Wednesday 17th May 2017 11:00 – 12:00 Demonstration and Q&A with Ms. Nicola James, Chartered Occ. Psych. and CEO of Lexxic Ltd.
Introducing
Win With Dyslexia
Join us for a Free Live Webinar hosted by iansyst
We’re pleased to announce a new suite of e-learning courses, designed for dyslexics and available on dyslexic.com.
The new courses focus on teaching strategies for dyslexics and on developing skillsets with the aim of helping users to achieve goals in work, education and at home. Developed by Lexxic experts, these courses offer a training resource with a new level of support and expanded topics.
The courses follow a new approach, introducing the stories of dyslexic people in everyday situations as they take you on a journey of skillset development.
Read more about our e-learning courses here: www.dyslexic.com/product-category/training/
In celebration of the launch of these fantastic e-learning courses, we’re running a #WinWithDyslexia competition with some amazing prizes up for grabs!
The winner with the best story will receive a swanky iPad as well as access to the new e-learning courses. We will also be choosing 3 too-close-to-call runners-up stories and they’ll also get access to the iLexxic courses.
We’re asking dyslexics to share with us their inspirational stories of overcoming challenges. Nicola James, Founder of Lexxic, shared her personal story with us as an example:
“My name is Nicola James. My story and the story of Lexxic begins a few years ago with me struggling to deal with the challenges of my own dyslexia. My dyslexia was picked up quite late. I was already at college and I was questioning very much my abilities, doubting myself and feeling uncertain about the future.
My diagnosis was a turning point. It meant I could understand better the difficulties I’d been experiencing and it meant I could get the support I really needed. I didn’t realise at the time but it set my life on a different course. The support I received was so helpful to me in my work and studies. I decided to dedicate my career to helping other people like myself so that they could also overcome their difficulties and have successful careers and more fulfilling lives.
I gained my qualifications in psychology and I set up my own company for this purpose. We began by doing assessments and offering support for people with conditions like dyslexia. And now, a few years on we’re growing and thriving and we’re launching iLexxic, an exciting new online training resource.”
If you’ve got a motivational story that you’d like to share with others, let us know in the form on our competition page. We’re not looking for an essay, simply 200 words outlining your story. We recommend thinking about your journey and letting us know:
• The challenges
• How you faced difficulties or doubts
• Your successes and new possibilities
Enter online here:
This week, we were invited to enjoy the sublime Speaker’s House in the Palace of Westminster for the celebration of The All Party Parliamentary Group for Assistive Technology (APPGAT) launch.
The All-Party Parliamentary Group for Assistive Technology has been set up to disseminate knowledge, generate debate and facilitate engagement on assistive technology amongst Members of both Houses of Parliament.
Guests were welcomed by the current Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow MP at this important event. Bercow discussed his major review of services for children and young people with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) and his report (The Bercow Report), published in 2008. The newest review (Bercow: Ten Years On) is being researched by I CAN and the Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists (RCSLT).
Seema Malhotra MP, the nominated Chair for the APPGAT continued the welcome and highlighted the opportunities to the UK economy as a result of new disability employment, discussing the need to close the employment gap and create greater access in society as well as in the workplace.
There was an aspirational video, showcasing the benefits of assistive technology and a speech by Hannah Rose, a young assistive technology user, who highlighted the life changing importance of assistive technologies.
Lord Holmes of Richmond MBE, Britain’s celebrated Paralympic swimmer, followed on to discuss the empowering nature of assistive technologies in his journey through life. There are millions of similar examples of how assistive tech is transformational, he continued, not as a solution but as an enabler alongside everything else.
Leonard Cheshire spoke next and reflected on the extraordinary attitudinal changes to disability over the last 25 years and highlighted that there still remains a significant and unnecessary employment gap between disabled and non-disabled people.
The APPG AT will occupy an important space in the dialogue about employment and disability policy, more so now given the rapid pace of technological change. The first workstream for the APPG AT will be focused around addressing the disability employment gap. This is not only good for individuals but for the workforce as a whole.
Finally Becky Foreman, the UK Corporate Affairs Director for Microsoft (event sponsors) concluded the talks with a short speech on Microsoft’s mission to empower every human being and every organisation on the planet to achieve more.
Find out what happens at The All Party Parliamentary Group for Assistive Technology via its website and on Twitter (@AT_APPG) – follow the hash tag #AT_APPG.
This week, Claro Software are pushing out a minor update to their text-to-speech software, ClaroRead. It is a point update with some simple improvements to make servicing the software easier, to extend speech, and make a lot of small technical improvements.
The update to version 7.1 includes a range of new features and technical changes to ClaroRead. A scan-from-screen tool has been integrated into ClaroRead Standard. This was a feature that was previously limited to Plus and Pro, and allows you to scan an inaccessible part of a webpage or document and paste the text into another application. The text can then be read aloud by pressing the play button on the toolbar. This feature can be quickly launched using the key combination Ctrl + Shift + S. The update also allows you to install up to eighty additional voices covering 30 languages via the Claro Voice Setup program.
