News & Events

Building empathy is central to the Build a Better Book project and for creating inclusive and accessible materials. While much of the work done with the BBB network is focused on blindness and visual impairments, there are many overlaps with a wide range of other disabilities. The Iris Center at...

Build a Better Book was pleased to host a virtual conference on September 13-14, 2021! If you missed the conference, you can still view the session recordings on the BBB Virtual Conference 2021 webpage. Get inspired to start a Build a Better Book project at your library, school, or makerspace!

Join Stacey Forsyth and Kat Penzkover at the Make: Education Forum Virtual Event on September 24-25, 2021. In their presentation on Empathy Driven Engineering in School & Library Makerspaces, they will provide an overview of the Build a Better Book project and share examples of how K-12 teachers, librarians and...

BBB has received a 4-year National Science Foundation ITEST award! This funding will allow us to study, in collaboration with our partners, the influences of a longer-term, empathy-driven engineering experience on teens’ perceptions of engineering and STEM careers. It will also support the testing and improvement of student-designed products, as...

Registration is now open for the 2021 Build a Better Book Professional Development Conference! Whether you are just getting started or already a network partner, this conference is for you! This virtual conference will be held Monday, September 13 - Tuesday, September 14, 2021. All sessions will be conducted via Zoom. Participation is FREE, but registration is required. REGISTER and save your spot!

Build a Better Book is inviting new and returning partners to a virtual conference for sharing ideas and learning best practices around accessibility and universal design. Learn about tools and models for working in partnership with community members who are blind or visually impaired, teaching STEM and maker skills, and...

We want to hear from you! Would you like to share a completed BBB project, best practice, tool, or idea with the BBB Network? Submit a proposal for our upcoming BBB Virtual Conference on Tuesday, September 14, 2021. All sessions will be conducted via Zoom. Deadline for submissions is July...

Students from Yonkers Public School have been working on adding braille and other tactile features to popular children's books like the Elephant and Piggie series by Mo Willems. The books will be donated to the Lavalle School for the Blind.

Funding from a Build a Better Book small grant provided Makey Makey kits and 3D pens for John Somer's Build a Better Poem workshops with 4th grade students and Elementary Teacher candidates at the University of Indianapolis.

At the core of universal design is connection between the designer and the user. Joseph Mucci and Quinn Bello are two teens who have embraced their partnership with the St. Joseph School for the Blind in developing designs for their Hex Game, an interactive marble run game. Starting in 2019,...