baton Rouge, a tuition-free, public charter school dedicated exclusively to educating students with dyslexia. In this blog, Jordan shares tips and tricks for unlocking reading success.
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I Haven’t Overcome My Dyslexia. I’m Harnessing It.
For Junia Howell, PhD, dyslexia is not something to overcome, but something to embrace, harness, and celebrate. Learn how she uses technology and resources like Bookshare to leverage her capabilities and shine.
6 CommentsStudent with Dyslexia Discovers What It’s Like to Read [Video]
Meet Emery. Emery is a sixth grade student from Garland, Texas. At the age of seven, Emery was diagnosed with dyslexia and thought she would never learn how to read. Emery would get frustrated because she could not understand the words she was reading on a page or read like her peers. With the support of her family and dyslexia resources like Bookshare, Emery’s reading and school experience improved. Using specialized audiobooks from Bookshare, she learned how to track sentences and decode words. She discovered that there was more to reading beyond word for word and experienced what it was…
10 CommentsBecause #RepresentationMatters
Children need and deserve books that reflect themselves and the diversity of the world around them. In addition to people of color, people with disabilities are underrepresented in the popular media. For many children and teens with disabilities, it is difficult to find books with accurate portrayals of disabilities. With this gap in mind, Bookshare has assembled four new collections that feature characters with learning disabilities and visual impairments, because everyone has differences and abilities and representation matters. Books that Feature Characters with Learning Disabilities The novels in these two collections feature characters with a learning disability, such as dyslexia,…
4 CommentsBookshare Hits Big Milestones in 2017
As 2017 draws to a close, it’s time to look back and celebrate key milestones and accomplishments. But first, a message from a parent: “My son loved Huckleberry Finn! It was a joy to watch him laugh as he listened and read. Amazing. He has an A in English with the support of Bookshare.” Collection Passes Half a Million Mark Our goal is to make all books and print materials accessible. There was a time when people with disabilities could not find books in audio, braille, or other specialized formats they needed. Today, members have over 585,000 ebooks at the…
Leave a CommentBenetech Secures U.S. Department of Education Award to Expand Access to Bookshare for Students with Disabilities
Benetech extends reach to make education more inclusive Benetech, the parent company of Bookshare, is pleased to announce that it has received a five-year award from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs, to expand and improve access to books for students who read differently due to blindness, low vision, a physical disability, or dyslexia. Bookshare, the largest online library of accessible books, will remain free for all U.S. school districts, schools, educators, and their qualified students. “Access to knowledge through reading is a basic human right and a critical step on the path to economic, educational,…
Leave a CommentDecoding Dyslexia with an Ivy Leaguer
Bookshare member Brian Meersma shares his journey from third grade when he was diagnosed with dyslexia to his success at Cornell University.
2 CommentsDoctor Shares Daughter’s Discovery of Accessible Ebooks
Special thanks to Dr. P. Travis Harker and his daughter, Paloma, for sharing their story. “I Won’t Read Again!” In fourth grade, Paloma Harker declared to her parents, “I am done with reading. You can’t make me do it!” Since her earliest days in school, Paloma had trouble decoding and comprehending printed words. She loved stories and listened attentively as her father read to her, but reading on her own was difficult. By third grade, she knew that she did not read at the same level as her classmates. Each time she tried, she experienced frustration. By age nine, she…
2 CommentsBookshare Touches Lives All Year Long
The goal of Benetech’s Bookshare initiative is to make reading accessible to everyone. Bookshare is the world’s largest accessible online library that serves over 400,000 members with print disabilities. In September, Bookshare reached a significant milestone when it delivered the ten millionth book downloaded. That’s an awful lot of accessible ebooks making reading possible for individuals with blindness, low vision, a physical disability, or a learning disability like dyslexia. Another way we are bringing the benefits of Bookshare to a wider audience is through partnerships with public libraries. Libraries in New York, Georgia, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia now offer free Bookshare…
Leave a CommentBenetech Delivers 10 Million Accessible Ebooks
Benetech’s Bookshare technology makes reading possible for over 425,000 individuals unable to read standard print and empowers students and adults to succeed in school, work and social inclusion. PALO ALTO, Calif. — September 20, 2016 — Benetech, the leading nonprofit empowering communities in need by creating scalable technology solutions, today announced that over 10 million accessible ebooks have been downloaded through its Bookshare initiative. Bookshare is the world’s largest online library for people who are blind, visually impaired or have a physical disability that interferes with reading, such as dyslexia. “Access to information is a basic human right,” said Jim Fruchterman,…
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