Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google


Partnership Will Make More Books Accessible to Readers with Print Disabilities

##AUTHORSPLIT##<--->

Hachette Book Group has partnered with Bookshare to make more than 1,700 titles newly available in Braille, large type, and synthetic speech formats for readers with print disabilities.

Bookshare, a subsidiary of non-profit Benetech, whose current membership exceeds 47,000, is an online library for readers who require special accommodations. With Bookshare's secure rights management system, members can legally download books, texts, and periodicals and then use adaptive technologies, such as text-to-speech software and Braille display hardware, to read their downloads.

The organization has received an award from the United States Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs, which it uses to expand its collection through publisher partnerships and to grow the number of users who have access to the service. The award also provides free access to all qualified students.

Hachette has agreed to donate digital files for all of its currently digitized frontlist and backlist titles, and will refer all customer service requests for accessible books to Bookshare for fulfillment.

About the Author

Scott Aronowitz is a freelance writer based in Las Vegas. He has covered the technology, advertising, and entertainment sectors for seven years. He can be reached here.

Featured

  • Neon blue security locks with a single red highlight

    With AI, Cybersecurity Focus Shifts from Finding Flaws to Fixing Them

    For decades, one of cybersecurity's biggest challenges has been finding vulnerabilities before attackers do. A growing number of security professionals now say artificial intelligence is changing that equation, shifting the focus from discovering flaws to fixing them quickly enough to prevent exploitation.

  • group of smiling teachers

    NAAIC Expands AI Workforce Development Efforts to High Schools

    The National Applied AI Consortium, a National Science Foundation-funded initiative led by Miami Dade College, Houston City College, and Maricopa Community Colleges focused on artificial intelligence education and workforce development, is expanding its mission into high schools.

  • digital lock

    CoSN: Cybersecurity and Data Privacy Remain Top AI Concerns in Education

    A leading concern for education technology leaders across the United States is the potential for AI to enable new forms of cyber attacks, according to the latest State of Ed Tech report from CoSN.

  • artificial intelligence on laptop

    OpenAI Plans to Combine AI Products into Desktop 'Superapp'

    OpenAI is reportedly developing a desktop application that would incorporate several of its emerging AI products into a single platform, according to reports, marking the latest step in the company's effort to transform ChatGPT from a standalone chatbot into a broader productivity and automation environment.