via abledbody
April 29, 2009, 10:07 am
Bookshare, the online library for people with print disabilities, today announced a new program that will significantly increase college students' access to digital books and textbooks.
The Bookshare University Partnership program is a collaboration between 11 U.S. colleges and universities and publishers that will pool resources to build a more robust collection of books. The program will boost access to reading materials for individuals, including K-12 and post-secondary students, who have a qualified print disability such low vision, dyslexia or a physical disability that makes it difficult or impossible to read standard print.
Up to now, students would wait months after the start of a semester before getting their textbooks in a format they can read. The process entails the university having to either physically scan the books or obtain digital files for each book from the publisher. Under the new program, colleges, universities and publishers will pool resources to make more books available on Bookshare. Additionally, three major publishers, HarperCollins, Hachette Book Group and Scholastic, have agreed to donate digital files of their books to Bookshare.
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Posted
Apr 29 2009, 03:03 PM
by
BusyBee
Filed under: K-12, equal educational experience, Benetech, blind, BookShare, college students, copyright exemption, cost-effective approach for schools, Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins, Jim Fruchterman, online library, people with disabilities, print disabilities, Scholastic, visually impaired, Chafee Amendment, pool resources, post-secondary students, digital books, digital textbooks