Help Dyslexic Kids Rekindle Their Love For Reading With This Secret Resource
Research reveals that approximately 70-80% of people suffer from dyslexia harboring limited reading proficiency.
Dyslexia, a learning difficulty that affects reading and writing skills, can pose significant challenges for children. However, thanks to advancements in technology, there are now innovative solutions available to assist dyslexic students in their academic journey. One such solution is Bookshare, a digital library specifically designed for individuals with print disabilities. Stay tuned to know what it is and explore its remarkable features, its eligibility criteria for membership, and the process by which kids can qualify for this invaluable resource.
What Is Bookshare?
Bookshare is an e-library especially designed for people with reading barriers to make reading easy. Founded in 2001, it has delivered over 14,000,000 ebooks to people who are not comfortable with reading traditional books. This is because they often suffer from reading barriers such as difficulty in seeing text or decoding words or troubles with physically managing a book.
How Can Students Become A Member Of Bookshare?
Bookshare is primarily aimed at individuals with print disabilities, such as dyslexia, visual impairment, or physical disabilities that impact reading. Specifically focusing on dyslexia, it provides access to a vast collection of ebooks and educational materials in various formats.
To qualify for Bookshare membership, children must be evaluated and diagnosed with a print disability by a qualified professional, which may include educators, medical practitioners, or specialists. Additionally, it extends its services to individuals who have difficulty reading traditional printed books, including those with visual impairments.
Qualifying disabilities include dyslexia, visual impairments, and physical disabilities that prevent a child from being able to read or use printed books successfully. Each disability requires competent and appropriate expert comments for a student to qualify as a student with a specific learning disability. Additionally, educators, staff members, and administrators can also certify their students to qualify for Bookshare.
How Does It Work?
Once a child qualifies for Bookshare membership, they gain access to an extensive digital library containing over 700,000 titles, including textbooks, fiction, non-fiction, and educational resources. These books are available in multiple formats, catering to different reading preferences, such as large font, audio, and braille.
Source: bookshare.org
Bookshare's innovative features allow kids with dyslexia to customize their reading experience, enhancing comprehension and engagement. The platform offers text-to-speech functionality, enabling the conversion of written text into spoken words. This assists dyslexic children in decoding and understanding written content more effectively. Furthermore, Bookshare incorporates synchronized highlighting, where the words being read aloud are highlighted simultaneously, providing a visual aid and strengthening word recognition skills.
To navigate the vast collection, it employs an advanced search engine that allows users to find books by title, author, subject, or keyword. This feature helps children locate specific books, enabling them to explore their interests or find resources relevant to their academic curriculum. Moreover, it provides recommendations based on the user's reading history, fostering a personalized and tailored reading experience.
It produces digital books in 5 different formats. These include digital audio, digital book file, Brailler Ready Format (BRF), Microsoft Word, and DAISY. Its compatibility with various devices, including computers, tablets, smartphones, and assistive technology devices, ensures that children can access their reading materials anytime, anywhere. The platform is accessible through a web browser or by using the Bookshare app, offering flexibility and convenience to users.
How Is Bookshare Changing The Lives Of Students?
Bookshare has a vast library with books in over 47 languages for students all around the globe to access. Using this resource students have developed reading skills and can now track words across a page.
It works with 35,000 schools and works with students from kindergarten to college and beyond. It helps students go beyond their reading barriers and see school as a blessing rather than a curse. They can accept their learning environment and completely thrive because they are no longer angry or frustrated.
Help Your Students Thrive
Bookshare, the digital library designed for individuals with print disabilities, offers an invaluable resource for children with dyslexia. However, if you are struggling to identify dyslexic students in your classroom try pursuing a Bachelor of Education in Special Educational Needs to offer them access to a vast collection of ebooks and educational materials in various formats, it empowers dyslexic children to overcome reading barriers and succeed academically. With its customizable reading features, easy accessibility, and personalized recommendations, Bookshare proves to be a best-kept secret that opens doors to a world of knowledge and possibilities for kids with dyslexia.