Who Qualifies?
Who Can Join?
Bookshare® is available only for individuals who have a qualifying reading or perceptual disability, a visual impairment, or a physical disability that affects their ability to read printed works.
What Are the Qualifications?
To qualify for Bookshare, a professional with appropriate expertise must certify that an individual meets at least one of the qualifications listed below.
According to copyright law, a qualified person is a person who:
- is blind;
- has a visual impairment or a perceptual or reading disability which cannot be improved to give visual function substantially equivalent to that of a person who has no such impairment or disability and so is unable to read printed works to substantially the same degree as a person without an impairment or disability; or
- is otherwise unable, through physical disability, to hold or manipulate a book or to focus or move the eyes to the extent that would be normally acceptable for reading; regardless of any other disabilities.
Who Doesn't Automatically Qualify?
People with disabilities such as:
- intellectual disabilities
- attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
- hearing loss
- dysgraphia
- dyscalculia
- or English language learners
These disabilities by themselves do not qualify a person for access to Bookshare under current law. However, it is quite possible that a person with one or more of these disabilities would qualify for Bookshare because of an accompanying disability. For example, a person who is both deaf and blind, or who has ADHD and a reading disability that impacts their ability to effectively read printed works, could qualify.
Examples of Qualifying Professionals
The table below lists some of the most common titles for professionals who may have the appropriate expertise to determine eligibility for Bookshare.
Qualifying Professionals In Schools
- Assistive Technology Professional
- Dyslexia Specialist
- Learning Disability Specialist
- Librarian
- Physical or Occupational Therapist
- Reading Specialist
- Resource Specialist
- Special Education Teacher
- School Psychologist
- Speech Language Pathologist
- Teacher of the Visually Impaired (TVI)
- Other Professionals with appropriate experience
Qualifying Professionals Outside of School
- Clinical Psychologist
- Doctor of Medicine
- Doctor of Osteopathy
- Neurologist
- Ophthalmologist
- Optometrist
- Osteopathy Psychiatrist
- Psychiatrist
- Professional Staff of Hospitals or Healthcare Institutions
- Public or Social Welfare Agencies
- Registered Nurse
- Other Professionals with appropriate experience