Bookshare

Bookshare is an online accessible digital library for people with disabilities that affect the reading of print, such as blindness, vision impairment, dyslexia and certain physical disabilities. In 2007, it received an award of $32.5 million (over 5 years) from the US Government's Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) to make the service available for free to all print disabled students in the US.[1] [2] OSEP made another, similar sized award in 2012, to continue these services for another five years. [3]

Bookshare has more than a quarter million users [4] and over 375,000 books [5] in its collection, contributed by volunteers (who scan and upload the books to the site) and by major publishers (who send digital versions of their books to the collection).

Bookshare is a project run by Benetech, which is a nonprofit based in Palo Alto, California.

References

  1. ↑ San Jose Mercury News (2007-10-19). "Big grant gives free 'books' to disabled". Benetech.org. Retrieved 2009-09-06.
  2. ↑ U.S. Department of Education. "2007 Annual Report to Congress on the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Part D".
  3. ↑ Nirvi Shah, EdWeek. "Bookshare Plans to Make Graphics, Math in Books More Accessible".
  4. ↑ "Springer Signs Agreement Granting Worldwide Digital Rights to Bookshare". Benetech. Retrieved 2013-11-29.
  5. ↑ "Bookshare home page". Benetech. Retrieved 2015-11-25.

External links

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