Bookshare: Providing Accessible Materials for Students with Print Disabilities

Transcript: Challenge

Bookshare: Providing Accessible Materials for Students with Print Disabilities

In this module, you will meet three students.

Gema is a ninth grader with low vision. She can use a magnifier to enlarge text, but this causes eye strain and often results in headaches. For this reason, she prefers to read content in braille.

Thomas is a fifth grader who has cerebral palsy. Because he has difficulty with tasks that require manual dexterity, such as holding a book and turning the pages, he prefers reading text on his computer.

Liza is a third grader who has difficulty decoding printed words. Consequently, when reading, she spends more time sounding out words than trying to understand the text. But after listening to a story, she can retell the events at great length.

Although these students have diverse needs, they all have difficulty accessing standard text.

Despite thorough planning, their teachers notice them having frequent difficulty participating in class and demonstrating their learning. And while they know providing accessible educational materials can reduce barriers for these students, they’ve had trouble locating them.

One of these teachers, however, recalls hearing about Bookshare—an online platform that simplifies the process.

Here’s your challenge:

What should educators understand about students who have trouble accessing standard print?

What is Bookshare, and how can educators and students access its services?

How can educators implement Bookshare materials in the classroom?