What did you think? What were potential accessibility issues? How would you change it?

After reviewing the Bookshare website, I was blown away by the variety and number of titles they have available.  Sometimes I wonder if they will offer the books that students are currently interested in and reading, but most of the texts that seem to be continual favorites for my students are indeed on the site.  I am however still disappointed that this program is limited in terms of free access to only certain disabilities.  I do believe that this program would be so beneficial to so many students, that I only wish that it could be made available to a wider audience.  Of course, even if it was available to my students I would still have to consider how many of my students would actually have access to the program.  I teach at a Title I school and many of my students do not have computer or internet access at home. Whereas I have a relatively rich classroom in terms of materials and resources, we do not have spare computers for student use.  I hope that as Bookshare grows and as technology becomes increasingly available and affordable, perhaps we will see more equity in the future in terms of access and use of technology.

How is Bookshare funded?  How much would it cost to make this a service that is free to all students?  Would schools be willing to spend a portion of their budget on maintaining this program to subsidize the cost of receiving the services offered through the program?