Welcome to Speld(SA) Specific Learning Difficulties Website

Bookshare – new arrangements for Australasian membership

Bookshare® is a U.S. based online library of digital books for people with print disabilities. Bookshare Members download books, textbooks and newspapers in a compressed, encrypted file. They then read the material using adaptive technology, typically software that reads the book aloud (text-to-speech) and/or displays the text of the book on a computer screen, or Braille access devices, such as refreshable Braille displays.

By requiring individuals to register as Members and provide a Proof of Disability, Bookshare ensures that only qualified individuals use the service. Fees apply as specified on the Bookshare website (note: prices are for Australian dollars).

The Association for the Blind of Western Australia is the Australasian agent for Bookshare. Anyone based in this geographical region, wishing to register for membership of Bookshare, will be referred from its website to the Association for the Blind of WA. Registration will occur once proof of disability has been supplied (refer table below for further details).

Disability	Qualified/Not Qualified	Examples of Certifying Professionals
Vision Impairment (VI), such as blind or low vision	Qualified	A family doctor, ophthalmologist, optometrist, Teacher of persons with a vision impairment, Special Education teacher Certification from an organisation that provides services to people who are blind or vision impaired.
Physical Disability (PD) which affects one’s ability to read print, such as inability to hold a book or turn pages	Qualified	A family doctor or other medical professional, physical therapist, resource specialist, Special Education teacher
Learning Disability Reading Disability	Students with a severe enough disability, and a professional certifying that the disability has a physical basis	A neurologist, psychiatrist, learning disability specialist, Special Education teacher, school psychologist, or clinical psychologist with a background in learning disabilities
Autism Emotional disabilities ADHD ESL and ELL	Not qualified unless accompanied by a visual or physical disability, or a qualified reading disability that has a physical basis	Examples above

Please share this announcement with anyone who might be interested in joining Bookshare. For further information about Bookshare, refer http://www.bookshare.org/.

For further information about Australasian membership registrations, please contact Greg Kearney – This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it