[Nfbaz-talk] Fw: The Bookshare Bulletin

Wed Oct 7 00:37:08 UTC 2009

FYI,
Allison

----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Bookshare" <Bookshare at mail.vresp.com>
> Sent: Wednesday, September 30, 2009 5:15 PM
> Subject: The Bookshare Bulletin
>
>
> The Bookshare Bulletin
>
> Issue 4 :: Fall 2009
>
> The activity at Bookshare this Fall is non-stop. We're
> busier than ever with new books, features and software.
> We're excited to announce additional publishers and universities
> as well as conferences and webinars. Membership
> is now over 60,000 and we have 57,000 books in
> our collection.
>
> Connect with Bookshare
>
> Come friend us on Facebook
> [http://cts.vresp.com/c/?Benetech/5164f5ce36/dffb0032cf/7aaeb6cf22]
> ,
> or follow us on both standard Twitter
> [http://cts.vresp.com/c/?Benetech/5164f5ce36/dffb0032cf/4052c4e813]
> and Accessible Twitter
> [http://cts.vresp.com/c/?Benetech/5164f5ce36/dffb0032cf/39238cdc1a/uid=bookshare].
> Also, look for our new Bookshare Blog, launching soon.
>
> In This Issue
>
> A Fall Update [#story1]
> Bookshare Volunteers [#story2]
> Professional Development Workshops [#story3]
> University Partnerships Growing [#story4]
> International Program Expands [#story5]
> Readers Voice Contest Extended [#story6]
> Upcoming Events [#story7]
>
> Unsubscribe
>
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>
>
> If you no longer want to receive The Bookshare
> Bulletin, please click the unsubscribe link at the bottom of this
> page.
>
>
>
> A Fall Update:
> New Software for Bookshare
>
> By Betsy Burgess
>
> Can the Bookshare you already know and love get any better? The short
> answer is yes. We've added some exciting new capabilities in the
> last few months and have more planned. There's something for everyone.
>
>
> Textbook Search Improved
>
> Are you a K-12 educator looking for NIMAC (National Instructional
> Materials
> Access Center) textbooks? You probably remember how hard it was to
> just
> figure out how to find out which textbooks were available.
>
> Now, it's much easier; you just go to Bookshare. Any Bookshare
> member authorized to download NIMAC books can now
> use our new "one-step" search that allows you to simultaneously search
> through Bookshare and the NIMAC. If the book is in the NIMAC,
> you'll get a "Request Book" button or guidance on how to get the book
> -- depending on which state you're from. One-step search should get
> textbooks to students much more quickly: in under a week in some cases
> or no more than two weeks.
>
> Digital Images
>
> Many Bookshare Members told us that digital images topped their wish
> lists. Well, wish no longer. Digital images are here. All NIMAC
> textbooks are available for download as a DAISY (Digital Accessible
> Information System) file with -- or without -- images: your choice.
> We'll also start including image descriptions in other books.
>
> Don Johnston's Read:OutLoud and Dolphin Easy Reader text to speech
> software already display the images but do not include
> descriptions. If you want to know how the assistive
> technology you use will support images, please contact
> your vendor. Have faith -- assistive technology is
> increasingly incorporating digital images.
>
> More Powerful Search
>
> Have you ever wished you could search Bookshare for all references
> to a certain topic? Maybe you've been baffled about the source
> of a famous quotation. This fall, Bookshare is launching full-text
> search.
>
> When students need to conduct research for a school report, they can
> now search all books in our collection simultaneously.
>
> A search for "William Shakespeare," for instance, will
> return all books with William Shakespeare in the
> title or in the text of the book -- as well as Shakespeare's
> works. Watch for the Bookshare Blog to learn how to use full text
> search
> and for more information. Note that you still will be able to search
> by author, title, or ISBN.
>
> Software for Bookshare
>
> Don Johnston has introduced a Macintosh version
> of its Read: OutLoud Bookshare edition software.
> The program is specifically designed for people
> with learning disabilities.
>
> Humanware has upgraded VictorReader Soft Bookshare edition to version
> 2.6. We're encouraging everyone who uses this software to download
> the latest version.
