Showing posts with label bookshare. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bookshare. Show all posts

Saturday, February 9, 2013

Bookshare Releases Web Reader



Bookshare's new web reader allows members to read through a browser and eliminates the need to download books. The web reader also allows members to read any of Bookshare's 177,000 books on a library or school computer without having special software installed.

Bookshare is a free accessible ebook library for people with print disabilities. To learn if you qualify and how to join click here. Once you're signed in with your Bookshare account you can access the web reader via your bookshelf or the search page. When you search for a book you can click on the "read now" link to open the book in the web reader or you can add it to your bookshelf. From the bookshelf you can click the "read now" link as well. The web reader offers features such as text-to-speech with highlighting, nighttime reading mode, adjustable text-to-speech speed, table of contents, and go-to-page options. Bookshare recommends sighted members use the Google Chrome browser for improved text-to-speech and visually impaired members use Internet Explorer, Safari, or Firefox for improved screen reader usability.

Click read more below to view screenshots of the web reader in action.





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Sunday, December 30, 2012

Favorite Assistive Technology Apps & Products of 2012


As 2012 comes to a close I decided to make a run down of my favorite assistive technology apps and products that I have been using this year. This list is in no particular order.

Click read more view the list.





The Sky WiFi Smartpen is easy to use and seamless. It has a built in recorder and camera that, when used with specialized paper, syncs audio and written notes in the cloud. To read the Sky WiFi Smartpen review click here.


iPad mini is a great tablet because of its size, app selection, and accessibility. The lower price point makes it even more compelling. Most of all iPad mini runs all the apps that the full size iPad does and has accessibility features second to none. Click here to read more about the iPad mini.



While iOS 6 many have been short on mainstream features it has several useful accessibility features including Guided Access, highlighting with Speak Selection, Siri improvements, and VoiceOver improvements. Click here to learn more about iOS 6.


This update included great new voice search feature that I found to be better and faster than Siri. Click here to learn more about the Google Search App for iOS.



This app has a really nice interface and good scan quality which made it my favorite scanning app of 2012. Click here to learn more.


Prizmo is hands down the best OCR app for iPhone that I have used. Just take a picture of a document and it will read it to you in a matter of seconds. Click here to download or learn more about Prizmo.


A great reader of Bookshare books that allows you to read your books portably without a computer. Bookshare is an online accessible library avalible to qualified people. Click here to download or learn more about Read2Go.


Kurzweil isn't new to 2012 but it is a program I use everday. It helps me tremendously and it deserves a spot on this list. Click here to learn more about Kurzweil 3000.


Good app for listening to Learning Ally Audio books. The free app is available for all iOS devices. I would like to see the app include new features such as background audio in 2013. Click here to learn more.



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