A wide range of technical changes and fixes have been made in this update. Details of this can be found on the Version 7.1 Release Notes web page.
To update to version 7.1, you will need to login at ClaroRead Cloud. From there you will be able to update your software to the new version.
For any more information about the minor update that has been released, please comment below.
We’re really excited to let you know that the RNIB have added ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: Parts One and Two’ to the RNIB Library in both Braille and Giant Print. It’s a great milestone for people with sight loss as it will allow them to read the latest Harry Potter story at that same time as everyone else. RNIB have also announced that they will be releasing a Talking Book version very soon. You can find out more about the accessible editions of ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: Parts One and Two’ by following this link to the RNIB website.
Another publisher has also announced that they will be publishing a dyslexia-friendly edition of the book in September. This will be published using specialist fonts and paper based on research from the British Dyslexia Association and University of South Wales.
To find out more about ordering your accessible copy of ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: Parts One and Two’, please follow this link to read the full story on The Bookseller.
As we come closer to August, we here at dyslexic.com wanted to take a look at the latest assistive technology products which have been released this month. New additions for August updates to Spellex Dictation Gold and Ghotit Real Writer & Reader software. This month’s blog is a good one as we will take a look at the newest technology which will be available for teachers and students to use in the new school term.
As always, we encourage you to sign up to our newsletter to ensure you don’t miss next month’s item. Please follow this link to sign up to the dyslexic.com newsletter. Plus, when you sign up you will receive a 10% off coupon code to use on dyslexic.com!
This month, Ghotit released a brand new version of Ghotit Real Writer & Reader which has some new and exciting features that have been added in. The software includes patented technology to help people with dyslexia and dysgraphia to overcome many of the common issues faced whilst writing text. New features include the integration of a context-sensitive and phonetic spell checker, speech feedback, reading assistance with dual highlighting and a screenshot reader to read aloud any text from images and inaccessible documents.
This month, Spellex released an update to their vocabulary software, Spellex Dictation Gold. The software works with speech recognition programs such as Dragon NaturallySpeaking or Microsoft, and provides specialised vocabularies for subjects such as medicine, law, veterinary medicine and bioscientific/engineering. Please contact us by emailing ecommerce@dyslexic.com if you would like to upgrade your software to the latest version.
New features include an enhanced dictionary and spellchecker which features complex terminology. This allows you to dictate your ideas without errors or disruption. It has also integrated the ‘Spellex Suite’ which gives quick definitions for over 550,000 words, human voice word pronunciations and a handy thesaurus to help improve writing. The final new feature added to Spellex Dictation Gold is the inclusion of DysLex™ font, a dyslexia friendly font, which helps to reduce jumbling letters and eases frustration when reading.
CapturaTalkThis month, iansyst have released a brand new update to the literacy support and accessibility app, CapturaTalk. This update has integrated lots of new and improved features. For current users of CapturaTalk, your app will automatically update via the App Store. If you are not a current user, you can download CapturaTalk by following this link to the App Store or Google Play.
CapturaTalk is an app for iOS and Android devices which allows you to transform your smartphone or tablet into a truly accessible device and access content independently in a way that suits you. It’s a great app for those with dyslexia or visual impairments as it includes features such as text-to-speech technology, optical character recognition technology and personalisation features such as tinted overlays.
Windows have also released an impressive accessibility update this month to celebrate Windows 10 reaching its 1st Birthday. The update aims to make Windows 10 more accessible to support the 1 billion+ disabled users across the globe. Improvements have been made to the screen reading feature, apps such as Cortana and Microsoft Edge have been made more accessible, and tools have been introduced to make accessibility easier for developers. The Windows 10 Anniversary Update is scheduled to be rolled out to users on 2nd August. Please follow this link to find out more about the Windows 10 Anniversary Update.
This month, we have launched Ghotit Real Writer & Reader 5 on dyslexic.com – a brand new version of the reading and writing software which supports individuals with dyslexia, dysgraphia and other learning disabilities. If you would like to find out more about the software and how it could help you, please comment on our blog below!
Ghotit Real Writer and Reader is assistive technology software that helps people overcome many of the common issues that are faced whilst writing text. It includes patented technology which provides the most appropriate corrections for spelling, grammar and punctuation mistakes by looking at the intended meaning of the piece of text.
The brand new version of Ghotit Real Writer and Reader brings a wealth of new features to help those with dyslexia to read and write:
The software is a great tool for those with dyslexia as it tackles many of the common problems that they may face whilst writing. This includes difficulties with reading, writing, spelling, proofing and accessing documents in different formats.
You can purchase the new software online by following this link to Ghotit Real Writer and Reader 5 on dyslexic.com.
Switches offer an alternative way of controlling a computer. The Jelly Bean Twist offers a 65mm activation surface with tactile and auditory feedback and interchangeable red, yellow, green and blue switch tops. The Jelly Bean Twist offers the original Jelly Bean’s 6.35 cm (2.5-inch) activation surface with tactile and auditory feedback, but with a twist. Your style can change, so should your switch. Now, you can change the colour of your switch top based on visibility, mood, style, or even social setting. It’s all up to your own style, tastes, or specific vision.
