The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), Lighthouse Guild and Bookshare® are partnering together to provide visually impaired students access to an online library of more than half-a-million assisted reading e-books.
Academy member ophthalmologists can refer students into the program by certifying their visual impairment — visual acuity less than 20/40 or partial loss of vision. Once in the program, students will receive free access to Bookshare's library of more than half-a-million e-books, which are accessible via the e-reading application Spotlight Gateway designed for people with low vision. The app reportedly offers a variety of special functions to assist visually impaired students, including high-quality, text-to-speech voice, digital braille and enlarged fonts.
As the assisted reading solution is designed for use with iPads, Lighthouse Guild in New York and Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired in San Francisco will reportedly distribute a limited number of tablets locally and through participating vision agencies across the country to help make the online library available to students who do not otherwise have access to an iPad. Done in observance of Low Vision Awareness Month in February, this effort is supported in part by a grant from Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Ophthalmologists are encouraged to share the details of the program with eligible patients and can learn more about the initiative here. And members of the public interested in learning how to participate can find out by visiting Spotlight Gateway's website.
Click here to read the full press release.
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Source: American Academy of Ophthalmology