International Education

Every child deserves the opportunity to learn. A wide range of learners around the world benefit from Benetech’s support for reading barriers. As part of our global digital literacy program, Benetech is enhancing access to information and technology as well as expanding its bookshare national partnerships, memberships, and local language interfaces in Africa and South Asia, including India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, and Kenya. We also organize training and support for educators, parents, and other stakeholders. We are creating a network of organizations and individuals committed to improving literacy and providing access to education.

SEE OUR INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITIES

We Need Your Help to Break Down Education Barriers

In the world, there is a disproportionate number of children with disabilities who are prevented from attending school. Even if students attend school, they may not receive adequate instruction, they may be ignored by their teacher, or they may have to complete their education earlier than their peers. Due to the fact that some materials for subjects such as math and chemistry may not be available in an accessible format, they may be required to pursue only certain courses of study.

Access to high-interest content in local languages is a cornerstone of our international programming. Local publishers, education departments, and volunteers help us add educational and culturally-relevant titles to Bookshare so that students have access to the books they need. Using virtually any device, including smartphones, laptops, and low-cost MP3 players, Bookshare books can be read on or offline.

Bringing Digital Literacy to the Global Stage: India

Our Digital Literacy pilot in India, funded by Lavelle Fund for the Blind, was designed to address the employment gap for people with visual impairments. The program, proposed to launch the digital transformation of schools for the blind across India. By equipping the schools with the technology and training that they need to provide a digital-first experience, students not only get a quality education but also gain the digital literacy skills that are vital for employment and independent participation in society.

We have been funded by World Bank, World Education, All Children Reading, and others to provide opportunities through content access and training, to support persons with disabilities. We are recognized as the leader in accessibility and have been integral in providing guidance to accessibility standards worldwide. Witness apart of our digital impact in India below:

  1. Benetech Expands Their Digital Literacy Programs in India: Meet the Bethany Society
  2. Benetech Pursuing Gender Equity Through Inclusive Education for Girls in India
  3. Visually-Challenged Students in Anantapur to Write Exams Without Help of Scribes and Braille Script
  4. Benetech’s India Team is On Track to Achieve Big Goals for Inclusive Education in 2023

Program Spotlight: Bookshare Reading Corners in Philippines

As part of Benetech’s Bookshare Reading Corners initiative, Benetech makes efforts in the Philippines to provide accessible reading material for blind and low-vision Filipinos through Bookshare, a global library of accessible ebooks for people with reading barriers.

The Philippines is an archipelago composed of 7,107 islands and is considered one of the fifty low-middle income countries by the World Bank. Statistics show that there are approximately 500,000 blind and low vision Filipinos, many of whom have low socioeconomic status and do not have access to learning resources and technology. Without a means to use assistive tools to get an education and access to learning resources, the chance for upward mobility is very limited.

As a solution to this challenge, Benetech launched its first Bookshare Corner in the Rizal Provincial library, two hours outside of Manila, with laptops and desktop computers donated by the Rotary Club. People can visit the Bookshare Corner and learn about our services. Anyone can enjoy the demo books, which are freely available to all readers. Those with visual impairments and other qualifying reading barriers can register to access the full collection of copyrighted content through the Bookshare Corner. In this way, the Bookshare Corners function to educate the wider community, as well as provide a point of access for blind and low-vision Filipinos without personal technology. Learn more.

Program Spotlight: Bookshare Saint Lucia

In partnership with the Saint Lucia Department of Sustainable Development and Department of Education, Benetech is creating a digital library that will be used by students and teachers across the island. In addition to 600,000+ books available to readers in St. Lucia through Bookshare’s global collection, this localized library of accessible content will hold key education materials from the Saint Lucia curriculum.

Bringing Learning to Life with Bookshare

Bookshare, Benetech’s accessible ebook service, and the education-to-employment digital readiness programs have changed the equation for those with disabilities that impede their ability to read print, such as dyslexia, low vision, and some mobility impairments.  Benetech partners with nonprofit organizations, disabled person organizations, ministries of education, and private foundations to provide students with disabilities with the resources and training they require to obtain a quality education.

Let's learn more about Bookshare!

A Few of Our Partners

We are grateful for the support of our international funders