Penguin Random House is proudly partnered with Bookshare, a non-profit organization that makes our books accessible to persons with qualifying print disabilities.

This service is protected under 17 U.S.C. § 121 of the U.S. Copyright Act to provide copyrighted materials in specialized formats to people with qualifying disabilities. A qualifying disability is a disability with a physical basis that affects one's ability to read standard print. These disabilities included severe learning disabilities that affect ready, visual impairments (including blindness), and other physical disabilities.

Bookshare makes its services available, free of charge, to all qualifying students in the United States through an award from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP). The organization provides texts in the DAISY file format (Digital Accessible Information System). Readers access texts on PC screens using special reading software that is free for download on Bookshare's website. Readers can also download files to a variety of special reading devises that turn the DAISY file into synthetic speech and in some cases display the text. Additionally, Bookshare can supply a digital Braille file that members can read on a digital Braille machine or send to a Braile embosser to have printed out.

Bookshare has over 100,000 members, 100,000 books in their library and more than 130 partnerships with publishers. While their library is constantly growing, please allow Bookshare four to six weeks in order to obtain and supply a text not currently in their library. Bookshare will work directly with Penguin Random House to acquire texts solicited by qualifying members. Penguin Random House will not furnish files directly to a student or representative from an educational institution.

For more information on Bookshare or to sign up for membership, please visit http://www.bookshare.org/.