How a New Grant to Bookshare International Will Create Lasting Impact in India

Our new Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Commitment to Action is to increase service and expand the number of accessible books for people who are blind in India through Bookshare International, an initiative of our Global Literacy Program. We are embarking on this project with the support of a generous grant from the Lavelle Fund for the Blind. As the General Manager for our Global Literacy Program, I’d like to tell you a bit more about the work this grant will make possible, the lasting impact it allows us to make and why this project advances CGI’s mission of creating and implementing original solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges.

New Commitment to Action at Clinton Global Initiative 2013 Annual Meeting

Today, at the 2013 Annual Meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI), Benetech announced a Commitment to Action — the defining feature of CGI — to increase service and expand the number of accessible books for the blind in India through its Bookshare International initiative. CGI defines a Commitment to Action as a plan for addressing a significant global challenge and requires that the commitment be new, specific and measureable. Benetech will embark on this work with support from the Lavelle Fund for the Blind and Google.

Bookshare International: Accessibility for All, Regardless of Where You Live

Here in the United States, our Bookshare initiative is having a tremendous impact, especially on the lives of students. We now provide over 200,000 accessible books to more than a quarter-million people who are blind, dyslexic or have other print disabilities. And yet, while we’ve made significant progress in the U.S., we’ve only scratched the surface of meeting the global need. The sad truth is that there are millions of people with print disabilities around the world that continue to be left behind.

Poisoning the Treaty for the Blind

This blog originally appeared in the Huffington Post and was reposted on Jim Fruchterman’s Beneblog. The Obama Administration is turning its back on people with disabilities–and I’m outraged. I’m an engineer and social entrepreneur, trying to make the world a better place for people with disabilities, and I rarely step into the role of vocal advocate. But when […]