People with reading barriers face numerous challenges. According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 285 million people worldwide are visually impaired, 90% of whom live in developing countries. An even higher number of people have dyslexia or a language-based learning disability that makes it difficult or impossible to read printed text
Bookshare® is an ebook library that makes reading easier. Members can access a huge collection of ebooks and read their way with the most customizable ebooks for people with reading barriers.
The library has 901,511 titles and is the most extensive collection of accessible ebooks in the world. It includes books for school, career, and reading pleasure, as well as titles in over 34 languages. The collection is supported by a dedicated volunteer community and partnerships with over 820 US and international publishers.
Thanks to funding from the U.S.
Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), Bookshare
is free for all qualified U.S. students and schools. Qualified individuals who
are not students pay a nominal annual fee for their membership, including
reduced fees in some countries outside the U.S.
Bookshare is an initiative of Benetech, a nonprofit that empowers communities with software for social good.