Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

FEBRUARY 18, 2019

Robin was beloved by the hundreds, if not thousands, of people who had the honor of coming into direct contact with her. However, I'm here to spotlight the impact Robin had on millions of people who never had the pleasure of meeting her personally. That's the Robin we all collectively know personally. That's where Robin came in.

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Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

JANUARY 7, 2013

Bookshare International Library We’re always thinking about new ways in which Benetech could go deeper and help many more people. Bookshare , our flagship literacy program, is the world’s largest accessible library and currently serves more than 230,000 members with visual and learning disabilities.

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NTEN

APRIL 29, 2021

Whether it was trying to attend classes, apply for government benefits, or practice religion, many people were excluded from fully participating in their communities. Despite needing to access online services, almost a quarter of U.S. The attempt thrust digital inequity into the public’s awareness.

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Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

JULY 3, 2013

Guest Beneblog by Betsy Beaumon, VP and General Manager, Benetech’s Global Literacy Program. Betsy Beaumon I recently had the honor to speak at the first-ever Braille Summit , hosted on June 19-21, 2013 by the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS) and Perkins School for the Blind.

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Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

JANUARY 17, 2014

The tools we develop for that purpose span a range of fields—from human rights , to global literacy , to the environment —but no matter what area we work in, we depend on an IP system that’s friendly to technological advances and to positive social impact. copyright law. In the U.S.,

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Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

JUNE 23, 2014

How can our existing successful programs reach ten times more people? How can we use technology in a new way to improve people’s lives that is an order of magnitude better? Technology currently serves privileged groups through tools that provide access to education, literacy, health, and justice.

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Tech Soup

AUGUST 20, 2013

At TechSoup, we support the efforts of nonprofits and public libraries working to build digitally inclusive and literate communities through donated technology from our corporate partners. project is focused on teaching digital literacy to young people so they can be prepared for 21 st. Microsoft's YouthSpark. century jobs.

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Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

JUNE 8, 2015

Guest post by Betsy Beaumon, President, Benetech We are seeking visionary leaders to join Benetech in applying technology to advance the rights of disadvantaged people around the world. Benetech is hiring new Vice Presidents for our Global Literacy and Human Rights programs.

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Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

DECEMBER 16, 2013

For many years, people frequently suggested that Benetech , the nonprofit tech company I founded and lead, get more involved in Washington, DC policy and legislative action. Bookshare today is part of a broader effort by Benetech’s Global Literacy Program to improve the lives and learning of students with the biggest challenges.

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Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

NOVEMBER 15, 2013

For them, Bookshare —Benetech’s Global Literacy initiative and the world’s largest accessible digital library for people with print disabilities—opens up a lifeline to reading. SEChallenge a11y accessibility Bookshare crowdfunding CrowdRise Huffington Post print disabilities Reading Skoll Foundation veterans'

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Tech Soup

JULY 16, 2013

And what if a person, regardless of age, could learn anything from typing to HTML to using an iPad without any cost or accessibility barriers? Libraries, nonprofits, and schools are already working hard to teach digital skills and competency, but they need support of the entire community to help people thrive in the technology age.

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Tech Soup

AUGUST 25, 2015

In July, wildfires swept through the Saskatchewan province in Canada, forcing more than 13,000 people to evacuate their homes. The Saskatoon Public Library opened its doors to these evacuees, and staff members stepped up their efforts to help the evacuees communicate with their family and friends.

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Tech Soup

JULY 17, 2015

adults still don't have broadband Internet access at home. The big recent digital inclusion news is the Federal Communication Commission's ( FCC ) proposal to extend the Lifeline Program , which has supplied discounted phone service to low-income people since 1985. They will create and promote digital literacy programs.

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Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

MAY 2, 2012

Bookshare, Benetech’s pioneering digital library for people with print disabilities, celebrated its 10th birthday last night with a terrific party that was attended by many of our long-time friends and supporters. Napster made me think of how peer-to-peer information sharing could help people with disabilities. said Stevie.

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Tech Soup

JANUARY 10, 2012

Back in September, we posted a summary of App It Up's nonprofit and library apps survey. represent the full range of nonprofit and library app experiences. represent the full range of nonprofit and library app experiences. Nonprofits and libraries are interested in building their own apps, though they.

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Tech Soup

AUGUST 30, 2011

The first time I really "got" the power of accessible technology (AT) to improve the lives of people with disabilities was when I saw the PBS documentary Freedom Machines. People with disabilities are one of the largest minorities in the U.S. and certainly the largest one in the world, numbering one billion people.

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Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

DECEMBER 8, 2011

I want to unveil several of these new initiatives, as well as sneaking in some of the incredible things happening in our core programs in literacy and human rights. Being able to read is crucial for life success and independence, and we’re hoping to empower thousands of people to become readers as teenagers and young adults.

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Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

NOVEMBER 20, 2006

Benetech's mission is to create technology that serves humanity and our longest-running commitment is to people with disabilities. We have been helping blind and print disabled people gain access to books for over 17 years. Two recent experiences underscored different parts of this struggle to deliver access.

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Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

MAY 14, 2011

Our work to date repeatedly demonstrates bridging this market failure gap: Our Literacy team has reinvented the traditional library for the blind, reducing the cost of producing an accessible book by a factor of 100 and ending the book famine that people who are blind or print disabled have faced for years.

