Dragon Accessibility Solutions

Accessibility Solutions

Dragon NaturallySpeaking Home

Dragon NaturallySpeaking 11 Home provides a whole new way to interact with a PC - using speech instead of a keyboard and mouse. Just say words and they appear on the computer screen - three times faster than typing - with no typos! Tell your PC what to do and it obeys your commands. Dragon understands what users say and how they say it. Use your voice to dictate and format documents; surf and search the web; send email and instant messages to family, friends and colleagues, update Facebook, Twitter - and so much more!

 Dragon NaturallySpeaking Premium

Dragon NaturallySpeaking 11 Premium provides a whole new way to interact with a PC - using speech instead of a keyboard and mouse - to help you work faster and more efficiently. Dragon turns ideas into text at the speed of thought so you can communicate more freely and persuasively. Get more done faster. Dictate, edit and format documents; create spreadsheets and presentations; search the Web or desktop; send email and instant messages; create appointments and schedules; use a digital voice recorder to capture notes for later transcription at your PC. Dragon 11 Premium includes everything users need to get started, including a high-quality headset. 

 Dragon Dictate for Mac

With Dragon Dictate for Mac, accomplish more than you ever imagined possible. Input text just by speaking - up to three times faster than typing - and interact with your favorite Mac applications using only your voice. With Dragon Dictate you can produce reports, email, articles, books, research notes, online content, and more - quickly and easily, and accurately. You'll get more done faster and with less stress and more success - at home, at work, or wherever life takes you. Dragon Dictate provides amazing accuracy and requires just minutes of training to get started. It's Simply Smarter Speech Recognition.

Dragon NaturallySpeaking Professional

Dragon NaturallySpeaking 11 Professional is enterprise-ready speech recognition software that lets users interact with their PC by voice. Three times faster than typing, with Dragon Professional you will drive productivity and savings. Use windows applications to create documents, send email, search the Web, and more - just by talking. Customize the vocabulary and commands to reflect terminology and workflow. Create macros to automate business processes. Even use Dragon with a digital voice recorder, anywhere, anytime, and automatically transcribe the text when you connect to your PC.

Learning Disabilities

A proven assistive technology solution for learning disabilities, such as Dyslexia

Dragon speech recognition has been recommended by thousands of educators as an assistive technology for computers. For the students and adults with dyslexia and other learning disabilities who rely on Dragon to turn their thoughts into written words, Dragon is actually an assistive technology for communication. Dragon generates new confidence – and excitement for learning -- among students who were previously frustrated by written assignments and unable to demonstrate their true potential.

Stop Typing, Start Talking
Homework and written assignments can be a frustrating and time-consuming task for students with learning disabilities and their parents. A student that can communicate eloquently verbally may not be able to translate that content to writing based on the mechanical challenges associated with typing and spelling. But Dragon understands what you say and how you say it. Simply speak words and they appear on the screen -- with no typos. Dragon also reads back your transcribed text to you and can read aloud other text such as homework instructions or incoming email.

Express Yourself
Transform ideas into text at the speed of thought; don’t let typing or spelling slow you down. Convert your thoughts into words just by talking, it’s that simple!

Say It, Do It
Tell your PC what to do, such as “Search Google for Helen Keller,” and it does it. Dragon understands and obeys your voice commands. It even gets to know you better over time so recognition accuracy keeps increasing.

Use Your Favorite Applications
Use Dragon with your favorite applications to dictate reports, send email, surf the Web, update Facebook, and more -- using just your voice.
 

Physical Disabilities

Accessibility solutions for individuals with physical challenges, such as carpal tunnel

Many people with carpal tunnel or other RSI challenges turn to Dragon speech recognition to reduce the number of keystrokes and mouse clicks needed to create documents or manage computer applications. Controlling a computer by voice – for everything from sending an email to surfing the web -- is an ideal assistive technology for those who are disabled or who simply have difficulty completing daily computer tasks without pain or frustration.

Hands-Free Computer Use
Adding Dragon speech recognition capabilities to a Mac or PC enables users to work virtually hands free when creating docu­ments, accessing data, or navigating their desktop. Dragon provides a more efficient way to control a computer that is less physically and cognitively taxing than other alternative input methods.

