Lerner Publishing Group Partners with Benetech to Make Books Accessible to Children in the US with Reading Disabilities

Benetech’s publisher partnerships help us operate our Bookshare initiative at scale. By sharing the digital files for their new titles directly with Bookshare, our publisher partners greatly decrease the time and work required to get a title up on Bookshare and available to our users with disabilities and learning differences, as it allows us to circumvent the chop and scan process. Thanks to publisher like Lerner who just announced they are sharing their entire K-12 ebook catalog, thousands of new titles are added to Bookshare’s collection each week. Benetech also works with publishers, to help them build ebooks that are Born Accessible, through our Global Certified Accessible (GCA) program. Benetech applauds Lerner’s commitment to serving the learning needs of all students!

For a perspective on why this type of partnership is important to Lerner Publishing group, here is a blog post from Kris Tomes, Senior Digital Product Manager, Lerner Publishing Group

Find Your Favorite Lerner Titles in Accessible Formats via Bookshare

Here at Lerner Publishing Group’s Lerner Digital imprint, our mission is to “reach readers of all needs with accessible, engaging content to instill a joy of reading in all.” Thanks to a new partnership with Benetech, we have expanded our accessibility goals by making our titles available in formats used by assistive technologies for readers with disabilities.

You can now find Lerner’s entire K-12 ebook catalog in accessible formats via Benetech’s Bookshare collection. That’s more than 7,000 titles available for screen readers with Braille formatting, large font, ebooks in audio, audio + highlighted text, and other formats. This is – to put it lightly – a BIG deal. Through this partnership, thousands of kids at home and in school will now be able to experience these books in the way that makes the most sense for them. No more barriers for readers with visual impairments. No more barriers for readers with physical impairments. No more barriers, period.

Every child deserves to experience books. Books help readers learn new things, escape to fantastical worlds, and discover new interests. Books also have the power to affirm our identities, to build understanding with people unlike ourselves, to challenge our misconceptions, and to broaden our awareness of the world. Discussing books you’ve read helps you make connections and build friendships. By making Lerner’s books more accessible, we are including everyone in the conversation.

We view accessibility as part of Lerner’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusivity in all aspects of our publishing program. Our efforts to support all readers, both in content and in access, mean that all kids can read and succeed.

– Kris Tomes, Senior Digital Product Manager, Lerner Publishing Group

To learn more about Lerner’s partnership with Benetech, check out their latest press release. You can now find Lerner’s entire K-12 ebook catalog in accessible formats on Bookshare.org.

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Source: Benetech