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In some regions the school year is about to begin and with much uncertainty. When we consider the new stresses and pressures that our students face from changing their learning environment we realize how much more important accessibility becomes. Not only are our books available both in school and at home, but we can remove a barrier to confidence and self-assurance, making it easier for these students to navigate other challenges.
Thank you once again for all that you do - for our students and for Learning Ally!
And speaking of thank yous…our recent Volunteer Nation Live event gave Kevin and his mother Silvia an opportunity to that you directly. If you haven't already seen the video recording of this event, we urge you to take an hour to view it. Kevin is an excellent speaker and we look forward to seeing him again some time, to learn more about his learning progress.
In that same event we also experienced the dyslexia simulation, hosted by Terrie Noland, our VP of Educator Initiatives. This special presentation has been an important part of introducing dyslexia teaching to educators, parents, and administrators. We recommend you grab a pen and paper and follow along at home with the exercise, to have a dyslexia simulation of your own.
Due to employee vacations and an overlapping staff meeting, we are canceling our Office Hours meeting on August 13th. We will resume weekly meetings on the 20th. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
As we continue to develop our processes and training, we are also refining the language we use to define our roles and the work that we do. The terms Checker and Checking have too many similar uses and can be confusing when talking about our tools. (For example we must check the check-box on the checker's notes to confirm corrections.) To remove ambiguity, we'll begin replacing "checking" with listening, or proof-listening to establish the similarity to proofreading. You may already recognize this change as we have rolled it out through the literature evaluation courses. Soon you'll see it in wider use in other programs as well.
Check out Twist! Join the volunteer Facebook group! Stay connected to the conversation around Learning Ally and how we are helping students.
MacKenzie S., F A., Thritha A., Karen T., Prajanya K., Dashua K., Rachel P., Lizbeth R., Katelyn H., Dimitris A., Donna A., Maisha P., Michael F., Sonal G., Gina R., Barbara S., Roda A., Mary G., Madeline L., Kelsey L., Younus R., Nethuli A., Charity L., Linda L., Emily H., Sophia W., Kara P., Ansalma R., Emily C., Jessica N., Smitty B., SD W., Jonathan H., Jacob F., Kayla I., Sonia Amira B., Simran S., Heather D., Tari T., Kami N., Charity L., Alisa C-M., Deb P., Eric S., B. E., Julie B., Gillian N., Maya L., SD W., Miranda K., Teri S., Eveline T., Nick B., Robert V., Shumayal B., Lisa J., Julie B., Amanda J., Sophia C., Melissa Z., Marjan, Kesiya J., Sonia A B., Managua G., Anoushka S.
The biggest, and probably most surprising news is that we have put audiobook volunteer recruitment on pause for the rest of the summer. The tremendous influx of volunteers through the spring has overwhelmed our ability to provide enough content to supply the demand of volunteers. Already, we see large groups of volunteers waiting for books to read or to check, and eager to jump in on that work the moment it's available. Unfortunately, that means many others are kept waiting for the next project and opportunity. They always say "it's the kind of problem you want to have," but that doesn't mean it's not a problem.
In the meantime, we will be collecting information from potential volunteers so that we can reach out to them later, when the program reopens. However, there are still some areas of our audiobook production program where we are lacking in volunteers!
We are still on the lookout for bilingual volunteers, particularly Spanish speakers, to work on foreign language textbooks. Professional voiceover artists are still needed for some of our dramatic and performed literature titles. We also have a number of African-American focused stories in our literature queue and are looking for authentic voices to record this content. If you can help us meet these needs, then reach out to a Learning Ally staff member, or email volunteers@learningally.org
If you attended our last Volunteer Nation Live event, or if you've been keeping up with the blogs, you'll know about our plans to gradually transition our chat client over from Google Hangouts to Twist. This change has been a long time coming, and is even more necessary now as the number of volunteers in our programs has surged. Check out this video for the overview, or watch the recorded Volunteer Nation Live event for more background on why we chose Twist. We look forward to seeing (and chatting with) you there!