Homeschoolers with Print Disabilities

Do you know a child that struggles with reading?  Then pay attention, because I just learned about a fantastic program that is helping 150,000 children with disabilites to read digital books.

Bookshare is a non-profit program that provides access to approximately 125,000 digital books. Inspired by Napster, the music-sharing service, the folks at Bookshare have modified books into a format that can be read aloud by computers and/or magnified, which allows students with vision problems or learning disabilities to read them.

Thanks to an award from the U.S. Department of Education, Bookshare is free program for all U.S. students with qualifying disablities.  Of special note, the program is available to home-schooled students.  Hurray!

The disabilities required for qualification include:

• Visual Impairment (blind or low vision)
• Physical Disability (which affects one’s ability to read print, such as inability to hold a book or turn pages)
• Learning Disability
• Reading Disability

Books available through Bookshare can be read with a number of reading technologies, which include: computer software, assistive technology devices, and a variety of mobile devices.  Most recently, there is now an "app for that".

Read2Go is an app for the iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch, specifically designed for Bookshare.  Read2Go allows users to: listen to books being read aloud; see and hear words as they are highlighted; customize reading speed, font size, and colors; or read in Braille.