Braille Institute has a limited number of free one-year Bookshare licenses remaining to provide books for vision impaired, but they are going away soon!
Bookshare is an accessible online library with over 800,000 titles in digital braille and text-to-speech audio. Bookshare makes reading easier. People with dyslexia, visual impairment, cerebral palsy, and other reading barriers can customize their experience to suit their learning style and find virtually any book they need for school, work, or the joy of reading.
While our BARD system is an excellent resource with similarities to Bookshare, the Bookshare program offers an extensive collection as well and usually has a subscription cost. The free one-year license allows those who are interested in trying out the program to do so for free and will give them plenty of time to explore a large selection of titles.
To receive a free Bookshare license through Braille Institute, you must have access to a computer, smartphone, or mobile device with Internet access. Free training is available! To claim your free one-year license, sign up at www.bookshare.org and enter the promo code BIA741V.
At the end of the process, you will need to verify your eligibility by providing the “Proof of Disability.” You will choose the “National Library Service (NLS)” option, then put in your name and your library, which is Braille Institute in Los Angeles. You do not need a note from a doctor. Just follow the steps online and Bookshare will activate your account in about 24 hours.
Please keep in mind that our number of licenses is limited. We hope to have more soon once we run out of this collection of free licenses and will let patrons know when we do.
For more information, email Reed Strege at rwstrege@brailleinstitute.org or call 323-906-3185.
