Research abstract

Save Bookshare – Digital Books for Dyslexic and the Blind

Don’t let a critical resource for dyslexics and the blind fall through the cracks. Bookshare provides 400,000 children with the ability to convert free digital books to text to speak. Voice your outrage to your local representative to save this important service. By Fernette Eide

Laura Lurns Last updated March 13, 2017 · 1 min read

In the blogpost “Save Bookshare”, Fernette Eide advocates for continued funding for the federal Bookshare program. Bookshare is the world’s largest online library of accessible ebooks for people with difficulty reading printed media. The program is under threat of having its federal funding cut in half during the next fiscal year by the US Congress.

“Book share is a critical resource for dyslexic individuals and the blind – and loss of funding could have devastating consequences for the 400,000+ members across the US”.

Bookshare is an important program, providing free access to digital media to over 400,000 members. The system has nearly a half a million titles available. The titles include braille, large print, and audio versions of books. Under existing federal law, schools are required to provide students with reading impairments with this media. Without Bookshare, the costs will be passed on to the state and local levels at far greater taxpayer expense.

Key takeaways

Bookshare, which provides digital books for people who are blind or have dyslexia, is a crucial resource.
The latest budget bill from the House of Representatives has proposed eliminating Bookshare in 2017.
Action is encouraged to save Bookshare, which is used by 400,000+ members across the US.

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Laura Lurns · Learning Success expert Writes about the learning brain for parents who want plain answers. Every article is grounded in current neuroscience and classroom practice.

“Book share is a critical resource for dyslexic individuals and the blind – and loss of funding could have devastating consequences for the 400,000+ members across the US”.

Key takeaways

Is your child struggling in school?

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