To be eligible for membership, a person must have a documented print disability, such as a learning disability, visual impairment or other physical disability. If you think you or your child might have a print disability and may benefit from the services of Learning Ally, you need to have certification of the disability.
If you have any questions about certification, please call Learning Ally's Member Services at 800-635-1403.
How Does One Obtain Certification?
A qualified professional in the field of disability services, special education, medicine or psychology must attest to the physical basis of the visual, perceptual or other physical disability that limits the applicant's use of standard print.
Who is a Certifier?
Appropriate certifying experts may differ from disability to disability. The following lists examples of professionals who are qualified to certify a Learning Ally applicant. It is in no way a comprehensive list. If you have any questions about who is a qualified certifying professional, please call Learning Ally's Member Services at 800-221-4792.
| Disability |
Will I Qualify? |
Who Can Certify? |
- Documented learning disability
- Reading disorder
- Dyslexia
|
Yes |
- Special educator
- Psychologist
- Psychiatrist
- Neurologist
- Disability Services counselor (school or university)
- Voc. rehab counselor
- Family Doctor
- Verification of NLS or BookShare membership
|
- Visual impairment
- Blind
- Low vision
|
Yes |
- Vision teacher
- Special educator
- Ophthalmologist
- Optometrist
- Family doctor
- Voc. rehab counselor
- Disability Services counselor (school or university)
- Verification of NLS or BookShare membership
|
|
|
Yes (if this impedes your ability to process print or manipulate a book) |
- Family doctor
- Special educator
- Voc. rehab counselor
- Physical or occupational therapist
- Disability Services counselor (school or university)
- Verification of NLS or BookShare membership
|
What may NOT qualify?
- Autism spectrum disorders
- ADD, ADHD
- Developmental disability
- Hearing impairment
- ESL
Learning Ally services are limited to individuals with documented learning disabilities, vision impairment, or physical disabilities that impede the ability to process standard print.
If the diagnostician can verify that you have an accompanying qualified disability, we can certainly reconsider.
Bookshare or NLS Users?
Individuals, who are members of Bookshare or readers of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS), have already submitted qualified disability certification information to these agencies under the regulations of U.S. Copyright law (17 USCS § 106). Individuals only need to obtain qualified disability certification once. Learning Ally works with both organizations, who will confirm whether an applicant has already been certified by a competent authority with a visual, perceptual or other physical disability that limits the applicant's use of standard print.
Bookshare Membership:
On your application or online, you can indicate that you are a Bookshare member. Learning Ally will confirm with Bookshare that you are a Bookshare member and certified with a print disability.
Copyright
Learning Ally audiobooks are protected under copyright law. Copying, sharing or distributing them in any form to any person is strictly prohibited by law and is a violation of publishers' rights and of the terms of Learning Ally membership.
Individual and Institutional members must sign a new copyright acknowledgement each year at renewal.