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Benetech’s New Image Description Tool Improves Accessibility of Graphical Content for Students with Print Disabilities

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

This week, Benetech’s DIAGRAM Center has announced the release of an open source web application for creating and editing crowdsourced image descriptions in books used by students with print disabilities. The teacher could then add alternate image descriptions and download the book again when they are done.

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Bringing Millions of Books to Billions of People: Making the Book Truly Accessible

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

The miracle of ebooks What if we had the ability to overcome these accessibility barriers, barriers that affect most of humanity, not just people with identified disabilities, wouldn’t we have the moral obligation to act? We can use the same ebook file to deliver the content ten different ways. We can do better!

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5 Tips for Recruiting Prospective Students During this New Normal

Connection Cafe

While most institutions have been able to successfully transition students to online learning, admission leaders are still adjusting their strategies to promote new student growth and sustain retention despite the changing times. For adult students, ask about work adjustments and family experiences. Show student work.

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Leveraging Impact through Technology (LIT)

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

Today I’m delighted to share the exciting news about the new award we just received from OSEP to build upon Bookshare’s success and significantly improve access for students with disabilities. Thousands of ebooks pour into the library from over 168 publishers and textbook requests are fulfilled every month. In the U.S.,

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Receiving the 2013 Migel Medal

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

And when the idea of a peer-to-peer ebook library came to me, it was George who I went to with the idea. After talking me out of calling it Bookster, he explained how the DAISY format would be ideal for our new Bookshare project, that he had made sure that it would work well for ebooks like the ones we were hoping to provide.

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CEO’s Update: Fall 2014

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

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. Consider third grade student Brennan Draves. Brennan Draves and his mother, Lindsay Draves, at school. billion poor and unbanked.

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On the Future of Braille: Thoughts by Radical Braille Advocates

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

In what is known as the “ braille provision ,” the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 2004 mandates that the teams who help write educational plans for students with disabilities presume that all blind and visually impaired children should be taught Braille unless it is determined to be inappropriate. Accordingly, U.S.

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