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SAN FRANCISCO — Even as audio versions of best-sellers fill store shelves and new technology fuels the popularity of digitized books, the number of titles accessible to people who are blind or dyslexic is minuscule.A new service being announced Thursday by the nonprofit Internet Archive in San Francisco is trying to change that. The group has hired hundreds of people to scan thousands of books into its digital database — more than doubling the titles available to people who aren't able to read a hard copy.Brewster Kahle, the organization's founder, says the project will initially make 1 million books available to the visually impaired, using money from foundations, libraries, corporations and the government. He's hoping a subsequent book drive will add even more titles to the collection.

Library of Congress Braille and Talking-Book Program Releases Book Download App through Apple People who are blind, visually impaired or have a physical disability may now download audio and braille books to their iPhone, iPad or iPod touch, if they are registered with the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS) in the Library of Congress.

Book publishers have some Harry Potter-like magic in store for books that will debut on Apple’s new iPad platform. Live glossaries, audio and video notes users can create right in the text, taking live quizzes and having them scored in the book—all these details are expected to go live, according to Josh Koppel (pictured), chief creative officer and cofounder of ScrollMotion, which develops iPhone and ebook applications for book publishers.

Bookshare is happy to announce that Read2Go, the accessible e-reader app for the Apple iOS, is now available for purchase for $19.99 on the Apple App Store! Now your child can enjoy all their favorite Bookshare books on cool Apple devices like the iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch (4th generation versions). Read2Go allows readers to easily find, download and read Bookshare books all in one place with great features: listen to books with high quality text-to-speech voices see and hear words read as they are highlighted adjust reading speed, font size, and colors for highlights and background contrast connect and read with Braille displays via bluetooth and more! Go to the Apple App Store to purchase Read2Go today! Are we having fun yet? We hope your families are having a great summer. One group that surely is are the participants in the "Bookshare Everywhere" Summer Contest. Over 350 students are reading an incredible amount of books this summer, improving reading skills, and may be on their way to winning awesome prizes like an iPad 2! There's still plenty of time to play, so have your child join today!

But Speer doesn't read the books herself. She is legally blind and relies on a machine to read them to her. She has been receiving talking books from the Montana State Library for the past 10 years, but now they are making it a little bit easier for her to read her favorite mystery novel.

Earlier this year, a minor injury to my right eye left me temporarily blind. I could do little but sit in bed and listen to audio books, until someone told me about the video game BlindSide, which doesn’t, in fact, contain any video. It is a meticulously designed, audio-driven thriller that is entirely devoid of graphics.

Lit2Go is a free online collection of stories and poems in Mp3 (audiobook) format. You can: Download the files to your Mp3 player and listen on the go, Listen to the Mp3 files on your computer, View the text on a webpage and read along as you listen, Print out the stories and poems to make your own book.

Founded in 1948 as Recording for the Blind, Learning Ally serves more than 300,000 K-12, college and graduate students, veterans and lifelong learners – all of whom cannot read standard print due to blindness, visual impairment, dyslexia, or other learning disabilities. Learning Ally’s collection of more than 70,000 digitally recorded textbooks and literature titles – downloadable and accessible on mainstream as well as specialized assistive technology devices – is the largest of its kind in the world. More than 6,000 volunteers across the U.S. help to record and process the educational materials, which students rely on to achieve academic and professional success. 

The A.T.TIPScast: Assistive Technology Tools In Public Schools is a podcast about using technology to help students meet their educational goals.

The Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATIA) 2011 Webinar Series has added a new collection of live, interactive, online educational events. They cover a broad range of topics to help you enhance your knowledge of assistive technology and the skills needed to support the products and process.  ATIA has tapped into national leaders in their field to bring you this outstanding collection of webinars.  Upcoming webinars for JANUARY through JUNE - You can go to our website for complete session abstracts, learning outcomes, and speaker biographies: Don't miss our new "There's An App for That" Series with Dr. Therese Willkomm and Phyllis Watson who bring you in-depth discussions of the apps for selected functional areas.  Sign-up for all three at one time and receive a discount! AT11-WEB01:  Apps for the iPad, iTouch, & iPhone on Remembering, Prompting, Organizing, Assessing, and Increasing Productivity - REGISTER Thursday, January 13, 2011   1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. Mountain Time Overview:  Productivity at home, school and work is affected by how well we are organized and can remember essential tasks that need to be performed.  This webinar will demonstrate apps that can help with executive functioning such as reminders and prompts to completing essential tasks.  In addition, the webinar will also review various apps related to organization, time management, and online assessment tools.  - Full abstract AT11-WEB04:  Apps for the iPad, iTouch, & iPhone on Alternative and Augmentative Communication - REGISTER Thursday, February 17, 2011   1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Mountain Time Overview:  There are over 30 different apps that can benefit individuals who experience various communication impairments.  This webinar will review 20 of the most successful apps for children and adults.  In addition, apps related to sign language will also be discussed. - Full abstract AT11-WEB08:  Apps for the iPad, iTouch, & iPhone on Reading, Writing and Arithmetic - REGISTER Wednesday, March 23, 2011   1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. Mountain Time Overview:   This webinar will demonstrate apps that can assist in reading using text to speech, narration, and audio books; apps that use voice recognition or text expanders to increase writing ability and speed; flash card apps and math tutorial apps; and apps that will quiz you. - Full abstract

For most of his life, music critic Tim Page felt like an outsider. Restless and isolated, he was overstimulated and uneasy around others. Finally, when he was 45, Page was diagnosed with Asperger's, a syndrome that falls within the autism spectrum. As Page explains in the prologue of his new memoir, Parallel Play: Life As An Outsider, the diagnosis came as a relief: "Here, finally, was an objective explanation for some of my strengths and weaknesses," he writes.People with Asperger's often struggle to interact with groups and understand social norms. Page describes himself growing up as a "very lost little kid" who acted out in school by making faces at teachers and being aggressive with the other students. His ability to connect to others didn't improve with age.

rom audio books to classroom sound systems, many families have found that assistive technology (AT) can provide a crucial boost — to struggling students' academic performance and self-esteem. Need some guidance when it comes to choosing the best tools for your child with a learning disability? Learn more about AT and how to find the right fit for your child's needs and strengths with this collection of articles developed in collaboration with Marshall Raskind, Ph.D., an expert on assistive technology.

Beginning on January 26, 2009, through January 25, 2010, any student with a qualified learning or print disability in the U.S. can sign up for 12 months of free access to RFB&D's CV Starr Learning Through Listening® Library of more than 46,000 textbooks and literature, via Internet download. This special offer, in celebration of RFB&D's 60th anniversary, is made possible by the generous contributions of RFB&D's donors and major funding from the U.S. Department of Education.