Training Hub

The purpose of this course is to provide information to teachers on how to create an equitable and accessible classroom by giving you: context for why diversity, accessibility, inclusion and equity are important in the classroom, how to create accessible materials for your classroom, and what accessibility features are built into the devices you use every day.

Benetech strongly believes in giving students choice, which is Bookshare books can be read on many different devices. In this 6 video training series, you will learn about the new Bookshare Reader for web reading tool and the new Bookshare mobile app. You will also learn about how different types of students benefit from using these tools to read books both for school and pleasure reading.

Bookshare is an ebook library intended to give people with reading barriers access to text and make reading easier. People with dyslexia, blindness, cerebral palsy, and other thinking and learning differences can customize their reading experience to suit their learning style and find virtually any book they need for school, work, or the joy of reading. For students, having access to required text is critical to their success in school. The ABCs for educators provides teachers with the information they need to get their students reading with Bookshare.

Students with print disabilities, including children with multiple disabilities, face many barriers to success due to practices and resources in schools that are not designed to foster independence and skill building. However, these learning differences can be managed and addressed if teachers ensure that students are introduced to supportive technologies and tools as early as possible. Students who are familiar with digital resources are better able to adapt and continue learning in situations like the current pandemic, when schooling became digital overnight. The purpose of these modules is to provide information to educators with actionable training on digital content accessibility and universal design for teachers to encourage inclusivity and showcase specific tools and resources they can utilize in their teaching.

A great deal of technology and equipment exists to meet the needs of these users, ranging from a simple magnifying glass to optical character recognition and reading systems. Many in the library profession have difficulty keeping up with this rapid development in technology. This Reading for Accessibility and Inclusion Training is made possible by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Sciences and the Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program. The Laura Bush program supports developing a diverse workforce of librarians to better meet the changing needs of the American public by enhancing training and learning opportunities for librarians.