Celebrating 15 Million Books Delivered

Bookshare Users Reading Millions of Books Their Way Every Year

Today we are celebrating an exciting milestone for impact at
Benetech: we have delivered 15 million books to people with reading barriers
through the Bookshare
online library service and network. That’s 15 million books that users found
and accessed through Bookshare that they would not otherwise have been able to
read. And it’s not just about the number of books, but what these books enable people
to do: pursue an education, develop professional skills, find employment, and participate
in their communities. We’d like to celebrate and thank the entire community
that has made this momentous milestone possible.

To Bookshare’s Community of Readers

This is about you. A celebration of all of the books that
you’ve read. In school, you used Bookshare to learn about new subjects, attain
reading proficiency, and advance confidently into the next grade. You used this
knowledge from books to conduct research and stay current in your field,
participate in book clubs, make the dean’s list, geek out with your friends over
Harry Potter, pursue your dream jobs, and learn about the world. Thank you for
trusting and supporting Bookshare. Today, we celebrate all of the books that
you’ve read with us, and challenge you to keep reading. With the knowledge from
books, you can achieve exceptional things.

To the Parents and Teachers

You remove barriers to reading for learners by providing the
technology, support, and coaching that enables them to read their way. You
advocate for students and teach them to advocate for themselves, convincing the
skeptics who perceive these barriers as insurmountable. You go the extra mile, exploring
the special
collections and downloading just the right book to capture the heart
of your most reluctant reader. Thank you for everything that you do to help children
develop the confidence and skills to become independent, lifelong learners.

To Our Technology Partners

You make it possible for Bookshare users to read their way, on
the device of their choice,
be it computers, Chromebooks, braille readers, assistive technology devices, or
tablets and smartphones on Android and iOS. With your tools, our users can
truly customize their reading experiences. From expanded voice options, to
custom highlighting, notetaking, and color schemes, your innovations make the
user experience delightful. Thank you for making it easy for Bookshare users to
read in ways that work for them.

To Our Volunteers

There is no Bookshare without books. From Bookshare’s launch,
you have played an integral role in ensuring that any book that a community
member wants can be made available on Bookshare by scanning and proofreading
texts that are not made available to us digitally. You make wishes come true,
by adding requested books from the Bookshare wish list of pleasure reads that
Bookshare members wouldn’t otherwise have access to. Thank you for your
invaluable support, and generosity of time and energy.

To Our Publisher Partners

By sharing digital book files directly with Bookshare, you
have enabled us to greatly increase the collection of books available to people
with reading barriers. Today our users are able to choose from over four
million options of what and how (audio, braille, text highlighting + audio,
large font) they want to read, and our collection continues to grow as more
books are published. Because of our relationship with you, books are available
on Bookshare the very same day that they are released. We’re so thankful for
your generosity and partnership.

To Our Global Partners

Thank you to our many business and NGO partners around the
world that are helping to spread the word about Bookshare and increase access
to books for people with reading barriers in their countries. To our Global
library partners, we thank you for your collaboration. Whether you are helping your
members to join Bookshare, or leveraging Bookshare technology to power your own
library, we are all united in our mission to spread literacy and increase
access to books for people with reading barriers around the globe.

To Our Employees

To Benetech and Bookshare colleagues present and past –
thank you for the hours of tireless effort, the sacrifices you make for our
shared mission, and the passion that you put into your job. You are the core of
Benetech, our heart and soul. Without each of you coming together to form such
an incredibly talented team, we couldn’t do what we do.

To Our Funders

Thank you for believing in and supporting our mission. You
are removing barriers to inclusion for Bookshare users, and some have shared
the impact that access to information through books has had on their lives:

“I remember thinking that I would never learn how to read,
but Bookshare put me in my own world, and I found out that this is how
everybody feels when they read.” —Emery Lower, sixth grade student

“Having access to content through Bookshare has a greater
value beyond information from books. It means having choices and exercising
control to read what I want, when I want, and in the format that I want. Digital
empowerment and access to books enables people with disabilities to pursue
their education, find meaningful employment, and, ultimately, achieve greater
inclusion and independence in their communities.” – Moses Chowdari Gorrepati,
EnAble India

“Through audiobooks I have finally discovered that I am
worth it. I’m capable of being successful and being a powerful creator in my
community. Those of us with disabilities have gifts – gifts when matched with
the right tools, like audiobooks, can help us do amazing things. ” —Justin
Novello, South Carolina

A Call to Action

Moses, Emery, and Justin have all enjoyed the independence
to read and learn in ways that work for them, but there are still so many
people around the world who do not have access to books that they can read.
With your support, we are continuing to grow the network, add more books and
more languages, and, most importantly, reach more people.

We won’t stop until every person is able to read the books
that they need to be successful in a way that works for them. Thank you for accompanying
us on this journey so far, and we look forward to celebrating many more
milestones with you in the future.

Read
the press release announcing 15 million books delivered

Learn more about our inclusive
education work

The post Celebrating 15 Million Books Delivered appeared first on Benetech | Software for Social Good.

Source: Benetech