ADAPT-IT NEWS
Enabling people
with special needs and disabilities to access IT
Issue
Welcome
to Issue 5. We will be dealing with the issue of dyslexia. We will demonstrate why it should not be a big problem
for anyone in the modern workplace, either from the employer or employee’s perspective.
We
would appreciate any feedback about layout etc., or suggestions for future
articles. To contact the editor or if
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1.
Dyslexia is no big issue!
2.
Adapt-IT - new products and special offers
3.
Tips
4.
Administrivia
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1. DYSLEXIA IS NO BIG ISSUE!
What is dyslexia? Ask non-dyslexics and they will probably tell you it is a problem with reading and spelling. Ask a group of dyslexics the same question and you will probably get a different, although related, answer from each person. This is because the condition manifests itself differently for each individual. Certainly for some dyslexics it is an inability to read or write at a level appropriate for their age and background. For others it manifests itself as an inability with regard to comprehension, that is, the person can read the words themselves but cannot understand what they actually mean. For some, the background colour on which the words are printed may affect their ability to read and for others their ability to plan and coordinate basic tasks is severely impaired. As always, statistics vary. Around 4% of the population are severely
dyslexic, with a further 6% having mild to moderate problems. Dyslexia is a combination of abilities and
difficulties that affects the processing of information. Dyslexic people often think in pictures. Consequently, a dyslexic individual may have
experienced difficulties in acquiring skills in reading, writing, spelling and numeracy. They can
develop strategies and alternative learning methods to overcome most of these
and other difficulties.
Many dyslexic adults were not identified at school and did
not get the support they required. As a
result, some may not be aware of their dyslexia but are well aware of their
difficulties. A job or organisational change
may bring this to light. For example,
someone who has had access to secretarial support that is then withdrawn, might
find that they cannot now cope. Another
example might be if a dyslexic individual was promoted, but along with that
promotion came a requirement for more paperwork which
that individual found difficulty in managing.
Employers should be aware that severe dyslexia fits the
definition of disability used within the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA)
and is used as an example in several sections of the Code of Practice and that
it is unlawful under the DDA to treat a disabled applicant or employee less
favourably because of their disability without justification.
Dyslexic people may require some adjustments in the working
place that can be simple and inexpensive. Without these adjustments good candidates may
not apply and excellent employees may be underused or even lost.
There are a range of computer products and facilities to
help dyslexic individuals:
Colour Schemes
Something as simple as changing the colour scheme may help
some individuals. This can be done within the Windows from the Display icon
within the Control Panel. Alternatively
a software product such as ReadAble could make this task easier.
Spell Checker
The basic spell checker built into most word processors is a
boon for most users, but for dyslexic sufferers it takes on an added
importance. The ‘red wavy line’ in Word
can be a real lifesaver.
Screen Reader
For the more seriously dyslexic individual, screen readers
such as Reader can be invaluable in
helping to identify mistakes. Using this
product the text on the screen is read out aloud. Don’t forget the headphones if you are
working in an office environment!
Voice Recognition
Voice recognition has developed considerable over the last
few years, making it a viable option for many users. Programs such as Dragon Naturally Speaking converts
the spoken word to text within the main office programs such as Word.
Pre-emptive Word
Processing
Guessing what word you are trying to type (and reading it
out aloud) can be useful for many people.
There are a range of programs which can guess what you are trying to
type based on the characters you have already typed. So ‘th’ might
suggest ‘this’, ‘thing’, ‘that’ etc., reducing the amount of typing necessary
and preventing typing mistakes. Programs
such as ProtoType
and Penfriend
are excellent for this
Scanner/Reader
For those for whom reading a letter or book in not possible,
a scanner/reader can do the work for you.
Either as part of your computer system via a scanner and a software
program such as
Multi-Feature Programs
There are quite a few programs now which combine many of the
features mentioned above; they scan, readback, offer
pre-emptive word processing and analyse spelling and grammar. Such programs as textHELP’s
Read and Write or ClaroRead are
well worth looking at.
Mind Mapping
Planning tasks such as projects and essays can be greatly
assisted by programs such as Inspiration,
MindManager
or MindGenius.
Say it with Pictures
‘A picture speaks a thousand words’ they tell us. So especially for children, Clicker 5 could not only make writing
more accessible but also more fun.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
2. ADAPT-IT PRODUCTS AND SPECIAL OFFERS
|
ReadAble |
www.adapt it.org.uk/products/readable.asp |
|
Dragon
Naturally Speaking Preferred |
www.adapt it.org.uk/products/dragonnaturallyspeakingpreferredv8.asp |
|
ProtoType |
www.adapt it.org.uk/products/prototype3.asp |
|
Penfriend |
www.adapt it.org.uk/products/penfriendxp.asp |
|
|
www.adapt it.org.uk/products/ciceroscanandreadsoftware.asp |
|
Kurzweil
1000 |
www.adapt it.org.uk/products/kurzweil1000.asp |
|
CleaReader |
www.adapt it.org.uk/products/cleareaderscannerreader.asp |
|
Read
and Write |
www.adapt it.org.uk/products/texthelpreadwritestandardv7.asp |
|
Inspiration |
www.adapt it.org.uk/products/inspirationv76.asp |
|
Clicker
5 |
www.adapt it.org.uk/products/inspirationv76.asp |
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
3. TIPS – AUTOCORRECT’
[MS WORD]
This is an extremely
useful tip for anyone, but can serve as an especially useful tool for dyslexic
people.
You can use the AutoCorrect feature to automatically detect
and correct typos, misspelled words, grammatical errors, and incorrect
capitalization. For example, if you type ‘teh’
plus a space, then AutoCorrect replaces what you have typed with ‘the’.
You can also use AutoCorrect to quickly insert text, graphics, or symbols. For
example, you might want to type ‘s’ instead of having to insert the
symbol ‘±’ every
time, or to type ‘dda’ which you might have
set up to insert ‘Disability Discrimination Act’. You can use it to correct errors as you type;
you can add to, or edit, existing AutoCorrect entries or even stop it from
making automatic corrections that you don’t want.
Here’s how to use it:
1.
Click on ‘Tools’, then ‘AutoCorrect’, then the ‘AutoCorrect’ tab.
2.
Ticking the first check box means that if you type ‘ASide’
for example, this will be automatically corrected to ‘Aside’ However, if you have exceptions that you do
not want AutoCorrect to alter, for example, ‘SOS’, then click the ‘exceptions’ box, then ‘other
corrections’, and add ‘SOS’ to the list.
3.
The second, third and fourth boxes are all to do with the misuse, accidental,
(as Word sees it), or otherwise, of capital letters. Again, use the
‘exceptions’ box as outlined in 2. above.
The
fifth box, ‘replace text as you type’, is a very important feature. You should
scroll through the list to see what typos are automatically corrected and add
to the list as you se fit.
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5. ADMINISTRIVIA
Please note that we have moved!
Our new address is Churchill House,
To contact
us: info@adapt-it.org.uk
To
subscribe: join@adapt-it.org.uk
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unsubscribe:unsubscribe@adapt-it.org.uk
Adapt-IT
Churchill House,
Tel: 0845 644 1712 Fax: 0845 644 1742