Tech Matters: Using tech for positive social change

Earlier this week I was invited to speak on an on-line conference by the Friends of Benetech, an independent support group for our Bookshare.org digital library for people with print disabilities. They have a neat technology for an on-line audio and text chat room. There were more than fifty people on-line with us, and the entire talk was recorded and placed on the web. I love this kind of opportunity that technology makes possible. Any Bookshare.org user or volunteer now gets the chance to question the CEO of a service they care passionately about (and believe me, they do!). Would other nonprofit agencies operate differently if the people they served had a regular chance to question the leadership directly and frequently? Greater accountability is essential to progress in the social sector: this is just one start. Earned income is another way, of course. I'm looking forward to doing this regularly in the future: it keeps me on my toes!

Major Great News about Bookshare.org ! I'm delighted to share incredible news, which will transform Bookshare.org. On Friday, the Office of Special Education Programs of the U.S. federal Department of Education made a major five-year award of $32 million to Bookshare.org. This will further the objectives of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), by supplying high quality textbooks and educational materials to students with special needs. This funding is to fully support all schools and students with qualifying print disabilities in the United States, K-12 and post-secondary, with access to the entire Bookshare.org collection of accessible electronic books and to software for reading those books. As of October 1, 2007, we have ceased charging these schools and students anything to join Bookshare.org. We also expect to add over 100,000 new educational titles in high quality DAISY and Braille formats over the next five years, getting students the terrific quality t...

We just got terrific coverage from CBS Evening News of our Bookshare.org project. It is really exciting when a news team takes the time to dig in and understand the story. Our team is thrilled about the piece, and we're getting lots of phone calls and email as a result. I think this is the first time we have had national coverage of Bookshare.org, which turned five years old this week! The CBS team came to Palo Alto, as well as filming a Bookshare.org-using couple, Brian Miller and his wife Priscilla McKinley, in the Washington D.C. area. The entire three and a half minute piece is up on the CBS News site: Bookshare Scans Books And Converts Them To Braille Or Audio For Immediate Access. Thanks to our team and volunteers!