>
> For more information on software tools, go to
> www.bookshare.org/readingTools
> [http://cts.vresp.com/c/?Benetech/5164f5ce36/dffb0032cf/bf62cb45fb]
>
>
> - Back to Top [#top]  -
>
> Bookshare Volunteers
>
> By Pavi Mehta
>
> If you thought volunteering at Bookshare only meant scanning and
> proofing
> books, you haven't met our summer volunteers. Of course, our
> crew of nearly 30 in-person volunteers did some scanning
> and proofing, joining the ranks of some 1,700 virtual
> volunteers. But this summer, those visiting our cozy
> Palo Alto, California offices, also helped us market,
> develop our business and engineer our services. You
> name it -- they did it.
>
> Volunteers have now scanned and proofed more than 23,500 books.
>
> Here are three snapshot profiles of individuals who lent us their
> time and skills over the summer.
>
> Satej Soman
>
> Satej Soman will be a high school senior this fall.  His previous
> experience proofreading scanned books for the National Institute for
> the Blind in Mumbai, India, led him to Bookshare. He pretty much hit
> the ground running, assisting us with processing books submitted by
> our outsourcers and helping with inventory checks.
>
> When Satej is not volunteering, he is listening to music, biking or
> reading. He plans to volunteer with us again next summer.
>
> Vonn Xavier
>
> Vonn Xavier, a Stanford University communications
> student, spent her summer helping us process vendor
> submissions and working on a draft of a manual for
> vendors assisting with Bookshare's collection development.
> When Vonn is not volunteering with Bookshare she's finishing
> up her senior year at Stanford. Her impetus for volunteering? "I
> believe in Benetech's mission to serve humanity with technology," she
> says. "And, I love books."
>
> Kartik Gopal
>
> Kartik Gopal just graduated with a master's degree
> in management from Stanford and is currently involved
> in a start-up venture of his own that seeks to put
> technology to meaningful use for people with visual
> disabilities. Kartik is working with Bookshare on a launch plan for
> Route 66 -- an exciting Internet-based initiative that will provide
> reading and writing instruction to adolescent and adult beginning
> readers
> with developmental delays. With his 13 years of semiconductor
> engineering
> and management experience across India, Germany, Singapore - as well
> as his skills as an amateur bike racer, a marathoner and a mountaineer
> -- Kartik brings a unique blend of skills with him.
>
> - Back
> to Top [#top]  -
>
> Professional Development Workshops
>
> By Terri Icasiano
>
> Educators: you told us in our recent survey that you want professional
> development to help you understand how to use Bookshare and assistive
> technology. When asked about your plans for spending stimulus funds,
> you told us that you want to know how to improve education for
> students
> with print disabilities. You also told us you'd be interested
> in professional development from a non-profit such as Bookshare.
>
> In response, we are developing professional workshops that qualify
> to be funded under the stimulus bill, the American
> Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Here is information
> about our first two workshops.
>
> Aligning Assistive Reading Tools to Student Needs
>
> This course is designed to review a broad range of assistive
> technology
> software and devices available for students with print disabilities.
> The goal is to identify the appropriate technology to meet the unique
> needs of each student.
>
> Through an interactive curriculum, course participants will learn how
> to use
> software and devices from a variety of vendors. They will then be able
> to use
> their knowledge to make educated decisions about matching the right
> devices
> and software to individual students. In addition, every participant
> will leave with action plans they can take back to the classroom to
> ensure
> lasting results after the workshop is over.
>
> Bookshare in Depth
>
> In this workshop, participants will learn how to use Bookshare with
> their students.
>
> This course is designed to cover all levels of use. Through labs and
> exercises, participants will learn how to create and manage class
> rosters
> as well as how to search, request, and download books. In addition,
> every participant will leave with lesson plans they can take back to
> the classroom to ensure lasting results after the workshop is over.
>
> Bookshare's support extends beyond the workshop. We include online
> follow-up coaching after each course. Coaching will focus on each
> participant's
> progress and his or her implementation of action plans.
>
> Watch  www.bookshare.org
> [http://cts.vresp.com/c/?Benetech/5164f5ce36/dffb0032cf/276a9fa3b1]
> for more information. Remember these workshops
> qualify for ARRA funds.
