How can I get an Individual Membership for my child?

Parents can either upgrade their child's school (Organizational) account to include an Individual Membership, ask the teacher to initiate the Individual Membership, or create a new account with Bookshare if their child is not on an Organizational Account.

All memberships for qualified U.S. students are currently free through an award from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP).

Upgrade an Existing Account

Video Tutorial: Upgrade Your Student Account with an Individual Membership Youtube icon

For students who are on an Organizational (school) Account:

  1. Log in to member's Bookshare account with their username and password
  2. Select the My Bookshare link in the top right corner of the page.
  3. Select the Upgrade to an Individual Membership! link on the left side of the page. 
  4. Review the instructions and select the link to sign up.
  5. Complete the sign up form to upgrade to an Individual Membership.
  6. Student will now use the email address associated with this account to log in to Bookshare.
  • Note that for members under the age of 18, a parent or guardian must complete the sign up process.

Ask your child's teacher to add an Individual Membership to his or her school account

Video Tutorial: How Teachers Can Add Individual Memberships to Student Accounts Youtube icon

Parents can ask the teacher to initiate the Individual Membership for students already on an Organizational (school) Account. 

Create a New Account

Video Tutorial: Sign Up as an Individual Member Youtube icon

For students NOT on an Organizational Account:

  1. Parent completes the online registration process with the child’s information
  2. Parent submits the Proof of Disability form signed by a Competent Authority. Learn more about Proof of Disability (POD) for Individual Memberships and how to submit POD remotely during the current pandemic.
  3. The parent then manages the account for the child.

Link Accounts

Indivdual Accounts and Organizational Accounts can be linked. Find out how!