ࡱ > M bjbj== t W W 2 l l l l l Z Z Z 8 $ : > i k k k k k k $ x! # r " f l l N f f f l 8 i f i f ~ f H[ Z @ % D H : $ R $ f l l l l Bookshare.org provides an extensive on-line library of accessible digital books to people in the United States who are blind or have a significant reading disability. makes a major contribution to the educational and employment potential of people with disabilities, by providing a large on-line library of accessible digital booksPeople who are blind or who have a significant reading disability lack access to books and other printed documents. Currently less than 5% of books are produced in accessible forms such as Braille or audiotape. Bookshare.orgs goal is to exponentially increase the breadth and depth of digital thebooks available available digitallyto our member community. O; our service objective is to provide access to each the members desired book selection at least half the time50% of the time. Because creating accessible books is expensive, the range of materials from existing libraries for those with print disabilities is quite small. The only way to read most printed books is to scan them into computers and listen to them in digitized speech or access in Braille. This process takes two to four hours per book, presenting a significant barrier to literacy and reading enjoyment. By enabling the tens of thousands of individuals who regularly scan books to share those scanned materials, Bookshare.org eliminates an incrediblesignificant duplication of effort and can produce books at a fraction of what it costs other providers: $30 a book instead of $3,000. Access to books is especially important for students. Those in grades K-12 need accessible outside reading material to support general literacy development in formats that best support their learning needs. Schools are required by law to provide textbooks in accessible formats, but additional books are typically not provided because they are so expensive to produce. As a result, students with disabilities are limited to the few books that are available in accessible formats, or are forced to laboriously scan other books to make them accessible. Benetech, a 501(c)(3) operating nonprofit and the creator of Bookshare.org, has been the worlds leading maker of reading systems for the blind and learning disabled communities, with more than 40,000 users worldwide. We understand the need for improved access to printed materials. Bookshare.org operates as an online community, enabling volunteers and members from across the United States to participate in building the collection of books. By involving hundreds of volunteers nationwide, Bookshare.org leverages their effort, but also helps involve people both with and without disabilities in creating a solution. Bookshare.org is in full compliance with current U.S. copyright law, and was designed with extensive input from the Association of American Publishers. Bookshare.org is legal by meetingmeets the requirements of section 17 U.S.C. 121 of the copyright law. The law states in part: It is not an infringement of copyright for an authorized entity to reproduce or to distribute copies of a previously published, nondramatic literary work if such copies are reproduced or distributed in specialized formats exclusively for use by blind or other persons with disabilities. In addition,that stipulate that literary the works can only be distributed by a qualifying organization in specialized formats exclusively for use by blind or other persons with disabilities. Benetech, the nonprofit organization that created Bookshare.org, meets these requirements of a qualifying organization. and incorporates the necessary controls to protect against misuse by non-disabled persons by implementing a Digital Rights Management Plan including file encryption, watermarks, and fingerprinting. The Bookshare.org collection is stored on a centralized server. Each book is processed to ensure minimal quality guidelines are met before being added to the collection. Since the books are all stored centrally, Bookshare.org controls who downloads the material. This enables Bookshare.org to make copyrighted books available for download only to U.S. residents who provide proof of a bona fide print disability, including people with visual impairments, those with learning disabilities that affect print reading, and people who have mobility impairments that interfere with holding a book or turning a page. Most of the start-up funding for Bookshare.org has come from Benetech, a 501(c)(3) operating nonprofit, the successor nonprofit to Arkenstone, which was founded in 1989. Arkenstone became the worlds leading maker of reading systems for people who are blind or have a learning disability, with more than 40,000 users worldwide. The proceeds from the sale of Arkenstone's business operations were used to establish Benetech. The financial goal for Bookshare.org is to operate as a break-even service after an initial investment of about $1.5 million. By dramatically increasing access to printed material for people with visual or other print disabilities, Bookshare.org will have a far-reaching impact on education, scholarship employment and quality of life. For further information, please contact HYPERLINK "mailto:Alison@benetech.org" alison@benetech.org. PAGE 480 California Ave. ( Suite 201 ( Palo Alto ( California ( 94306-1609 ( (650) 475-5440 ( fax (650) 475-1066 ( www.benetech.org Bookshare.org is a initiative of , a nonprofit organization that uses high technology acumen to meet the social objectives of the nonprofit sector. # P Z o L l t w ~mm\\K~m ! CJ OJ QJ ^J aJ cH dhVF!H hVFCJ OJ QJ ^J aJ ! CJ OJ QJ ^J aJ cH dhVF!H hVFCJ OJ QJ ^J aJ ! CJ OJ QJ ^J aJ cH dhVF! CJ OJ QJ ^J aJ cH dhVF! CJ OJ QJ ^J aJ cH dhVF!H hVFCJ OJ QJ ^J aJ !H hVFCJ OJ QJ ^J aJ !H hVFCJ OJ QJ ^J aJ CJ OJ QJ ^J aJ 7 8 x y ! J K &`#$ $a$ $a$ $a$ $7$ 8$ H$ a$ $ 3 # G T [ \ _ & y 3 8 y Ұҟ}li b[ T T M MT M H hVF cH dhVF H hVf cH dhVfaJ ! CJ OJ QJ ^J aJ cH dhVF!H hVFCJ OJ QJ ^J aJ !H hVFCJ OJ QJ ^J aJ ! CJ OJ QJ ^J aJ cH dhVF! CJ OJ QJ ^J aJ cH dhVF! CJ OJ QJ ^J aJ cH dhVFCJ OJ QJ ^J aJ !H hVFCJ OJ QJ ^J aJ ! CJ OJ QJ ^J aJ cH dhVF ! 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