Mobile technology to help the dyslexic learner

Demands on the learner are high. Students are asked to digest, present and recall information in a variety of environments throughout their learning life, usually with time pressure. The typical processing difficulties that a dyslexic student experiences make these tasks all the more challenging. And it becomes all the more vital to take maximum advantage of tools to simplify and enhance access to the written word and other resources. This article looks at a range of mobile technological aids to accessibility.

Away from base:

For most students the home is their place of private study. However they need to read the written word or listen to the spoken word in a variety of other places. What are they studying? Where are they studying? For example, most students frequently visit lecture theatres and conference halls. Those with processing difficulties will find it hard to do multiple tasks. You are asking them to listen to a large volume of information, respond and contribute to the lecture, take legible notes, all without error and without missing salient points.

Travelling to and from destinations could be lost time or it could be valuable time for the dyslexic student who needs to maximise their learning programme. If they can use technology to recall information, to capture text and to support their literacy then they can gain precious study time to match that of their peers.

Navigation, whether of an educational site, a library or road network, can all be challenging to some people with dyslexia. Clear, uncluttered signage is important with pictorial maps or a Guide to help find what they are looking for. Satellite navigation (GPS – Global Positioning System) could be a solution for those needing to travel by road as it can be set to give directions for car, bicycle or pedestrian. Within a library the best resource is the centre staff and an efficient computer system with an advanced, speaking spellchecker.

Many educational courses will require students to go on work placements or work a year in industry. Nurses, engineers or business students may need portable support. Safety and efficiency is likely be affected if the dyslexic on work placement is unable to understand posters or unable to read and deliver accurate instructions. These could be made easier with the right choice of mobile assistive technology.

All of these environments are implicitly affected by the need to organise and recall tasks, timetables and diary dates; so frequent and mobile reminders are often on the dyslexic student’s wish list.

Capturing Audio:

Students with auditory processing and/or multi-tasking difficulties need to re-examine, recall and summarise delivered speech. This may be verbal instruction, such as project tasks, or words delivered continuously throughout a lecture. Many find it difficult to recall people’s names, telephone numbers or a short sequence of messages. If the students can find a way to process and learn information then their understanding of the subject matter can be equal to that of their peers.

Recording devices have provided support and security to learners listening to speech for several years. Technology has evolved from reels and cassette tapes to digital media, such as mini-disk and, now, solid state hand-held digital recorders. Digital recorders, like the Olympus DS range, have large capacity, in-built (or expandable) memory replacing the need to label, turn-over or carry additional recording material. Plus portability is improved as they are small enough to fit in your pocket. Small, stylish devices, such as those currently provided by Olympus, have tens of hours of recording time, are easy to navigate and can upload recordings onto a computer for later use. These features supply a mobile solution to recalling, editing and revising recorded speech; your own or another person’s.

Digital recorders can record and play back compressed audio files (e.g. mp3) and podcasts but you may want to capture the visual element of a demonstration as well, such as writing a lengthy mathematical equation on the white board or constructing engineering models. In this case maybe even a camcorder with built-in microphone could be the answer.

Some students will be willing to carry a notebook computer and in principle they can record directly into the device. With Microsoft OneNote software you can insert a recording immediately next to text within an on-screen journal. However, to record directly into a portable computer needs a high performance external microphone and probably additional recording software to enhance poor sound quality. The notebook, therefore, can mean additional steps and distractions if recording on the move. If size counts, the digital recorder is ultimately more portable.

Reading text on the move:

Reading literature and other text when away from the normal study environment has always been problematic for the dyslexic student. At home, on their desktop computer, the student is likely to have a text-to-speech program, such as Read & Write or ClaroRead. These will accurately read documents and web pages assisting comprehension and proof reading. Without the same software on a portable, notebook computer the student is disadvantaged when they are away from their desk. Thankfully manufacturers have responded to the hot-desking trend (using whichever computer is available, which students have always done) and now produce their text-to-speech programs on USB memory sticks. Thus your reading aid travels with you. Plug the memory stick in and your software is fully functioning with the ability to read back any electronic text on screen. This is a great solution for those on work placement or in the library and for shared computer users, as long as a USB port is available and enabled.

Hard copy documents, such as books, journals, lecture notes and letters bring another set of difficulties. For best results the institution should supply information in alternative formats or electronically, in advance. Failing that, for instant conversion, you can use a portable scanner with a notebook computer and text-to-speech software. Slim-line, flat-bed scanners, powered from the notebook computer, are light enough to carry. Once scanned, the text is stored electronically for immediate playback or editing. For those students without a portable computer, a hand-held scanner, such as the Docupen, can store whole pages of A4 text for later transfer to a PC, if you have a steady hand.

If you only need to decode the occasional word then try a scanning pen such as the Reading Pen. Hold this over-sized pen firmly, roll the end over a word or group of words and hear the sound and, if you wish, the definition. This also needs some dexterity so is best to try first.

