[bksvol-discuss] Meet Valerie & Doug -- Bookshare Volunteers
- From: Scott Rains <scottr@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 16 Jul 2010 14:46:10 -0700
Volunteers,
It is certainly an uplifting way to spend a Friday afternoon receiving your
amazing stories of generosity and perseverance.
Meet Valerie and Doug!
Scott Rains
Benetech Fellow, Bookshare Volunteer Department
________________________________________
Hi!
My name is Valerie Maples and my husband, Doug, and I both enjoy volunteering
at Bookshare. We first became acquainted with Bookshare probably about six
years ago (maybe seven) when our older daughter, Cindy, wanted to be able to
read books in a digital format. I can honestly say Bookshare has grown
tremendously in both quantity and quality since that time. Cindy passed away
about four years ago and at that time Nichole was just beginning to be more
interested in being able to read on a computer. So, now, we are all Bookshare
members due to qualifying disabilities. I have arthritis and severe dyslexia,
Doug is a quadriplegic, and Nichole has cerebral palsy.
I both scan and proofread and Doug proofreads. We both enjoy our volunteer work
tremendously! I was scanning for school for Cindy and then Nichole, so
volunteering was wonderful because it allowed me to share my work products with
many, many others who would also enjoy reading and learning from the texts my
daughter's used. These days our focus is primarily on juvenile and youth text,
but we have also done a fair amount of Christian books and Christian fiction.
The more I volunteer, the more I enjoy reading again now that it is not such a
struggle with my hands. Because of my dyslexia and a slight case of OCD,
proofreading suits me better than just checking out a book and reading. I tend
to find fault in whatever I read, so I'd rather it be my mistakes than someone
else's. Grin.
Our local library and Amazon really love this new found hobby since we often
buy bargain books and then donate them to the library when we are done. I hope
we can continue to volunteer for a very long time expanding the collection and
improving options for everyone who wants to be able to read electronic text or
listen. Because literacy is so often deprived of people with the more severe
disabilities, we especially have a fondness for the printed word and Braille,
but regardless it is wonderful to be able to listen or read whatever you would
choose. Doug and I are always more than glad to lend our eyes to projects that
need sight or if someone needs confirmation from a scan, so don't hesitate to
ask and we will always let you know if it is possible for us to help out.
I feel like the Bookshare volunteer community has grown and found greater
purpose under Scott's amazing leadership and I hope that continues. We have a
wonderful chat on Saturday nights on cool blind tech at 8 PM Central, so join
us sometime if you get the opportunity. Thank you everyone who contributes to
this great grassroots effort!
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