>
> - Back
> to Top [#top]  -
>
> University Partnerships Growing
>
> By Cherie Miller
>
> When a student at Michigan State University needs a book transformed
> from pulp into a flexible electronic format, the
> staff at the Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities jumps into
> action.
>
> Tom Hwang
>
> They search the Internet -- including Bookshare -- to see
> if the book already exists or if they need to process it themselves,
> says Tom Hwang, specialist with the Resource Center.
>
> Normally turning a book into an accessible electronic form involves
> cutting the spine off a book, scanning it and then
> making sure that the scan is correct. That's something
> that can only be done by humans. The process can
> take an hour for a super clean, very simple book.
>
> Complex books, on the other hand, take much longer. A scientific
> textbook
> can take up to 200 hours to produce with descriptions of all of the
> tables, charts and graphs.
>
> So it's a big time saver when Bookshare already has a book in
> its collection.
>
> Bookshare is "a treasure," Hwang says. "I feel it's
> quite a blessing for students to have the Bookshare
> resources available."
>
> Until recently, the process of sharing went one way. University
> students
> with qualifying disabilities have always had access
> to Bookshare's 57,000-plus book collection. Now,
> books are flowing two ways, thanks to Bookshare's growing university
> partnership program.
>
> When a university partners with Bookshare, it shares its accessible
> materials with Bookshare, as appropriate under the terms of U.S.
> copyright law. The partnership helps other universities. If one
> university scans and contributes a book, other universities don't have
> to duplicate
> the effort. However, the real beneficiaries of the university
> partnerships
> are the students who have access to a much larger collection of books
> that they can use in their classes.
>
> Currently, Bookshare has 14 university partners with more universities
>
> expressing interest in the program all the time. These partners are
> Alliant University, Indiana University, Arizona State University,
> Hadley
> School for the Blind, De Anza Community College, Michigan State
> University,
> George Mason University, Landmark College, Monterey Peninsula
> Community
> College, Texas A&M, University of California, Berkeley , University
> of Idaho, the University of Montana and Ohio State University, which
> boasts the largest population of students with disabilities.
>
> Sarah Terry, auxiliary services administrator for the Office for
> Disability
> Services at Ohio State University, says Bookshare and programs like
> it represent the future.
>
> "I have no reason to believe that Bookshare will not become
> an extremely viable component to students having
> accessible materials, whether they are textbooks
> or supplemental course materials in the future," Terry says. "They
> won't be the only player in the field but they'll
> probably be one of the biggest ones supporting students."
>
> - Back
> to Top [#top]  -
>
> International Program Expands
>
> By Viji Dilip
>
> Before Bookshare came to India, Balasubramanian Kannan would
> painstakingly
> chop and scan his own books -- 20 pages at a time.
>
> Balasubramanian Kannan
>
> "It took 15 to 20 days to complete a book," says Kannan,
> a stenographer from Chennai, India.
>
> In October 2008, not quite a year ago, Bookshare came to India and
> now Kannan. Who is blind, can often find the books
> he is seeking already transformed in to an accessible formats. He is
> full of gratitude -- especially because Bookshare is giving him access
> to computer programming books, which he needs to make a career change.
>
>
> "We appreciate your efforts to bring popular books," says
> Kannan. He adds a humble request: He wants "more and more books
> in the Indian section."
>
> In fact, this is exactly what Bookshare is trying to do. Not only
> is Bookshare now in India, but it is making inroads
> to other countries as well, including Kenya and Nigeria.
> Unfortunately, bringing books to countries outside
> of the United States can sometimes be a complicated
> process.
>
> In the United States, an exemption in the copyright law allows
> authorized
> entities to reproduce or distribute electronic copies of published
> books for use by people with qualifying disabilities such as
> blindness.
> There is no such law in India. In fact, in India, you cannot just take
> a book, chop it and scan it and put it online. Instead, you have to
> talk to every single publisher and author to get permission. The
> process
> is slow, but working.
>
> Bookshare is growing every day. We now work with many big publishing
> houses and an equal number of small publishers. About 70% of our
> current
> Members in India are visually impaired and the remainder have physical
>
> and learning disabilities.
