The ability to read is a requirement for learning. For students that struggle with reading they have a disadvantage when it comes to participating in the "usual" or "ordinary" way. Technology has broken down those walls for some learners.
Bookshare.org offers books in electronic form that can be read aloud. These options can meet the needs of many of the learners with various disabilities.
Some of the software offers options to highlight and extract information. This can assist with comprehension and retrieval for later assigned work. It can also control the speed at which the text is revealed and can be paused to allow for comprehension and questioning.
The text to speech can be customized to suit the learner's needs. The rate of speech, the speed of text reveal, dictionary access and high quality voice choices. These selections can create a learning situation that allows the learner to access the reading selection and comprehension at the same time.
There is OCR - optical character recognition that helps bring visual clarity to any type.
For some learners, the format needs to be consistent throughout the learning process. There is some software that can assist with this need so that the student is not spending time or mental resources adjusting to different layouts or menu bars.
There is a way for everyone to be able to learn. If we create the right situation for a struggling learner he can have access to the world, in his own way and learn his best way. We need to provide that opportunity for all.
Karen, you have really stressed what a wonderful website bookshare.org is! I really like how you stressed all the "pros" that come from having a student with a reading or writing disability use bookshare.org! Even though I had already read about bookshare.org myself, you really made it sound so much more enticing! I also like how you provided your readers with a YouTube video to allow them to learn more about how to use bookshare.org!
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