Reduce Mouse Clicks and Keyboard Strokes
For users who suffer from arthritis or carpal tunnel syndrome, Dragon will change the way they interact with the computer, enabling them to be fully productive without aggravating their condition. A writer that types 40 words per minute presses 12,000 keys per hour or 96,000 keys per 8-hour day. Every key press can be extremely painful, leading many to abbreviate their correspondence or abandon efforts to use the computer altogether. Dragon users simply dictate text at speeds of up to 160 words per minute, eliminating the need to touch the keyboard at all! Talking instead of typing also helps computer users work in more natural and varied positions (and even standing or stretching while they dictate) instead of being hunched over a keyboard.

Say It, Do It
Tell your PC what to do, such as “Search Google for Helen Keller,” and it does it. Dragon understands and obeys your voice commands. It even gets to know you better over time so recognition accuracy keeps increasing.

Testimonials

Zach Pierson
I guess my story with Dragon began  when I was in second grade and was diagnosed with both dyslexia and dysgraphia.  Many people are familiar with dyslexia, a learning disability which makes it  difficult for an individual to decode written language; however, few people are  familiar with dysgraphia. Dysgraphia is a learning disability that impacts an  individual's ability to produce written language; for example, spelling,  handwriting, and overall ability to produce the written word. I struggled  throughout elementary school trying to express myself and all of the wonderful  ideas and stories that I have in my head. My learning disabilities made it  extremely difficult for me to succeed; subsequently, I began to think of myself  as “stupid.”  I was first introduced to Dragon in middle school; at that time I was using  Dragon NaturallySpeaking for Teens. Your program helped me express myself in a  way I had never before been able to accomplish. For the first time the ideas  and words I had in my head were able to appear on the screen before me. No more would I have to deal with the botched translation between my head and  hand. I continued to use Dragon throughout high school, and due in no small  part to the accommodation Dragon provided me I was able to transition out of  the special education program. Moreover, I graduated from high school in the  top 10% of my class. Since then I have gone on to college where I once again  relied heavily upon Dragon in my writing intensive liberal arts education. I graduated  from college cum laude, due in no small part to the aid I was afforded through  Dragon … I am truly not being dramatic when I say that without your program my life  would look very different. My high school career would have been an  extreme challenge and I may not have developed the belief I now have in my  ability to be successful. Instead, thanks to Dragon, I have discovered an  ability to break down concepts and teach them in a way that makes learning fun  and exciting. Thank you to all of the wonderful and truly talented people at  Nuance for creating a program that would provide me with the gift of language  and communication; it has changed my life forever.

Yosef Bender
My entire childhood and part of my adult life was plagued with the fact that I was severely dyslexic, so much so, that spelling a three letter word would be a cumbersome task. I had to write with simple childlike words, which was continually frustrating and embarrassing to me. This greatly limited my ability to impact the world, and usually relegated me to jobs and positions that did not allow any growth opportunities. Verbally I was eloquent, articulate and able to hold a conversation on numerous subjects with very educated individuals but when it came time to write a simple report I looked shockingly illiterate. This enormous handicap of not being able to write, incarcerated me in mediocrity as I trudged along through life, less than who I was. Then one day a friend told me about  a program called Dragon, a software  that could actually translate your voice into words on the screen. In the early days of Dragon you had to speak one word at a time and pause between words. The program cost thousands of dollars, and its recognition was about 70% accurate if you were in  a very, very  quiet room. But even with version 1 and all of its drawbacks, my life was forever changed! I was now able to speak my thoughts into words, and those words gave life and power to business plans, worked their way into articles  for national publications,  and thousands of other opportunities unavailable to me before Dragon.

Tom Oim
Dragon Naturally Speaking has allowed me to do things that were very difficult before. My communication skills are very good, my reading skills are not so good. As for spelling I’m lucky I can spell my own name. I have dyslexia that has made it very difficult in certain situations. I'm in sales, and I could do most of my job, face-to-face or over the telephone but now everyone wants to e-mail, which means now I need to communicate with people and sound somewhat intelligent. Which is very difficult when having to check the spelling of every word in the dictionary I am involved in a new venture of buying and selling houses, which means communicating with bankers, lawyers and real estate agents with most of it being done by e-mail. I might not have done this before but now Dragon Naturally Speaking is allowing me to do this and other things that weren't possible before.