>
> In addition, Bookshare recently partnered with the DAISY Forum of
> India to reach out to even more Members. Anyone who has a membership
> in Bookshare's India program also automatically becomes a member
> of The DAISY Forum of India. Member organizations of the DAISY Forum
> of India produce and maintain libraries of digital talking books,
> Braille
> books or ebooks. Bookshare Members will automatically have access to
> their collection.
>
> We've had some major wins. Recently, one of the biggest publishers
> of Indian literature, Sahitya Akademy, gave us permission to reproduce
>
> all of their books. In addition, we have books from Oxford University
> Press, Orient Blackswan, Seasons Publishing, Westland Publishing,
> Sheth
> Publications, Zubaan books, Leadstart Publishing, Book Box and
> Pratham.
> We have more than 300 books published in India that have been added
> to our global collections.
>
> - Back
> to Top [#top]  -
>
> Readers Voice Contest Extended
>
> By Mario Oliveros
>
> Calling all Kindergarten through grade 12 readers! The Bookshare
> Reader's
> Voice Contest has been extended. You now have until
> Halloween, Saturday, October 31, to enter.
>
> Don't be afraid. This is not a Halloween trick -- and you
> could get a huge treat. The prizes are a choice of
> the Victor Reader Stream or a ClassMate Reader, both portable, digital
>
> audio book player, from HumanWare. You just have to be a Bookshare
> member in elementary through high school.
>
> To participate, download books and write short reviews (about 100
> words), telling us why you liked (or didn't like) the book, discussing
>
> your favorite character and letting us know if you'd recommend
> the book. We know you've been doing some summer reading. So now
> is your chance to have it pay off.
>
> Winners will include those who read the most books and write the most
> reviews.
>
> All Bookshare Members, from kindergartners to high school seniors,
> are eligible. Please help us spread the word. If
> you have not registered, sign up! If you know a U.S.
> student in grades K-12 who is a Bookshare member
> and loves to read, let them know about the Reader's Voice
> Contest. Learn
> more
> [http://cts.vresp.com/c/?Benetech/5164f5ce36/dffb0032cf/697ef395fb]
> .
>
> - Back
> to Top [#top]  -
>
> Upcoming Events
>
> By Inga Zukin
>
> Webinars
>
> Bookshare Reading Series: How to read on Macs with Read:OutLoud
>
> Wednesday, September 30, 2009 - 12:00 PM PT
>
> Register here
> [http://cts.vresp.com/c/?Benetech/5164f5ce36/dffb0032cf/ba4ea203fb/udc=5omomg8kbj34]
>
> Bookshare and the University Student - What's New for Fall?
>
> Thursday, October 8, 2009 - 1:00 PM PT
>
> Register
> here
> [http://cts.vresp.com/c/?Benetech/5164f5ce36/dffb0032cf/31ce62e65a/udc=rgo6mn7si4n8]
>
>
> To see archived Webinars, go to:
> www.bookshare.org/about/training#Pre-recorded_Webinars
> [http://cts.vresp.com/c/?Benetech/5164f5ce36/dffb0032cf/7544905456]
>
>
> Conferences and Events
>
> October 7-9, 2009
>
> Bismarck, ND - Title I/Special Education Fall Conference
> October 15-17, 2009
>
> Bloomington, MN - Closing the Gap
> Oct 17-20, 2009
>
> Salt Lake, UT - The National Association of State
> Directors of Special Education
> Oct 18-20, 2009
>
> Alberta, Canada - Canadian Vision Teachers' Conference
> Oct 18-21, 2009
>
> San Diego, CA - California Association for Postsecondary
> Education and Disability
> Oct 23-24, 2009
>
> Niagara Falls, NY - 2009 New York State. Council
> for Exceptional Children annual convention
> Oct 28-31, 2009
>
> Schaumburg, IL - Assistive Technology Industry Association,
> conference, Chicago
> Oct 28 - Nov. 1, 2009
>
> Portland, OR - Council of Great City Schools annual
> fall conference
> Oct 30-31, 2009
>
> Harrisburg, PA - Pennsylvania Learning Disabilities
> Association of America
>
> - Back
> to Top [#top]  -
>
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