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Para-educators' Place
Free text reader for students with print disabilities
Students with print or reading disabilities have a new resource at their disposal. Bookshare.org and Don Johnston Inc. have joined forces to make available a free text reader that will give qualifying students electronic access to more than 36,000 books, newspapers and magazines.
The text reader, called the Read:OutLoud Bookshare.org Edition Text Reader, is available to students who qualify for access to materials under the Chafee Amendment. Passed by Congress in 1997, the Chafee Amendment permits the translating of previously published, nondramatic literary works into Braille, audio or digital text without prior approval from the copyright holder for purposes of distribution to individuals with print disabilities.
Text readers enable books to be read in Braille, large print or synthetic speech. The Bookshare.org Edition text reader also offers reading comprehension strategies and instructional support as well as features such as electronic highlighting and note-taking capabilities.
After setting up an account at www.bookshare.org and showing proof of a print disability, a student can download the text reader for free. (The software is currently available only for Windows-based computers. The Mac version is set for release in 2009.) Learn more.
Price hikes at the cafeteria
You are likely to notice fewer options and higher prices at the cafeteria this year. Schools are being forced to change menus and raise meal prices to offset the rising costs of fuel and staples such as bread, milk and cheese.
The School Nutrition Association estimates that the average cost of preparing a school lunch has risen to $2.88. Although the National School Lunch Program subsidizes school meals, the 2008-09 reimbursement rate is only $2.57 for free lunches, creating a loss of 31 cents per meal. Losses on full-priced meals are more than double that because schools are reluctant to raise prices in proportion to rising costs.
Faced with the challenge of balancing their budgets without burdening families, schools are cutting back on options, particu-larly when it comes to fresh produce and low-calorie fare.
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