M. Montehue
Dragon has turned my world around. I quit high school early because I couldn’t process  information; I had trouble reading and focusing. As an adult, I was diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia. Thanks to Dragon, I was able to  graduate university with a BA in communications. I couldn’t have done it without Dragon. Dragon allowed me to translate my  thoughts into words for assignments. If I had to physically type or write the thoughts, my thoughts would be  lost because my hands can’t keep up with my mind. Dragon not only keeps up with my thoughts, but reads them  back to me. I even used Dragon to  read class readings to me. I was introduced to Dragon in 1997 and have used it  ever since. The improvements in it  over those years have been remarkable. I now use MacSpeech Dictate (I was using  Dragon Professional but switched to a Mac) to read and write e-mails, notes, and  written documents. It has made me  independent and lets me enjoy the Internet in ways I wouldn’t be able to  without it.

Don Oliver

Don has had multiple sclerosis for 40 years and is wheel chair bound. He relies on Dragon NaturallySpeaking as an assistive technology which allows him to use his voice to communicate and use his computer in his daily life.Hear More

Paul Natsch
I am a C4–C5 quadriplegic with limited use of my arms and no use of my hands and fingers. So typing on a physical keyboard is basically impossible for me unless I use a mouthstick, which is extremely cumbersome. When on-screen keyboards appeared, like the excellent KeyStrokes, that changed things dramatically for me. But it was still slow compared to typing on a physical keyboard with two working hands. Then came along Dragon Dictate for the Mac and IOS and any remaining barriers disappeared. It was literally like I had been wearing handcuffs and they had been removed. Now I can type as fast or faster than any able -bodied person. This has resulted in me responding to emails more, instant–messaging with friends more, playing online games more, and just writing in general more. In fact, because of Dragon Dictate for the Mac I started to regularly contribute articles to websites like assistivegaming.com and ATMac.org. And the IOS version (for both the iPhone and iPad) has extended this independence even further because now I can “put my thoughts on paper” no matter where I am as easily as anybody else. So as far as the Internet goes I literally went from being the “quiet kid in the corner” to somebody that just won't shut up! And since Dragon Dictate for the Mac is so versatile I've been able to find, or even create on my own, AppleScripts that do things such as initiate Skype phone calls on my iMac entirely by voice. My head–operated mouse only allows me to perform left–clicks so when I'm in full-screen applications that require right–clicks and middle–clicks, and don't allow me to use my on-screen keyboard, Dragon Dictate for the Mac’s “Command” mode comes to the rescue and allows me to perform these types of mouse clicks all by voice!

Todd Alwood
I am a 36-year-old C-5 quadriplegic.  At the age of 30, I had been a corrections deputy at the Isabella County Sheriff's Department in Mount Pleasant, Michigan for 6 years.  Not only that, but I had a welding shop at home, a massage service and was a bull rider in 2 different professional associations.  I had taught myself how to type with correct hand positions shortly after hiring into the Sheriff's Department.  I had never heard of, nor had a need for Dragon NaturallySpeaking at that time.  It was on September 9, 2005 that I broke my neck during a rodeo accident while riding bulls.   I went to jump off from the bull after the 8 second buzzer had gone off, but my hand hung up in the rope.  I ended up getting jerked down head 1st on the side opposite I was attempting to dismount on.  I fractured and dislocated 3 vertebrae in my neck along with fracturing my right shoulder blade.  I spent  3 months at Mary Free Bed after my surgery at Butterworth in Grand Rapids.    My paralysis has left me with the inability to move my fingers, so I have to either use a pointer that straps onto my hand or the knuckle of my pinky finger to type one letter at a time.  In order to use the mouse pad on my laptop, I must use the knuckle of my pinky finger.  A friend of mine told me about Dragon NaturallySpeaking and how easy it was to set up and get started.  I started with version 9 and am now using version 11 premium.  DNS allows me to compose e-mails, stories and chat online much faster than I could by hand.  It also saves on the fatigue and soreness I would get in my arm and shoulder.  Many hours of my day are spent on the computer, and DNS has been the best equipment I've purchased for my computer.  I use it every day, and I dread the thought of being without it.  I know of 2 different doctor's offices that use the medical version of DNS.  I would recommend it to anyone, whether or not they are disabled.      

Darrin Umbarger
I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at the age of 23 in 1988. After my left side had shut down and I could not use my left hand to type or anything else, I spent seven years in my house not wanting to leave it. After seven years of cabin fever, I talked with somebody from vocational rehabilitation. They said that I could get out and work with the right wheelchair and with the right technology. That's when I became acquainted with Dragon 9, and it got me starting to work for a disability resource Center, doing reports. Now I am CEO Of Clearview Mediation and Disability Resource Center, and we help people with disabilities get back to employment. I teach Dragon NaturallySpeaking 11 to a lot of people because of how it changed my life. I also do disability etiquette trainings and let people know that they do not have to sit at home anymore, with the right technology, people with disabilities can do whatever they want!  PS, I still do not like to do reports, but I can.

