Information for students
At RNIB Bookshare we support learners with a print disability to access the curriculum, putting them, for the first time on a par with their peers, creating an inclusive environment in education.
How are books made available to you?
We provide accessible textbooks and resources for learners with sight loss, dyslexia, dyspraxia, autism and qualifying physical disabilities under the The Copyright and Related Rights (Marrakesh Treaty etc.) (Amendment) Regulations 2018 .
Titles can be downloaded by (and on behalf of) learners who can read them electronically or adapt into various accessible formats (PDF, Word, DAISY, audio, BRF). The service is available to learners and their parents through the child's school gaining membership. We are completely free to all UK education organisations and currently reach thousands of schools, colleges, universities and sensory support services across the UK
We work with over 1000 publishers & imprints and have many thousands of accessible curriculum and leisure titles, as well as over a million accessible large print and tactile images for the curriculum and general interest. We also process book requests on demand from educators and learners.
Other support
Many learners benefit from using an iPad to read electronically , using inbuilt accessibility tools. Maybe it would really help you if you had your own Braille display or iPad. Find out more from RNIB's Technology for life team about possible grants for access technology.
Students with a print disability say...
"It would have been almost impossible if I didn't have RNIB Bookshare. I'm doing my GCSEs and being able to come home and revise independently ... has been a massive help for me and fingers crossed, it can improve my grades."
Here are the answers to some common questions we get asked by students who want access to resources on RNIB Bookshare.
We want to make getting access to our service as easy as possible for learners that need it. We hope that our service will be valuable to you in accessing the resources you need for school, college or university.
Please contact us if you have any questions that we have not answered here at: bookshare@rnib.org.uk
Questions
Am I eligible to use RNIB Bookshare?
If you have a qualifying print disability, yes. Watch our film and learn about the qualifying print-disabilities to find out.
How can I find out if my educational organisation is already using RNIB Bookshare?
Contact your school and check with your SENCO (Special education needs co-ordinator), Librarian or Teaching Assistant. If no one knows, just drop us and email and we can let you know.
My educational organisation won’t sign up, what can I do?
If you don't know whether your school has an RNIB Bookshare account, or you can’t seem to get them to sign up, please email us with the following details and we will contact the school for you.
We’ll let them know what we are, that we are free and give them some information on how to join and add their learners.
Information needed:
- Your name
- educational organisational contact details
- your written permission for us to get in touch on your behalf
Please email us at: Bookshare@rnib.org.uk
How can I use RNIB Bookshare at home?
Just ask your school or college to set up a member account for you and give you the log in details, then you’ll be able to log in anytime, anywhere!
Are we allowed to download books at home?
Yes, we suggest that school/college staff create reading lists for learners to make finding the curriculum titles that they are using easy. You can download these titles as the school will have ensured that they have an original copy of the book.
Learners can also search and browse across the site to identify other titles that will help, or they are interested in.
How can we read at home?
We think that reading on an electronic device at home is a great way to access our titles on RNIB Bookshare. Using either a tablet or phone (Apple or Android) Dolphin EasyReader app is a perfect way to read.
Can we read our own choice of titles to read for fun?
It depends. If you are downloading files, and then reading them without making any changes to the file (such as reading the file electronically on a tablet, PC or phone using access technology) then you can download a title without owning the original version.
If you are making any changes to the file, then you may download the file as long as you have lawful possession of the title (own a paper or electronic version of the title). More information can be found on our legal pages.
We also have lots of fun reading for young learners (primary, secondary) to discover! We have created a fun reading area as a way for learners to discover their own age appropriate reading and finding books for themselves. These pages can be used as a stepping stone in supporting learners to move from pre-selected reading lists to searching and browsing across our whole, big and scary catalogue of titles!
Either search by 'Awesome children’s author' or 'Brilliant children’s book series' to discover some great titles. Have fun!
What happens when I change school, college, uni?
As long as you are at the same educational organisation and you have a qualifying print disability, then you may continue to access RNIB Bookshare.
When you move onto another educational establishment, we would suggest that you contact them in advance to check whether they have an account with us, letting them know that you are currently using RNIB Bookshare to access your books independently. Please see above, regarding the question about organisation’s getting accounts.
I am leaving school and will no longer be in education, can I still use RNIB Bookshare?
Once you leave school, college or university you are no longer eligible to use RNIB Bookshare. Membership is accessed via an educational establishment only.
We recommend RNIB Library for a wonderful range of reading to suit anyone with sight loss.
And finally …
If you have had a good experience using RNIB Bookshare, please consider giving us your story. It helps us to keep this valuable service free. Thank you
Charlie's story
Find out and be inspired as to how RNIB Bookshare can support learners, with a real life success story.
“I spent the majority of my first term suffering in silence, reading all my resources by eye, getting tired, frustrated and spending a lot of time trying to read. Bookshare was my saviour, I was able to download PDF text versions which were compatible with my text to speech software.”