Success Stories

David:

David  was an early user of WorkLink's patented ACCESS I wheelchair-powered computer, where the computer operates off the 24-volt wheelchair batteries, allowing the computer to run all day, unlike a conventional laptop or notebook computer which usually only has battery power for 2 hours or so.

David has moderately severe cerebral palsy, so he needed a lot of extra tutoring. I modified many commands and text words so that he could say them more consistently, but even so his recognition accuracy was less than the customary 98%.

Even so, he found that he could write a lot faster using DragonDictate than he could by hunting and pecking with one finger.

As David put it, "Before I got DragonDictate I was the Master of Brevity. Now I can no longer claim that title."

David graduated from the University of California with a double major in Rhetoric and Cognitive Science and is now working at CAST in Peabody, Massachusetts, where he specializes in telecommunications developments.

Michelle:

I met Michelle when she was 8 years old -- some five years ago.

When she was two years old, her mother, who was on cocaine, led her out in front of traffic where Michelle was struck by a car and broke her neck. As a result of this accident, she is a high-level quad, requiring mechanical ventilation and special attendant care.

Her mother was given a prison term and Michelle began living with foster parents.

When I met Michelle she was in the third grade, and had never before written even a single word; rather she had to dictate her work to an attendant or other person.

After installing DragonDictate on her ACCESS-I wheelchair powered computer and giving her some initial tutoring in voice recognition, she was able to write the following words:

"My mom baked a pie because we were having company for dinner."

These were the first words she had ever created on paper without another person helping.

Today she is an experienced and confident user of voice recognition. She plans to go to college upon graduation from high school.

Lauren: 

I met Lauren when she was 12 years old. She uses a wheelchair because she has arthrogriposis, a condition that leaves her muscles very weak -- too weak to walk or even lift an arm to type. 

With Dragon NaturallySpeaking Professional and DragonDictate for Windows she is able to toggle back and forth between the two programs, utilizing the unambiguous command and control features of ddWin, and the rapid dictation of NatSpeak.

Next year she will attend high school, and then on to the university. There is no stopping this "can-do" little lady!

James: 

James  developed a serious case of repetitive strain injury. Consequently, he did not write frequent or lengthy letters to his girlfriend. However, after learning how to use DragonDictate for Windows he sent her an email in which he told her about his new voice recognition software, and that he would be writing more often henceforth. He said that DragonDictate had given him a new chance at life.

James is working on a B.A. at a San Francisco university.

Patrick:

Patrick was serving with the 82nd Airborne Division in Italy when he broke his neck in a wrestling match. The Veteran's Administration purchased an ACCESS-I computer for him, which I installed on his wheelchair. I also installed DragonDictate for Windows, Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, etc.) and taught him to use his voice to operate his computer, because he had no use of his hands due to his spinal cord injury. Patrick is working toward a degree in counseling at a college in Tacoma, Washington.

Kathleen:

Kathleen has moderately severe cerebral palsy. She has difficulty in speaking consistently, but by modifying difficult words (including some commands), she is able to get fairly accurate dictation (about 90%).

However, she upgraded her DragonDictate for Windows to 3.0 and her recognition accuracy fell off.

Why?

Because the 3.0 version is much more speaker-independent than the earlier version. Even using the modified words and commands, her accuracy still is lower than with the earlier version.

From this, it can be concluded that for people with somewhat inconsistent speech, speaker independence is not a desirable option.

For persons with consistent , normal speech, speaker independence can be preferable because it reduces or eliminates the need for training. No large vocabulary voice recognition software program is yet speaker independent. Training is required at this time.

Christine: 

Christine has mild cerebral palsy. Her speech is consistent and clear, so she is an ideal candidate for voice recognition. She is using DragonDictate for Windows in connection with her studies at Portland State College where she is a highly motivated and successful student.

Larry:

Larry is a high level quadriplegic with a breathing tube. His speech is clear, but the breathing apparatus causes some wheezing and other minor noises which do not interfere with his voice recognition.

His quadriplegia was caused by a viral infection.

Rich: 

Rich broke his neck in a jeep accident some 20 years ago. He requires a full-time attendant. With DragonDictate for Windows, he is able to carry out his responsibilities at the RCH Technical Institute in Seattle, where he is its Executive Director.

In 1992 my wife and I traveled to France with Rich to see the end of the Tour d’ France, where his good friend Greg LeMond was entered. Greg had won the previous two runnings in spite of having lost a lung in a hunting accident.

However, in 1992 Greg was ill and did not win, although he did finish the grueling race.

Rich was very disappointed with the lack of accommodations for the disabled in France: no curb cuts, no handicapped parking or restroom facilities (except on the motorways), no lift vans for wheelchair users, etc. Rich left for London and home to Seattle, leaving me with his ACCESS-I computer and electric wheelchair, so that I could speak at the National Rehabilitation Centers in France and Ireland. Rich had brought along a manual wheelchair, and he used this on the trip home, accompanied by his attendant.

Tim:

Tim is a medical doctor, specializing in family practice. However, he is severely afflicted with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and needs an electric wheelchair to get about. His speech has not been significantly affected, however.

With DragonDictate for Windows, Tim is able to handle his correspondence, patient notes and other word processing and spreadsheet tasks.

Enrique:

Enrique also has MS and uses an electric wheelchair. DragonDictate for Windows has enabled him to continue his job with Chevron Corporation, most of which he does by telecommuting.

Sally:

Sally, a student at a San Francisco University, also has MS. Her speech is not affected, but her gait is slightly wobbly. She has mastered DragonDictate for Windows and uses it extensively in her university studies.

Peter: 

Peter has moderately severe cerebral palsy, but needs an electric wheelchair for mobility. With DragonDictate for Windows, which he uses with his ACCESS-I wheelchair-powered on-board computer he is well equipped to do his work with the San Anselmo Police Department, where he works in the neighborhood crime prevention unit.

Ann:

Ann, a compositor for the University of California’s Continuing Education of the Bar, has severe RSI, in particular carpal tunnel syndrome. Her job is to set up the type for photo-offset printing after an editor has marked up a manuscript.

The pain became so intense that Ann was able to work for only about 5 minutes before it became unbearable. She was in jeopardy of losing her job.

She was using a desktop publishing software program called InterLeaf on a UNIX platform. Neither then nor now is there a voice recognition program that will work directly on a UNIX machine.

So I equipped her with a PC connected to the UNIX machine via an Ethernet link. I then installed eXceed software (an X-Windows protocol) so the PC can operate the software on the UNIX machine. Now she uses DragonDictate for Windows to operate InterLeaf, which is actually running on the UNIX machine. She does this with DragonDictate for Windows.

Incidentally, Ann created a number of voice macros to speed up her work. (A voice macro is a simple voice command that carries out multiple operations or enters strings of text.)

As Ann put it in an email to a friend, "DragonDictate saved my job."

Ben:

Ben is a lawyer with the Judicial Council of California. When he was about 10 years old he lost an arm. Consequently, using a computer placed undue strain on his remaining arm, causing a lot of pain.

Now that he has DragonDictate for Windows and Dragon NaturallySpeaking, Ben is able to do his work pain-free.

Jim:

Jim has ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease) and is unable to use a keyboard or mouse. He is a computer programmer, and worked on a UNIX machine before he became so disabled.

Jim uses the same system as Ann B.: an Ethernet link from a PC to the UNIX computer, eXceed software, so he can use Dragon voice recognition to operate the UNIX machine remotely from his PC.

From being a totally disabled worker, Dragon software has fully enabled him to do his work even faster than with keyboard and mouse.