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Tech Soup

FEBRUARY 14, 2013

Basically, it allows one computer to serve several people in a lab or library at very low cost and with minimum maintenance. La Conner Regional Library was one of our test sites. It is a small, rural library that serves 5,000 people in the Skagit Valley in northern Washington State. 1 USB Hub. 5 keyboards.

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Tech Soup

FEBRUARY 14, 2013

Basically, it allows one computer to serve several people in a lab or library at very low cost and with minimum maintenance. La Conner Regional Library was one of our test sites. It is a small, rural library that serves 5,000 people in the Skagit Valley in northern Washington State. 1 USB Hub. 5 keyboards.

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Tech Soup

DECEMBER 7, 2010

With shrinking budgets, providing increased access to the Internet and training for computer literacy can be particularly challenging for libraries and public computing centers. read more.

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Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

DECEMBER 3, 2011

People with disabilities make up an estimated 15% of the world’s population of 7 billion, and they remain largely marginalized and affected by discrimination and unemployment, among other significant difficulties. One of these sub-themes is “Accessibility: removing barriers and promoting disability-inclusive development.”

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Tech Soup

DECEMBER 22, 2014

On December 17, TechSoup hosted a SoupChat for nonprofits and libraries looking for more information on website design and hosting. A staffer from a small library listed a few popular services — WordPress, Wix, and Weebly — adding that she worried she might regret her decision six months down the road.

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Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

SEPTEMBER 25, 2013

After all, they’re proud of their creations and would love to see them benefit disadvantaged people and communities, where regular market forces would fail to go. The DMCA 1201 ruling on ebook access through DRM circumvention was clearly aimed at us: should we take up the challenge? from the majority of IP owners we approach.

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Tech Soup

SEPTEMBER 20, 2016

When you work at a nonprofit or public library, it might feel like you constantly need to learn new skills to stay on top of emerging technology and adoption. TechSoup's Tech Training for Nonprofits and Libraries. Learn how to implement and conduct effective tech training for your nonprofit or library staff!

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Tech Soup

APRIL 7, 2014

Last week, TechSoup for Libraries held a webinar called Public Tech Instruction: Teaching the Public on Internet Safety. The presenters, Austin Stroud of the Monroe County Public Library and Crystal Schimpf of TechSoup for Libraries, shared resources for teaching online safety and security. Assessments/Quizzes.

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Tech Soup

AUGUST 23, 2013

It addresses the thorny problem of bringing the 25 percent or so of people in the city who are still not participating in the information age to inclusion. The Kansas City Public Library System will also have a role in this work. Digital Divide libraries digital inclusion digital literacy tspubliclibraries'

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Whole Whale

MARCH 22, 2023

You can even prime it with famous people – write our guide like Abraham Lincoln or Dalai Lama. As an example we used the PAS framework and asked GPT4 to apply it to PowerPoetry.org: Problem: Many young people struggle to find a safe and creative outlet to express themselves through poetry, especially those from underserved communities.

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Tech Soup

APRIL 29, 2013

A lively discussion took place regarding how to prepare young people for the jobs of the 21 st century and what nonprofits and corporations can do to support the initiative. with the goal of creating opportunities for 300 million young people worldwide. Libraries Building Bridges. More Resources. Microsoft YouthSpark Hub.

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Tech Soup

AUGUST 30, 2013

If you go to Internet.org most of what you’ll see is a short promo video with scenes of people around the world doing ordinary things with a stirring narration from a John F. This is due to the high cost of mobile data plans in the developing world compared with the amount of money people make. Kennedy speech. about Internet.org.

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Tech Soup

AUGUST 26, 2011

TechSoup has partnered with goQ Software to make their writing assistance and speech recognition software, WordQ + SpeakQ , available to eligible nonprofits and libraries. According to Proliteracy , low literacy's effects cost the U.S. roundup on building a culture of accessibility.

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Tech Soup

AUGUST 23, 2011

A version of this post originally appeared on the TechSoup for Libraries blog. This raises some interesting questions for how nonprofits and libraries talk about the digital divide and how they advocate for public access technology and technology skills development. What About Nonprofits and Libraries? suggests just that.

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Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

DECEMBER 16, 2014

From people in Latin America who face severe water scarcity to at-risk human rights defenders and students with disabilities, our users and their families are the ones who best convey the impact of our work. He reads accessible ebooks from Benetech’s Bookshare library in braille format, and learns as quickly as his peers without disabilities.

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Beth's Blog: How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media

MAY 3, 2010

The first part of the problem is that India still has low literacy rates - the 2009 Annual Status of Education Report shows that between classes 1 to 8 only around 40% of children can read a class 2 level text in their own language and an even lower 23% of children can ready easy sentences in English - sentences of the kind "What is your name?"

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Tech Soup

AUGUST 23, 2011

This new program alone is expected to have major impact on low-income people who have previously been unable to afford broadband Internet. Subscribers will also be given access to free digital literacy training. Another important aspect of the program is that it will offer vouchers to purchase a $150 computer. A number of U.S.

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Beth's Blog: How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media

OCTOBER 16, 2009

For Twitter to be at its peak in utility, people who would have never had access to the world's information need to be able to not only receive it but engage with it, too. Room to Read , a San Francisco based non-profit, will help us make that happen by bringing libraries and literacy to the world's poorest regions.

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