ABOUT

THE BENETECH INITIATIVE

Route 66 Literacy is an online instructional literacy program for adolescent and adult beginning readers. Based on research-proven pedagogical methods, Route 66 Literacy pairs beginning readers side-by-side with teacher-tutors who guide the reading and writing activities on the computer. Route 66 Literacy is part of the Benetech Global Literacy Program that seeks to overcome the numerous challenges people have in gaining access to information critical to their lives. Also included in the program are Bookshare and the DIAGRAM Center. For more information, visit www.route66literacy.org.

CAST

Founded in 1984, CAST is a not-for-profit, educational research and development organization whose mission is to expand opportunities for all individuals, especially those with disabilities and at-risk learners, through innovative uses of technology and Universal Design for Learning (UDL). As a pioneer and a leader in the growing field of UDL, CAST has earned international recognition for its innovative contributions to educational products, classroom practices, and policies. UDL is an educational innovation that fundamentally shifts the view of education and learning. Through a UDL lens, learners are not seen as broken or as a problem to be fixed, rather the educational system itself is recognized as creating barriers for learning. UDL is a framework that is based on the idea that there is great variability among learners in today’s classrooms and that each student learns in a unique manner. UDL focuses on the design of the educational environment, including the materials and teaching methods, so that it is flexible and responsive to learner variability and does not require after-market-fix-up or remediation. UDL provides design guidance for flexibility in how learners are engaged and motivated to learn, how information is represented, and how learners approach a task and express what they know. UDL leverages advances in the learning sciences and in multimedia technologies to provide rich, diverse, student-centered learning pathways for all. For more information, visit www.cast.org.

THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR LEARNING DISABILITIES (NCLD)

NCLD is committed to improving the lives of all people with learning difficulties and disabilities by empowering parents, enabling young adults, transforming schools, and creating policy and advocacy impact. We envision a society in which every individual possesses the academic, social and emotional skills needed to succeed in school, at work and in life. For further details, please visit www.ncld.org.

ORCA BOOK PUBLISHERS

Orca is a publisher of high quality, award-winning books for children and teens and reluctant readers of all ages. From beautifully illustrated picturebooks through captivating juvenile fiction and compelling novels for teen readers to professionally-written teachers’ guides Orca is dedicated to bringing the best possible books to young readers.

Always looking ahead, Orca Book Publishers is continually changing and growing, finding ways to make our content available as widely as possible. With a changing industry and rapidly shifting world, we see opportunity and potential wherever we look. Moving beyond the printed page, the audience for the quality fiction and nonfiction we publish continues to grow and expand as the means to reach readers multiply and as reading and literacy are more important now than ever before. www.orcabook.com.

We publish a number of series for reluctant or striving readers including Orca Soundings, Orca Currents, Orca Sports and Rapid Reads. Our website includes teachers guides, resource material, classroom activities and information of reading levels and reading programs.

JABICO ENTERPRISES

Founded in 2000, Jabico Enterprises is a pioneer and world leader in software and services that protect critical online resources and provide clients with scalable intranet, internet, and mobile software applications. Jabico Enterprises is headquartered in Santa Cruz, CA although our operating territory covers most of the United States and several other countries. Jabico started as a software development company with an eye on network infrastructure and security. Leveraging these core skills, we developed a unique offering, including intranet architecture development, internet site development, web service integration, information security consulting and services, network architecture consulting and services, and an overall one stop solution allowing small and medium sized clients to seamlessly integrate all core technology needs under one roof. Jabico serves a wide variety of industries, including automotive, science, construction, educational, retail, semiconductor, and non-profit. Our expertise centers on developing scalable and secure software that runs on any connected device for established companies and start-ups alike. For more information, visit www.jabico.com.