Literacy For All - SET-BC's Accessible Book Program

The Province of British Columbia, Ministry of Education, celebrated International Literacy Day in September 2006 by providing 51,500 books to kindergarten students throughout the province.

"Reading is one of the basic skills students need to succeed, and this is another way we are encouraging children and their families to read,” said Education Minister Shirley Bond. “We hope that, by providing these books, we will encourage families to make time to read together. It’s an important step in helping children develop language skills."

Participation in typical classroom literacy activities is often limited for students who are unable to see or hold a book due to a physical disability. But through the SET-BC Accessible books program, students with special needs can receive accessible books for their literacy activities.. 

What is a SET-BC accessible book? How do we use it?

The SET-BC Accessible Books collection now includes over 300 titles. Books are selected, for the accessible books collection, based on the following criteria:

• Comprehension of text enhanced through pictures
• Good children's literature
• Curriculum content at early reading levels
• Locally relevant content

The contents, graphics and text, of a selected book are shipped to you on a cd. Choose from 300 popular children's literature titles. Send in your request to SET-BC and receive your accessible books free of charge. There is one book per cd. Just affix the cd to the back of the book to provide accessible format options for every student. Each cd contains the requested book plus a folder of free accessible books created by teachers and students in BC. When the cd is loaded on the computer, an exact replica of the book is displayed on the computer screen with text narrated by a teacher or student reader. Files can be played with software 'Player' files so schools need not buy additional software to run these books. The books are created using software applications that enable switch and adapted access so all students can participate independently in reading and rereading their favorite books.

Expanding Literacy Opportunities through Resource Development Projects

 Through a SET-BC resources project and grants from Raise-a-Reader, adapted versions of the Eaglecrest Series are being created with  first nations text and narration.  It is very exciting to read the books with both English and First Nations text and narration. Educators in the Port Hardy school district are working with elders and members of the first nation community to record text and narration of  the Eaglecrest books. The narration and text will be available in both English and Kwakwala.  

The Port Hardy and Port McNeil communities look forward to having the Kwakwala Accessible Books available in their community.  They are excited  to hear and see their language in use in the community centres and libraries. A Community Literacy Celebration is planned for this fall when the set of 10 Eaglecrest Books is completed.   A biography cd-rom containing the history of the project with biographies of each of the elders will also be available.

See the entire collection at http://www.eaglecrestbooks.com/home.htm

See SET-BC's accessible books collection at http://www.setbc.org/setbc/accessiblebooks/default.html.
Hear the "The Fishing Trip" read by Louie Johnnie – a character in the 'Fishing Trip' book.
The Fishing Trip.

Help us celebrate Literacy for All.