CapturaTalk:

As James Bond and his gadgets move on so does assistive technology. There are portable tools which have more than one function and these continue to evolve. Mobile telephones are not just for making calls: a new piece of software called CapturaTalk will operate on a Windows mobile smartphone. Using the built-in high quality camera, the phone takes a photograph of inaccessible but printed text, e.g. a poster, letter or restaurant menu, and instantly reads it back to you. There is no need to upload your photos to a computer, no need for additional text-to-speech software as CapturaTalk reads the text immediately and stores it for later use. As the software is built into a mobile telephone it is one useful tool that a student would always have to hand anyway, without adding to clutter.

Franklins:

Franklin have in recent years excelled in their production of hand-held spellcheckers and dictionaries. Students facing difficult and new vocabulary could benefit from this discreet, mobile dictionaries tool by tapping in a word they are failing to understand. Some dictionary models can read the definition back - an additional help for those with reading difficulties.

Capturing text and images away from your desk:

Note taking is the ability to capture text and images and is something a student has to do regularly. Those lucky enough to own a notebook computer have the means to type or dictate (using speech-recognition software) almost anywhere. A student with good typing skills and minor auditory processing difficulties could take effective notes in a lecture environment, with a little practice. However most dyslexic students won’t be able to manage the multi-tasking needed. Speech recognition, with Dragon NaturallySpeaking for example, is possible on a portable, notebook computer but external noise limits its use to quiet or controllable environments.

Even with the advances in speech recognition, it is still unlikely that you will be able to get any usable results from recording a lecture and feeding the results into Dragon NaturallySpeaking. The resulting sound levels are too inconsistent. Better to use a tool like Audio Notetaker to make notes from the recording afterwards. (Audio Notetaker gives a visual representation of an audio file, and provides tools to make it easy to listen, edit, add notes, categorise them and copy them to a work file.) If you really must have a verbatim copy of a lecture - which is usually a waste or time – it is usually best to re-dictate it whilst using Audio Notetaker or other good audio player to listen to it. Note in passing: it is practically always worth using a typing tutor program to improve typing skills to eliminate typing errors and speed up written work. Slow, inaccurate typing can cause as much lost time as reading or spelling difficulties.

P.D.A.s:

Notebook computers can still be large or heavy and may not be usable in some situations e.g. on a nursing ward. Small-form replacements come under the name of P.D.A.s – Personal Digital Assistants. These palm-sized devices provide the user with a screen (approximately 3.7cm corner to corner) and stylus for entering text, numbers and drawings. The art student who constantly has new ideas may sketch on the screen for later reference, or enter quick notes for later expansion or retrieval to relieve their short-term memory. You can load concept-mapping software onto these mobile assistants but the screen and text size limit a global view of your ideas.

P.D.A.s can take subject-specific dictionaries of, e.g., medical or legal terms. They can run satellite navigation mapping systems to ensure you get to your next destination without getting lost. Larger memory devices will also play back audio files to support the auditory learner. Synchronise the P.D.A. with your personal computer, via USB cable, to copy your remotely written notes without duplicating them. Share diary reminders with your P.C. to make sure you hand that work in, or get to an appointment on time. So P.D.A.s can provide effective, mobile assistance for organisation, note-taking and as a reminder for the dyslexic learner.

Smartphones:

The Smartphone combines the P.D.A. with a mobile phone – including the camera and recorder that most phones now have. So you can write notes, either by a using a stylus or slide-out keyboard, take images with its built-in camera, make drawings, listen to audio, view emails or surf the internet, in addition to making telephone calls and texting. The function of a Smartphone is broad but, like the P.D.A., the small screen, method of text entry, navigation and multi-sensory tools are still limited to the strength of its battery and processing power. Importantly though, a mobile telephone is one piece of technology that a student would be loathe to be without. So it will normally be remembered and used.

Information doesn’t always come in written form and image capture may be a requirement in study and work e.g. a picture on a wall or a 3-dimensional model. A learner could capture this image or text on camera. Digital cameras are commonly used due to their editing ability, remembering that a photo of text can usually be turned into electronic text by the use of OCR (optical character recognition) software. With the right quality device, an independent camera or one on a mobile telephone can provide an instant, portable way of capturing an image or text.

Conclusion:

Assistive technology can speed up progress through a work load, relieve literacy difficulties and give a multi-sensory approach to learning. These will all help the hard working dyslexic student. But remember that learning is not tied to the desk and mobile aids may be required. As everyday portable technology develops, the choices for assistive technology become wider, more feature rich and more convenient. Mass-market devices will not necessarily be user friendly or disability aware. But there is a welcome trend for designers to cater for the needs of people with disabilities in everyday products. With the Olympus DS range of digital recorders, for example, you can listen to the menus and distinguish the buttons by feel, as well as by sight, Good design for disability is often good design for everyone.

This is an updated version of an article by Sharron Butteriss and Ian Litterick that first appeared in The Dyslexia Handbook 2008/09 (BDA).

Adapted: 30 October 2008