Advancing Inclusive Education and Equal Opportunity with Accessible eBooks

Rapid changes in the fields of consumer technology, education, and publishing make it possible to address the needs of the millions of people who face barriers of access to information. These include individuals with print disabilities, such as those affected by learning differences, like dyslexia, or people with physical or visual disabilities. On the official blog of Disability.gov, Benetech President, Betsy Beaumon, writes about our Global Literacy Program and how it creates new and better opportunities for people with disabilities.

In her blog post, Beaumon highlights the work of Benetech’s DIAGRAM Center, a research and development initiative that makes it easier, cheaper and faster to create and use accessible digital images; our recently launched project that seeks new ways in which 3D printing technology in libraries and museums can be used to significantly improve access to spatial and visual information for all students; our work with publishers and other content creators to ensure that “born digital” books and curricula are “born accessible” to all; how our Bookshare library creates a safety net of affordable accessibility when accessible content is not available from commercial publishers; and our work to expand Bookshare to people in need all around the world.

This week, Beaumon and the Benetech team are in Washington, D.C., for briefings with senior leaders of the Department of Education. “We look forward to working with our partners,” says Beaumon, to “make accessibility barriers a thing of the past and advance a future where everyone can exercise the fundamental right to literacy and education for personal, economic, and social development.”

Read Beaumon’s complete post on the Disability.gov blog. Disability.gov is the federal government website for comprehensive information about disability-related programs, services, policies, laws, and regulation. Beaumon’s post is also co-published on the official blog of the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.