[bksvol-discuss] Bookshare Secrets Revealed!
- From: Scott Rains <scottr@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 26 Jul 2010 10:44:17 -0700
Volunteers,
Jim Fruchterman was invited to the White House as part of President Obama's
celebration of the 20th anniversary of the ADA. You can be sure he told the
story of how central volunteers are to Bookshare's success.
Scott Rains
Benetech Fellow, Bookshare Volunteer Department
________________________________________
Bookshare Celebrates 20th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act
with Free Membership Offer
Offer Extended to Any Qualifying American
July 26, 2010, Palo Alto, CA – In recognition of the 20th anniversary of the
passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Bookshare announces a
free membership opportunity for all Americans with qualifying print
disabilities, regardless of age or student status. With this offer, Bookshare
celebrates the huge strides forward towards inclusion and equality for
Americans with disabilities resulting from this act.
Individuals with print disabilities including visual impairments, physical
disabilities, or severe learning disabilities are invited to sign up for a free
membership, good for 20-book downloads per month for 3 months. The promotion
begins on August 1 and runs for 30 days. This 20-3-30 free trial creates an
opportunity to try accessible books without an upfront commitment to a
year-long membership.
“We’d love to see seniors, veterans, and other adults with print disabilities
experience the joy of accessible reading,” said Jim Fruchterman, CEO of
Benetech, the nonprofit organization that operates Bookshare. “I’m honored to
have been invited to the White House today to celebrate the 20th anniversary of
the ADA with President Obama.”
The Bookshare collection includes many titles of interest to Americans with
disabilities of all ages. To see suggested titles, visit Bookshare’s Facebook
page. With hundreds of books flowing into the collection every week from
digital files contributed by publishers and volunteer book submissions, new
members will find accessible books they want to read.
“Bookshare’s contribution to humanity is noble,” said Eddy Aboudi, an
environmental engineer in New York and member of Bookshare. “This organization
is building a better world for people with disabilities. Through the large
collection of accessible books and this free trial membership, I have renewed
hope that more accessible books and reading experiences are within everyone’s
reach.”
Participating individuals will have access to over 77,000 current, copyrighted
books, including fiction, non-fiction, newspapers and magazines, as well as two
free software applications that simultaneously highlight words and read them
aloud using high-quality, human-like voices. In addition to the complimentary
Bookshare-provided software, (Victor Reader Soft and Read:OutLoud) individuals
can read the accessible books with many of the commonly available assistive
devices and software applications. The Getting Started pages on Bookshare’s
website have information about these tools. Short video tutorials on the
Training pages demonstrate how to use the free software tools.
“Before Bookshare, our family could count on one hand the number of books we
had read together,” said Valerie Maples, a Mississippi resident who has severe
dyslexia. Valerie, her husband, Doug who is a quadriplegic, and daughter,
Nichole with cerebral palsy, are all Bookshare members. Valerie and her husband
are also Bookshare volunteers. “We enjoyed our books from Bookshare so much
that we wanted to improve the choices available for everyone who wants
electronic text. We became volunteers and have taken great pride in scanning
and proofreading books, knowing that we have helped to make more books
available to others.”
To participate in Bookshare’s 20-book-per-month, 3-month, 30-days-to-sign-up
free trial, people with qualifying print disabilities should:
1. Sign up at (http://www.bookshare.org/signUpType). Select the over 18
membership option.
2. Complete the contact forms online. Be sure to enter ADA20 in the
promotion code field.
3. Agree to the terms of use online.
4. Fax proof of disability by providing either an NLS certification, an
RFB&D member number, or the Bookshare proof of disability form signed by a
qualified professional to 650.475.1066.
At the end of the 3-month trial, Bookshare will reach out to new members to
explore alternatives for continuing memberships, such as an individual
membership for $50/year or an organizational membership from a sponsoring
organization. Bookshare will waive the $25/ first year set up fee for
individuals who want to continue their membership. Full details of this offer
are online.
About Bookshare
Bookshare is the world’s largest online accessible library of copyrighted
content for people with print disabilities. Through its technology initiatives
and partnerships, Bookshare seeks to raise the floor on accessibility issues so
that individuals with print disabilities have the same ease of access to print
materials as people without disabilities. In 2007, Bookshare received a $32
million five-year award from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of
Special Education Programs (OSEP), to provide free access for all U.S. students
with a qualified print disability. The Bookshare library now has over 77,000
books and serves more than 100,000 members. Bookshare is an initiative of
Benetech, a Palo Alto, CA-based nonprofit which creates sustainable technology
to solve pressing social needs.
About Americans with Disabilities Act
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed July 26, 1990 as Public
Law 101-336 (42 U.S.C. Sec. 12101 et seq ) and became effective on January 26,
1992. The ADA is landmark federal legislation that opens up services and
employment opportunities to the 43 million Americans with disabilities. The law
was written to strike a balance between the reasonable accommodation of
citizens' needs and the capacity of private and public entities to respond. It
is not an affirmative action law but is intended to eliminate illegal
discrimination and level the playing field for disabled individuals. Learn
more.
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