How Do I Know If My Student Qualifies?

If your student finds it difficult to process or comprehend printed words, see text in books or on a screen, or physically manage books or reading devices, Bookshare may be able to help. For your student to qualify for Bookshare, a professional with appropriate expertise must confirm that he or she has a qualifying condition that significantly interferes with his or her ability to read or process printed text. Such conditions include:

Learning Disabilities such as dyslexia that significantly interfere with reading standard print. For students, a need for reading accommodations or a diagnosed Specific Learning Disability (SLD) could be indicators of this qualifying condition.

Visual Impairments such as blindness, low vision, macular degeneration, and other types of vision loss that require enlarged font, audiobooks, or braille.

Physical Disabilities that make it difficult for students to hold a book, turn pages, move their heads, or physically manage a book or the act of reading a book in the way that someone without such a condition would.

Membership in Learning Ally or the National Library Service (NLS) for the Blind and Print Disabled, or a similar body outside the U.S., also serves as certification of eligibility.

For more information on Bookshare qualifications, see "Who Qualifies?"