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Tag: Print Disabilities

Published August 18, 2015

Get in the Back-to-School Groove with Bookshare

Summer is winding down, and a new school year is around the corner. How can we make sure students with visual, physical, and learning disabilities are set up to have their best academic year yet? Get their books in accessible formats and the best tools around from Bookshare for free! Since last back-to-school, the Bookshare team has been busy adding more and more books to our library. Our collection is bigger than ever with over 350,000 titles in formats like audio, braille, and large print that are accessible to people who cannot read traditional print. These titles include textbooks, Common…

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Published July 10, 2015

Bookshare a Notable Advantage for People With Visual Impairments, says The New York Times

This post originally appeared in Benetech’s Blog on July 6, 2015 For people who cannot use standard print, the increasing availability of digital books and services such as Benetech’s Bookshare library are a boon that is unlocking the world of reading, says The New York Times. In a story titled “An App to Aid the Visually Impaired,” author Jonah Bromwich highlights Bookshare as a “notable advantage” of an app called Spotlight Text. This reading tool, explains Bromwich in App City, The New York Times’ biweekly column about influential mobile apps, is outfitted with adjustable scrolling text, adjustable font, sharp contrast,…

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Published June 26, 2015

Cooking Up Some Good Reads in the Summer Reading Challenge

The Bookshare Summer Reading Challenge is off and running! You are welcome to join the fun any time. Just find a book (or three), read, and share your favorites with the Bookshare community. Here is some of the buzz on Twitter using the challenge hashtag, #TurnUp4Books: From @MSPruske in Los Angeles: How to choose btwn 2 Jacks (Kerouac/London) for Wk 1 of @Bookshare Summer Reading Challenge (Travel & Outdoors)?? Pick both. #TurnUp4Books From @silly_singer in Pelham, NH: With a little motivation from @Bookshare I have finally gotten around to reading “My Path Leads to Tibet” From @NightingaleOG: Since returning home…

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Published April 28, 2015

Support Bookshare on May 5!

Bookshare is the thriving community it is today thanks to the enthusiasm and dedication of all of you—members, parents, teachers, mentors, volunteers, partners, and friends! We’re so grateful for your continuous support and can’t wait to bring the gift of reading and educational opportunities to even more people. Please help us bring Bookshare to others who need our services by supporting our Silicon Valley Gives (SVGives) fundraiser on May 5, 2015. For those of you who may not have heard of it, SVGives is a community-wide day of giving hosted by the Silicon Valley Community Foundation. On Tuesday, May 5,…

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Published March 2, 2015

Oh, 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…

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Published February 18, 2015

Benetech Wins All Children Reading: A Grand Challenge for Development Grant to Improve Literacy for Primary School Students with Disabilities in India

This article was originally posted on Benetech’s blog on February 5, 2015. We are delighted to share that USAID, World Vision, and the Australian Government awarded Benetech a 2015 grant to improve literacy for primary school students who are blind in India. The new grant, under the three partners’ All Children Reading: A Grand Challenge for Development literacy innovations competition, funds our proposed winning project to provide Indian students who are blind with mother tongue instruction and reading materials through Bookshare, our digital library of accessible books. This supports Benetech’s commitment to extend the benefits of Bookshare across borders to…

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Published November 14, 2014

Donor Spotlight! Carole H. Lake

Thank you Carole H. Lake, Bookshare Member, for this wonderful guest post! Why do I support Bookshare, the accessible online library for people with print disabilities operated by the Benetech Global Literacy Program?  Well, I support it for a number of reasons, but first let me tell you a story. My grandmother was a highly educated woman and an avid reader. Sadly, she developed glaucoma, and lost her eyesight in her 60s. I used to go down to the Texas State Library and pick up books on records for her. No, not books on tape—books on vinyl! They were heavy,…

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Published November 1, 2014

Join Us in the Skoll Foundation’s 2014 Social Entrepreneurs Challenge!

A note from Jim Fruchterman, CEO and Founder of Benetech, the parent nonprofit of Bookshare.  This post originally appeared on the Benetech site on October 27, 2014. *************************   Zach Bryant loves reading non-fiction. This wasn’t always the case, though. Zach has Cerebral Palsy, which causes movement and coordination problems, and which keeps him from speaking and walking. To communicate his thoughts, he uses an alternative augmentative communication device. Tasks like turning a printed page are difficult for him, which makes reading standard print discouraging. According to his mom, this experience is common to children with Cerebral Palsy. “They get frustrated…

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Published August 26, 2014

Team-Up for Textbooks: Volunteer to Help Students with Print Disabilities

Post written by Brenda Hendricksen, Volunteer Program Manager for Benetech and published on August 19, 2014 on the Benetech blog. * * * By Brenda Hendricksen, Volunteer Program Manager posted in Bookshare on August 19, 2014 – See more at: http://benetech.org/author/brendah/#sthash.zKQVLSuF.dpuf By Brenda Hendricksen, Volunteer Program Manager posted in Bookshare on August 19, 2014 – See more at: http://benetech.org/2014/08/19/team-up-for-textbooks-volunteer-to-help-students-with-disabilities/#sthash.p2N1sT90.dpuf By Brenda Hendricksen, Volunteer Program Manager posted in Bookshare on August 19, 2014 – See more at: http://benetech.org/2014/08/19/team-up-for-textbooks-volunteer-to-help-students-with-disabilities/#sthash.p2N1sT90.dpuf Across the U.S., thousands of students with print disabilities will start their school year without the textbooks they need for class. These students…

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