{"id":140,"date":"2011-07-19T13:44:45","date_gmt":"2011-07-19T13:44:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.equipmentlink.org\/blog\/?p=140"},"modified":"2011-08-05T15:22:51","modified_gmt":"2011-08-05T15:22:51","slug":"maryland-educators-use-accessible-books-to-enable-students-with-disabilities-to-achieve-learning-independence-guest-blog-post","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.equipmentlink.org\/blog\/?p=140","title":{"rendered":"Maryland Educators Use Accessible Books to Enable Students with Disabilities to Achieve Learning Independence – Guest Blog post"},"content":{"rendered":"

Maryland Educators Use Accessible Books to Enable Students with Disabilities to Achieve Learning Independence, <\/strong>Guest blog post by Valerie Chernek\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Maryland educators are discovering how digital accessible books from an online library called Bookshare<\/a> support students who can\u2019t read traditional print, such as those with visual impairments, physical disabilities, like cerebral palsy, or severe reading disabilities, like dyslexia.<\/p>\n

In Montgomery County, educators at HIAT, (High Incidence Access Training Center) have designed a district-wide accessible book program<\/a> for their students with disabilities.\u00a0 Today, the program serves many students at schools throughout the county.<\/p>\n

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).\u00a0\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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, \u201cWhat is learning like for a student who cannot get his\/her books at the start of school?\u201d Read her story\u2026.<\/a><\/p>\n

This year, Stephanie Caceres, an AT specialist and special education teacher from Worchester County, told us about a situation where she stopped an 8th<\/sup> grader assigned to an Alternative Education Program from dropping out of school.\u00a0\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Stephanie introduced him to Bookshare and the assistive technologies to read accessible books and he gained back his learning confidence.\u00a0 He will transfer back into mainstream classes this fall. \u201cBookshare has given many of my students a renewed sense of learning independence,\u201d she said. And, if you want to read a student perspective about Bookshare, check out Zachary Bryant\u2019s story<\/a>, a Maryland teenager with cerebral palsy.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Need to Know Information for U.S. Educators<\/strong><\/p>\n

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<\/span><\/strong> for all U.S. students who qualify. \u00a0Bookshare books are free; along with two software<\/a>\u00a0applications to read digital books, and the memberships are free.<\/p>\n

Through a special relationship with Maryland and an online repository of accessible textbooks called the NIMAC (National
\nInstructional Materials Access Center), Bookshare can provide you (Maryland educators) with accessible K-12 textbooks for qualified students.\u00a0 Learn more about Bookshare at http:\/\/www.bookshare.org\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Remember, through Bookshare, you can:<\/p>\n