The Jelly Bean Twist switches come with switch tops included.
People who find it difficult to access the keyboard and the mouse can use a single switch or a combination of switches instead. Switches can help people with a variety of different physical disabilities, from mild conditions like RSI to complete paralysis. They are also suitable for people with severe learning difficulties as they are a simple, understandable method of accessing a computer.
All AbleNet switches are designed to provide tactile and audible feedback to the user, activate no matter where they are pressed, they are also equipped with a 2m cord using 3.5mm monoplug which is all supplied with a life time warranty. The diameter for each switch is 6.35cm and the pressure needed to activate the switch is 56.7g making it easy for a child or adult to use.
Follow this link to find out more about the Jelly Bean Twist Switch.
The Monster 2 Keyboard is ideal for young children and is the perfect entry into computing. Made in 2011 at a Weight of 1.0000g this device features large, oversized keys grouped in different colours, which helps alleviate the eye strain associated with using a computer keyboard. There is also a high-visibility model, with large black legends against a bright yellow background, and a high-contrast model with large black legends on a high-contrast white background.
The Monster 2 Keyboard from Accuratus is designed specifically for children who are just starting to use computers and keyboards and it aims to help assist learning, with having an easy to remember colour-coordination system. With large key caps the Accuratus Monster 2 is also ideal for users who suffer from MS (Multiple sclerosis) and Parkinson’s disease. The Keyboard is also spill resistant which makes is perfect for people that find they are prone to the occasional spill. Plug and Play technology means that you can simply start typing straight away without any difficult and time consuming installation process.
There are many different features of the Monster 2 Keyboard, for example the USB interface, Large 1 inch square keys at 24mm. The device has two port USB 2.0 in the rear, a detachable wrist pad for comfortable typing and is the same size as a normal conventional keyboard. Within the design itself the Monster 2 Keyboard has spill holes in the base of the keyboard so that any small spillages can escape without any damage to key keyboard itself. The dimensions of this product are 465 x 180 x 27mm (L x W x H) being a starter keyboard it is rather light (770g) and has a cable length of 1.5M.
Find out more by following this link to the Monster 2 Keyboard on Dyslexic.com.
Assistive technology is a broad term to describe assistive, adaptive and rehabilitative software, hardware and apps to support people with disabilities such as dyslexia, dyscalculia and much more. Each month, we take a look at the latest assistive technology that has been released and sum this up in a bite size blog on dyslexic.com. We are very excited about this month’s latest assistive technology as the new Dyscalculia Screener launches, as well as updates released for the Sonocent Recorder app.
This summer, iansyst and Loughborough University will be launching a new and refreshed version of the Dyscalculia Screener. It was originally launched in the early 2000’s and was the first web-based screener for dyscalculia. The screener has been designed to screen both large groups and individuals who are struggling with maths. It features a series of mathematical questions that have been developed through extensive research. The screening process generally takes less than an hour to complete and gives an indication as to whether the individual is ‘at risk’ of dyscalculia.
The Dyscalculia Screener is launching in summer 2016 and can be purchased as a single or multi-user licence. It will be available to purchase after the launch by following this link to the Dyscalculia Screener website >> www.dyscalculia-screener.co.uk
Sonocent Recorder is a smart note-taking app which has been designed for use with Sonocent Audio Notetaker. The app was originally launched back in 2014 and allows you to create comprehensive recordings of lessons, meetings or interviews on your smartphone or tablet. It is primarily designed to support those with dyslexia, however the productivity benefits of the app means that it can be beneficial to anyone in a meeting environment. This month we have seen some exciting new features added to the app. Existing users of Sonocent Recorder will receive a notification about the updates from their mobile device. If you are not a current user, Sonocent Recorder is free to download on the App Store or Google Play.
New features include noise cancellation on audio, the ability to add your own coloured keys for audio highlighting, ‘glance mode’ to record and highlight discreetly, and the ability to browse and upload photos to your file even when not recording. The app also includes an in-app upgrade which allows you to listen back to full recordings and add colour highlighting audio chunks and sections on review.
Texthelp Read&Write is a popular piece of literacy support software which helps those with dyslexia with reading and writing. Read&Write is a simple and easy-to-use toolbar which provides speech feedback, phonetic spellchecking and many other literacy support tools. The software has recently moved to a new version (version 11.5) which contains brand new features which have fully optimised the software to benefit the user even further.
Read & Write Gold 11.5 has had a redesign of the product logo and toolbar icons which makes the software much easier to navigate. The Vocabulary feature has been introduced to create word lists associated with particular words, for example, volcano, lava and erupt. Other features have been enhanced within the software. The phonetic spell checker now includes the use of collocation and the word prediction tool includes over 150 topic word banks.
Read&Write literacy support software can be downloaded by following this link to Texthelp Read&Write products.
Please comment below to let us know what latest assistive technology products you are excited about this month.
