Maryland Educators Use Accessible Books to Enable Students with Disabilities to Achieve Learning Independence, Guest blog post by Valerie Chernek
Maryland educators are discovering how digital accessible books from an online library called Bookshare support students who can’t read traditional print, such as those with visual impairments, physical disabilities, like cerebral palsy, or severe reading disabilities, like dyslexia.
In Montgomery County, educators at HIAT, (High Incidence Access Training Center) have designed a district-wide accessible book program for their students with disabilities. Today, the program serves many students at schools throughout the county.
Last year, Linda Wilson, the new HIAT Director and Kathryn Lee, Library Media Specialist at Galway Elementary School (shown in photo) presented their vision for equal access for students with disabilities at the annual Council of Special Education Administrators (CASE). 
Kathryn also shared her experience of how she introduced Bookshare to her district and got teachers hooked on digital books as she asks the question, “What is learning like for a student who cannot get his/her books at the start of school?” Read her story….
This year, Stephanie Caceres, an AT specialist and special education teacher from Worchester County, told us about a situation where she stopped an 8th grader assigned to an Alternative Education Program from dropping out of school. 
Stephanie introduced him to Bookshare and the assistive technologies to read accessible books and he gained back his learning confidence. He will transfer back into mainstream classes this fall. “Bookshare has given many of my students a renewed sense of learning independence,” she said. And, if you want to read a student perspective about Bookshare, check out Zachary Bryant’s story, a Maryland teenager with cerebral palsy. He and his mom talk about their first discovery of Bookshare and success with digital accessible books in school. Zach now reads on grade level and plans to use Bookshare throughout college.
Need to Know Information for U.S. Educators
Bookshare is a non-profit organization funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Programs (OSEP), to provide digital accessible books for free for all U.S. students who qualify. Bookshare books are free; along with two software applications to read digital books, and the memberships are free.
Through a special relationship with Maryland and an online repository of accessible textbooks called the NIMAC (National
Instructional Materials Access Center), Bookshare can provide you (Maryland educators) with accessible K-12 textbooks for qualified students. Learn more about Bookshare at http://www.bookshare.org/.
Remember, through Bookshare, you can:
- Provide timely accessible instruction materials (AIM) to comply with the 2004 IDEA law. (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act)
- Help improve student outcomes through a multi-modal (text-to-speech) reading experience
- Include more students with disabilities in the least restrictive learning environment
- Increase or build student confidence and learning independence
Learn more about Bookshare at Frequently-Asked Questions from Educators http://www.bookshare.org/_/help/educator
Check out what our neighboring Washington DC Public Schools district is doing to launch its accessible book program. Read about their DCPS accessible press event and student technology showcase recently held at the DC Central Public Library. (MLK)
MD TAP does not promote or endorse any one product, service, or organization. Please consult a related professional for matters of planning or purchasing.
