Making books accessible

Last week I read a post on the Ruby Slippered Sisterhood blog about the need to make books more accessible to people with visual impairments. The post featured a disheartening description of what one reader once had to do to get a book in a format he could read.  Thank heavens for eReaders that can change fonts, and text-to-speach devices, as well as audiobooks.  But there is a need for more. That's where Bookshare comes in.  This organization makes books available in accessible format to visually impaired readers all around the world.

After looking into this organization, I have decided to sign the Publisher's Letter of Consent to allow Bookshare to put every allthecolorsoflove book in their collection.  Under the copyright law, books can be made available to people with qualifying disabilities without permission, but Bookshare works with authors and publishers, as well as educators and private citizens willing to donate copies, to make high quality books available to their members. And I understand getting a membership in Bookshare is strenuous, requiring proof of disability. 

My mission is to reach reluctant readers. But I also want to reach eager readers, especially those who have difficulty finding books they are able to read. So I will be doing what I can to work with the staff to make sure my books are adaptable to the needs of the disable.