low vision Archives - Bookshare Blog

Bookshare Opens a World of Possibilities for Jared

Published June 20, 2023

Bookshare Opens a World of Possibilities for Jared

Jared is a high-school senior in Southern California with a joyful personality and eagerness to evoke change for students like himself. He is the subject of Benetech’s latest student spotlight. Despite being quadriplegic with low vision and battling stage 2 spastic cerebral palsy, Jared continues to be an independent beacon of light in his community. Jared is a long-time Bookshare user and expert, who participates in the Bookshare Student Roundtables, which give students a chance to share insights on their educational experiences, provide feedback on their Bookshare usage, and learn from peers with similar reading challenges. After graduation, Jared plans…

Benetech Partners with Georgia Libraries for Accessible Statewide Services to Bring Bookshare to Patrons with Print Disabilities

GLASS offers over 425,000 accessible ebooks in its pursuit of total accessibility Benetech, provider of Bookshare, is proud to announce a new partnership with Georgia Libraries for Accessible Statewide Services (GLASS), making over 425,000 accessible ebooks available for free to patrons who cannot read printed books due to blindness, low vision, dyslexia, and other print disabilities. GLASS is the statewide network of talking book centers that provides library services for the blind and others whose physical abilities require the use of books and magazines in digital audio formats or in braille. Beginning July 1, every Georgian with an eligible print…

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Published November 24, 2015

A New Perspective on Literacy for Students with Low Vision

By guest author Allison Hilliker Imagine a reading solution where students with low vision could read for an extended period of time without eye fatigue. A solution where their ability to distinguish among letters was not dependent upon print size, contrast, lighting, color, or font style. Where skimming or rereading a paragraph or page wouldn’t be cause for frustration or eye strain. Where students could easily discern the subtleties of spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and paragraph layout. Imagine a reading option in which individuals didn’t have to hold the book close to their face or hunch over a tablet screen in…

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Published July 20, 2015

75 Reasons to Love Bookshare

Celebrating the 75th Anniversary of the National Federation of the Blind Earlier this month, members of the Bookshare team traveled to Orlando, Florida, to attend the 2015 Annual Convention of the National Federation of the Blind (NFB). Founded in 1940, the Federation is the largest organization of blind and low-vision people in the United States with over fifty-thousand members. Thousands of members and supporters celebrated the NFB’s 75th anniversary and are a living testament to the NFB’s motto: You can live the life you want; blindness is not what holds you back. The Bookshare team was excited to have the…

It’s Only About Copyright!

Post written by Jim Fruchterman, Benetech/Bookshare Founder and CEO. Which students qualify for Bookshare in the United States? This is an important question for American students with disabilities, since Bookshare is the largest online library designed to provide accessible eBooks to people who cannot read standard print. The answer: it’s only about copyright. It’s not about special education, and not about special education disability categories. It’s not about 504 plans or Individualized Education Programs. It’s not about state policy, or local policy. It’s not about private schools or home schools. It’s not about medical doctors. It’s not about whether your…

Tag: low vision

Bookshare Opens a World of Possibilities for Jared

Benetech Partners with Georgia Libraries for Accessible Statewide Services to Bring Bookshare to Patrons with Print Disabilities

A New Perspective on Literacy for Students with Low Vision

75 Reasons to Love Bookshare

It’s Only About Copyright!