U.S. Official Blogs about Bookshare Demo

Michael Yudin, Acting Assistant Secretary for the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) at the U.S. Department of Education, published a blog post entitled “Technology Gives Students with Disabilities Access to College Courses” about his recent visit to Mission Middle College in Santa Clara, California. During the visit, Mr. Yudin met with a group of Bookshare student members who demonstrated how they use the Bookshare library and reading tools. These high school students, who have learning disabilities, attend a dual-enrollment high school/college program that emphasizes the use of technology, including Benetech’s Bookshare library, to help them earn college credit while still in high school.

Writing on Homeroom, the official blog of the U.S. Department of Education, Mr. Yudin describes his meeting with Kate Finnerty, a high school senior with dyslexia.

“She told me, ‘The library is very helpful. I use it to keep up with reading and research. Without it, I would have fallen behind.’ Kate is pursuing graphic design—she received acceptance letters from five U.S. colleges!”

Mr. Yudin concludes his blog post by saying:

“Programs like that of Mission Middle College, which use assistive technologies and digital accessible books provided by Bookshare, are truly models for others. They promote high academic standards for all, enabling more students to be college and career ready.”