We Need to Save Bookshare!
The issue: The House of Representatives proposed eliminating funding for Bookshare in the FY2017
Labor-H appropriations bill passed in July. The Technology and Media budget line that includes Bookshare
and other national special education programs was drastically cut from $30 million to $16 million.
The background: Senate bill passed at $30 million; level funding from
FY2016. Both the House and Senate bills include language
acknowledging Bookshare’s great work.
What happened? The House funded only continuation awards.
However, Bookshare’s funding must be renewed in the coming fiscal
year. As a result, the House proposal effectively places Bookshare on the
chopping block.
This is a major
threat to one of the
nation’s most effective and efficient special
educational programs. We need the House to restore
this cut so that Bookshare can continue to serve
children with disabilities and ensure that children in
the most underserved communities have access.
What is Bookshare, and why is it so important?
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“Words cannot begin to describe the
difference that Bookshare has made in
our son’s life. Now, we cannot pull him away
from it as he spends every spare moment
reading one to two books per week! The
constant reading has dramatically improved
his writing and vocabulary which in turn has
increased his grades significantly to all
A's and B's. He now has an inspired desire to
learn.” Bookshare Parent
Benetech’s Bookshare project provides free access
to an online library of accessible texts for all U.S.
students with a qualified print disability such as a
vision impairment or dyslexia.
Bookshare currently has 400,000+ members and nearly 450,000+ titles—members have downloaded
over 10 million books.
Under IDEA, schools are required to provide students with these disabilities accessible versions of the
books they need for school: braille, large print, and audio versions of their books.
National programs like Bookshare take up less than 5% of the formula grant funding that goes to states
and local school districts. Paying for these services in each local district, would cost them far more.
Bookshare is more than 15 times less expensive per book delivered than the prior national program
operator: that means we solve the majority of the problem with much less money than was spent
annually more than a decade ago.
Without Bookshare, school districts, parents and students will have to revert back to scanning their
own books—a costly process that impedes
students from accessing books they need.
Our Ask to Your Office
Restore Technology and Media
FY17 budget line to $30M;
level funding from FY2016!