How does Bookshare work with state education agencies?
Nationally, Bookshare’s goal (one shared with SEAs) is to see that all students with print disabilities get timely access to the materials they need for academic achievement. Many, many students do not receive instructional materials on the same day as their sighted peers. Bookshare supplements states’ internal programs to create materials for these students in the formats they need. In many cases, states have programs for Braille and large print production, but do not have the capacity to produce the digital files that can be used by so many assistive devices and applications. In general, states’ ability to produce and provide instructional materials is severely constrained, due to lack of resources. Bookshare expects to work with states to minimize duplication of effort in the production of materials and to maximize the availability of materials in accessible formats for the benefit all students with print disabilities.
