Bookshare Success Story Presented by Viji Dilip

Agenda

 What is Bookshare?

 Who is eligible?

 What are its benefits?

 What is in the Bookshare library?

2

What is Bookshare?



Several million people across the globe have print disabilities, yet, fewer than five percent

of the books needed by people with print and learning disabilities are available in formats they can read.

 Bookshare is an

online digital library

which addresses the issue of lack of sufficient reading material for the print and learning disabled. 3

Bookshare Today

 An online library of accessible media for readers with print disabilities  Over 110,000 members worldwide  Over 17,000 titles available to International members  Serving members is 32 countries  English, Spanish, Tamil, Hindi, French, German 4

How Can I Access Books on Bookshare ?

 Books can be accessed in txt, html, DAISY and Braille Ready Formats (BRF).

 DAISY- stands for

D

igitally

A

ccessible

I

nformation

Sy

stem.

 Text can be read in large font on the screen.

 Text can be highlighted as you read it on the screen you can also listen to it at the same time.

 Victor Reader and Read:OutLoud software comes free with a membership and can be used to read and navigate books.

5

Bookshare’s books are digital

  Download from the Internet CAN be read by people with print disabilities!

6

How Does Bookshare Get Digital Books?

Chop Scan Textbooks from University Partners Publishers Proofread

Why are digital books cool?

Digital books can be read different ways.



DAISY format

 Read

on your computer

with assistive reading software  Read on

portable assistive technology devices

 Convert and read

on MP3 players!



Braille Ready Format (BRF)

 Use

notetakers or refreshable Braille displays

 Download books to

embosser

 Order

hardcopy Braille books

online through partnership with Braille Institute-prices online 8

What is DAISY

 www.DAISY.org

 ability to use free software to create DAISY books  International standard 9

Read Books in the DAISY Format (Digital Accessible Information System)

      Flexible, versatile file format Multi-modal reading on a computer  Visual presentation and/or synthetic speech Easier to navigate  Chapters, paragraphs, and pages Like HTML, plus some extra tags Convert and play on MP3 player www.daisy.org

10

• Highlighting • Bookmarks • Text Notes • Dictionary • Voice Notes

Study Tools

Compatible AT Hardware

 Any AT hardware supporting text-based files  HumanWare VictorReader Stream and ClassMate Reader  Plextalk Pocket  BookCourier and BookPort    Braille displays like the BrailleNote ICON™ New Code Factory DAISY player for Symbian and Windows phones  MP3 players (educator or Member converts)

Compatible AT Software

 Any AT software supporting text-based files  

Victor Reader Soft 2.5 Bookshare edition – now free READ:OutLoud Bookshare edition – now free

       Kurzweil 3000, 1000 WYNN OpenBook Window-Eyes JAWS ZoomText TextHelp 13

Disability

Visual Impairment (VI), such as blindness or low vision

Eligible Students

Qualified/Not Qualified

Qualified Physical Disability (PD) which affects the ability to read print, such as inability to hold a book or turn pages Qualified Severe Learning Disability that affects the ability to read standard print Students with a severe enough disability, and a professional certifying that the disability is severe enough and the individual needs accessible formats.

Record of disability kept at school!

Examples of Certifying Professionals

A family doctor, ophthalmologist, neurologist, psychiatrist, optometrist, physical therapist, or other medical professional. Teacher of the visually impaired, special education teacher, learning disability specialist, school psychologist, clinical psychologist with a background in learning disabilities, resource specialist or other educational professional Certification from the National Library Service Proof of membership with RFB&D Autism Emotional disabilities ADHD

Other Learning Challenges

ESL and ELL Not qualified, unless accompanied by a visual or physical disability, or a qualified reading disability that has a physical basis Not applicable 14

Bookshare Has Rules:

Terms of Agreement & Digital Rights Management

      Books are for readers Book file

with print disabilities only.

sharing is not allowed.

There are consequences for copyright violations.

All books are

encrypted

for a specific user.

All downloaded copyrighted material is

fingerprinted

so it can be traced.

Security program

monitors book downloads and suspends

irregular accounts.

Read Responsibly!

15

Signing up is Easy!

    Step 1 – Go to

Sign Up Today

on the Bookshare website; fill in your contact information.

Step 2 – Sign and mail/fax the user agreement.

Step 3 – Mail or fax your proof of disability.

Once Bookshare gets all of your paperwork we will send you a welcome email within 2 business days. This will include your user name and password.

What Are The Benefits?

 Helps individuals read and study

independently.

Check me out on Youtube.com!

Go to www.youtube.com

and search for Bookshare videos!

 Helps students

keep up

with their classmates.



Motivates

reading, as books can be accessed from anywhere.

 Encourages a lifelong commitment and love of reading.

What’s In The Bookshare Library?

 Special Collections  Caldecott Award winners  Pulitzer Prize winners   New York Times Best Sellers Spanish books  Pacific Island Collection  Children’s books  Scholastic        Literature Sci-fi Mystery Romance History General Knowledge Spirituality

Key factors for success



Publisher recognition as a reliable entity serving people with print disabilities

 More books being added everyday- digitally as publisher feeds keep coming  Increased level of accuracy  Timeliness of book availability –ability to read the same books at the same time  Better metadata 

Raising Awareness on the benefits of Daisy

 Ease of use  Independent Reading  Increased educational opportunities 19

Key factors for success (contd)



How do we raise awareness on the benefits of daisy and about Bookshare service

Reaching out to schools, colleges, universities Rehab organizations Parents associations Educating the special education teachers Training the trainers Libraries Webinars/workshops Direct mail, email, newsletters Conferences Social networking- Facebook, Twitter, Youtube Press Blogs/podcasts 

Nurturing memberships

Enhance user experience Increase utilization Honoring book requests wherever possible Building a community of users and volunteers Online discussion forums 

Going to the Source

Government Agencies (scalable) 20

Thank you.