RNIB Bookshare is a brilliant venture which provides free access to an amazing collection of ebooks for those who struggle to read conventional print. That includes ASD, ADD, dyslexia, blind, partially sighted, can’t hold books or who are unable to focus or move their eyes to the extent that would normally be acceptable for reading.
All you need to do is ask your child’s school or college to sign them up and they will send you their personalised login. It’s quick, easy and free. Then you can read over half a million books on any electronic device (computer, tablet, phone, e-reader).
It’s quite straightforward to use, but they have a great collection of videos about how to do different things.
You can also search the books (inc textbooks and set texts) and have them read to you, which is particularly good for speeding up homework. If they don’t have the book you need you can even request it!
As a tutor, assessor and dyslexic, I love it because it lets you can make books look however you want them to. This means that you aren’t restricted to books printed with large enough print or on creamy paper. With one tap on the Easy Reader app (free for tablets and phones) you can turn any book into one specially printed to your child/teen’s preferances.
There are lots of different options to use with RNIB Bookshare, but I like the Easy Reader app because it just makes everything super easy. As well as changing the font, text size, spacing and colour, it also spotlights and highlights text as you read it (or follow along with the voice).
Try out the app now on a phone or tablet with free project Gutenberg books, while you wait for your child’s Bookshare login to arrive.
Click here for some ideas for easy read books for teenagers to search for on Bookshare. Find out your child’s/teen’s reading age here and my post about finding books that are the right level.
After more great tips… try my 5-point plan.
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