Educators — K-12

Members Speak Up

“Bookshare helps me keep up with the work in my classes and stay on track. Now I know what the teachers are talking about. I listen to books, understand them, do well on tests and get better grades.”
-Bookshare Member Alex Clark, Middle School Student, Lowville, NY

The Bookshare community provides valuable resources for educators. You can provide your students with increased access to accessible textbooks, teacher recommended reading and children’s books. You can help your students with print disabilities explore a wide range of topics in a variety of reading levels. As educators, you have a very important role to play in helping your students keep up with their sighted peers. This page is full of information and resources to make your job easier.

Discussion and Information Sharing

Bookshare has many avenues for sharing your ideas and insights:

Resources

There are a number of resources for teachers of students with print disabilities. Keep checking this page for new links:

Accessible Materials in the Classroom

New Ideas and Information

Publications about Disabilities

National Networks

Items of Interest

  • View videos of Bookshare Members who use various assistive devices to read Bookshare books. The short profiles demonstrate how Members are using the technology. The longer stories describe how Bookshare has affected the lives of our members.
  • Bookshare will be hosting a series of webinars in January 2009 focused on the many new features of the ‘new’ Bookshare library. Registration details will be coming soon.
  • Bookshare will be attending a number of conferences around the country. Get the latest information on conference dates and locations.

Volunteer Opportunities

If you want to share books that you have scanned for students, please sign up as a Volunteer and submit them to the Bookshare library. Learn more about submitting books to Bookshare.

If you want to help build the Bookshare library with other efforts, you can donate funds, books, or time and expertise.

By volunteering with Bookshare, you not only help add books to the library, you also become part of a very lively community. Bookshare Volunteers hold contests, sponsor books clubs, and run a discussion group. In addition, Volunteers with print disabilities can earn credits toward their membership fees. Learn more about volunteering.

Customer Support

Bookshare has a number of resources to help with any question:

If your question is not answered here, feel free to contact Bookshare.

Membership Information

Through an award from the U.S. Department of Education Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), Bookshare offers free memberships to U.S. schools and qualifying U.S. students. Read more about the OSEP award.

Schools and students outside the United States can also join Bookshare and pay the nominal subscription fee. This provides access to freely distributable titles (e.g. public domain or Creative Commons licensed) and books that publishers and authors have given permission to Bookshare to share internationally.

Membership in Bookshare is also available to individuals with qualifying print disabilities and to institutions supporting those individuals. Learn more about joining Bookshare.

The Bookshare service is possible through an exemption in the U.S. copyright law (Chafee amendment) that permits the reproduction of publications into specialized formats for those with print disabilities.