L. Datta
I am a classically trained pianist and an attorney. In 1999, I developed tendinitis in both arms after returning to playing the piano after a gap of many months. This affected my ability to use the computer. At the time, I was a captain in the Air Force and worked in the legal office. I spent many hours on the computer writing memos, e-mails etc. It was impossible to do my job without using the computer. My tendinitis deteriorated to the point that I was reporting to work with my arms bandaged in moderate pain and by the end of the day I was in excruciating pain. I was becoming more and more disabled and I realized that I could not continue to work in this condition.  I had heard somewhere about verbal dictation software. Dragon NaturallySpeaking came up on a quick search on the Internet and I realized that this could be the answer to my problems. I requested that the software be provided for me and I was amazed at the accuracy. But most amazing of all, I was able to use a computer and do my job without being in pain.     I continue to use Dragon NaturallySpeaking at work and at home whenever I am on the computer. Honestly, I don't know if I could've continued working without your software. Dragon has saved me from a lifetime of pain and disability and allowed me to continue to be engaged in my profession (and to surf the Internet to accomplish the innumerable tasks that are done on the computer in this day and age).  

Case Studies

Gregory Robinson
Gregory Robinson struggled in school until he started using Dragon. Now he lets his voice lead his thoughts. Gregory recently sat down with Peter Mahoney, senior vice president and general manager of Dragon, and Gene Lavancy of Fox News, Boston, to discuss the benefits of this assistive technology.  Click here to watch the complete interview. For more details on how Dragon has assisted Gregory in school, click here

CJ Wallace

CJ Wallace is a fifth grade student with dyslexia. Before he began using Dragon, it was difficult to keep up with his peers in class. Watch this video to hear CJ explain how Dragon made it easier to capture his thoughts and ideas -- without having to type.Click here to watch video

 Donna Wallace

Donna Wallace is the mother of three children, including a fifth grade student with dyslexia. Donna explains how Dragon helped to reduce her son's anxiety and frustration surrounding homework and essays. She worked with school staff to incorporate Dragon into her son's IEP, enabling him to work independently without a scribe to meet his full potential in the classroom. Click here to watch video 

Tackling Disability Head-On with Dragon Dictate
"It was literally like I had been wearing handcuffs and they had been removed," says quadriplegic Paul Natsch of his first experience with Dragon Dictate. "Now I can type as fast as or faster than any able-bodied person ... It makes me feel like I can do anything now." Read More

 Dragon Helps Achieve Academic Success
Arizona State University senior Benjamin Snow hasn't let cerebral palsy impact his academic success. Snow and his father describe Dragon speech recognition as a dramatically life-changing assistive technology for students. "Dragon helps me dictate more concrete thoughts, and I'm able to get my work done faster and more efficiently," he explains. "Dragon also lets me focus more on the content of my writing instead of constantly looking at the keyboard." Read More

Fulfilling Career Dreams
When Dr. Glen House broke his neck and injured his spinal cord while skiing, he didn't let the accident prevent him from fulfilling his dream of a medical career. He uses MacSpeech Dictate Medical to dictate clinical notes. "It keeps costs down because I don't need a medical transcriptionist, which is 10-12 cents a line and really adds up fast," he explains. "I easily dictate 10-12 pages of notes per day, at a minimum, and it can be as much as 50 pages a day sometimes." Read More

Landmark College
Landmark College incorporates highly accessible educational approaches to empower learning disabled students to master skills and strategies for success in mainstream settings. To that end, the school strives to integrate assistive technology into the learning process wherever possible. Using Dragon, Landmark College students have been able to achieve greater independence in their schoolwork; express themselves in writing with enhanced ease and fluency; and make marked progress in spelling, reading and writing. Read More

Liberated Learning Consortium Announcement

Nuance Communications has joined the Liberated Learning Consortium, (LLC), an international group of technology providers, colleges and universities working to advance information accessibility in higher education through the use of speech recognition technology. The Consortium was formed to support the diverse higher-education learning needs of people with disabilities by improving access to class lectures. Consortium partners - which include IBM, Nuance, Saint Mary's University (Canada), Purdue University, University of Massachusetts Boston, Macquarie University (Australia) , University of Southampton (UK) - research and develop platforms for speech recognition-based captioning and transcription of education media in support of the LLC mission. Read More