A Gift for the Whole Family

Story provided by a Bookshare parent:

When my son Liam started elementary school, my biggest worry was how he would learn to read. He has cerebral palsy and uses a communication device, and while he was included in general education from day one, the question was always: How will he keep up with the books? We tried every kind of adaptive equipment, even a device that was supposed to turn pages for him. None of it worked. Every night, we would spend hours reading to him so he wouldn’t fall behind.

Everything changed in fourth grade, when an incredible teacher introduced us to Benetech and Bookshare. For the first time, Liam was reading on his own. He’d download his schoolbooks onto his laptop and later his iPad, and suddenly, he didn’t need someone by his side for every assignment. I’ll never forget the relief of watching him read, listening at a pace so fast I could barely keep up. Bookshare gave him independence and gave me the joy of seeing him experience reading the way every child should.

His teachers saw that he was now following along with the group and even participating in partner reading. He wasn’t on the sidelines anymore.

Now, I am the proud Mom of a Villanova graduate. Bookshare gave Liam independence and gave me the gift of seeing my son thrive.