Introduction
In this article I want to talk about another piece of computer software which, used in the right way, can be very beneficial to people with dyslexia. The type of software that I will be examining is voice recognition or voice control. The advantages that this software brings makes it a tremendous piece of dyslexia software. Most of my articles are written with the help of voice recognition software. It makes me a faster, more efficient and better writer because I spend less time thinking about mechanics of typing and more time thinking carefully about what I want to say.
So what is voice recognition software?
This software allows a computer user to control a computer via a microphone with speech rather than relying on a keyboard and mouse.
The Pros of Using Voice Recognition Software
1. It is very flexible. It works alongside many different types of software. A person can use voice recognition to compose a letter, write a report, send an e-mail or use it to browse the Internet.
2. It is faster to use your voice rather than using a keyboard and mouse. Using your voice control makes the computer is at least three times faster than using a mouse and a keyboard. When it comes to using a word processor or e-mail application this increased speed will make your letters reports and e-mails easier to understand as by dictating you will create a more natural flow with your thoughts.
3. You need never worry about your spelling. Concerns about spelling are a thing of the past. Voice recognition software claims to have accuracy rates off 90% or more.
4. The software will read your work back to you. After a piece of writing has been completed there is the capability to read the work back to you out loud.
The Cons of Using Voice Recognition Software
Although the pros outweigh the cons considerably, this is not to say that there will not be some barriers to overcome when a person with dyslexia starts using word recognition software.
5. Voice control needs to be trained to understand your voice. In order to get the best out of the software a person needs to spend time in training. Training helps the software become more familiar with the users voice but it does involve some reading. A helper could be used at this stage to read the passages out loud to you. As voice recognition software develops, the need for training is minimal.
6. The user must have a good talking talking voice. Voice control software works best when the user has a clear and confident tone of voice. This will help to ensure that any speech is recorded accurately. Perhaps for some people it will be necessary to practice a successful dictating style. There is no need to talk unnecessarily slowly, an ideal pace would be to copy a newsreaders style.
7.Voice recognition works best with planning. Voice control software works best when the user is organised and has planned in detail their work. This can be difficult for some dyslexic sufferers.
Closing Thoughts
The 7 pros and cons of using voice recognition demonstrate that it is a great piece of dyslexia software. Most importantly for me, voice control takes the frustration out of the writing process and makes me faster and more fluent. This is because, instead of using my energy to find the individual letters on the keyboard, I am free to fully concentrate on the quality of what I want to say!
