Making Books Accessible for Those With Disabilities

Thousands of new titles—including the latest bestsellers—will now be more easily available for people unable to read traditional printed books. A recent partnership between Bookshare, the world’s largest online library of digital books for people with “print disabilities,” and more than two dozen publishers, including Harper­Collins, Random House and the Hachette Book Group, will make that possible.

Bookshare members can download books and use special software that reads a book aloud or displays its text on a computer screen or Braille access device. Membership is available to those with a visual disability and also to individuals with a physical or learning disability that makes it difficult or impossible to read standard print.

For more information, go to the Bookshare website.

Cathie Gandel is a freelance writer based in Bridgehampton, N.Y.