BDA Technology Group – update on Assistive technology

BDA Technology Group – Assistive Technology Update

Myles Pilling, BDA Technology Group presented the following software update on current assistive technologies. This helpsheet will present the material he presented in a printed form. It will also be on his website at http://aas123.com.

Organisation

Trello – organisation tool for dyslexic learners to plan and keep a track of activities, projects, homework, coursework at no cost. Handles coloured labels dates, times, photos and emails

Google Keep – free and similar to Trello and you can add notes, using images, audio and locations. Organise into folders that enable better efficiency for pupils. Because it’s cloud-based you can access it on any machine

Word prediction /Completion

Lightkey – Artificial Intelligence word prediction tool with customised dictionaries. Free version and paid at https://www.lightkey.io/ Lightkey Pro – $49.00 1 year licence

Global Autocorrect – automatically corrects spelling similar to Lightkey works in the background. Available on DSA ( Disability Students Allowance) https://www.posturite.co.uk/business/global-auto-correct -£229.00 exc Tax

Grammarly for Microsoft Office – free add in to Word, etc that helps with grammar structure – https://www.grammarly.com/microsoft-office

NB. For dyslexic learners it may be more of a learning tool to use a drop down list of words or suggested corrections like Grammarly offer to enable the learning of spellings. But from the point of view of overcoming a barrier the above tools are really useful

Note-taking

Glean – records in real-time any talks and can provide a transcription

Text to Speech

Claro ScanPen – £9.99 take a photo of any typed document and have it read back to you.

Claro Scan Premium – £free – in app purchases – 10 scans before having to pay a subscription.

Editable PDFs

ABBY FineReaderPDF – £free trail – makes pdf’s editable for changing fonts , changing texts, making it accessible for screen readers. https://pdf.abbyy.com/finereader-pdf/

Latest AT software

Cantoo Scribe –£free to subscribe seen at BETT. Create notebooks with 30 assistive technology tools as part of the package https://app.cantoo.fr/

Constructor Grafari – spelling games based of research with a unique way of teaching spelling. https://constructor.tech/products/learning/grafari-o/schools

Apps

Popplet Lite – £free – primary age mindmapping. The simplest on the marker. Can also be run from PC at https://www.popplet.com/ . App from the app store at https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/popplet-lite/id364738549

Dyslexia. Ai – £free – in-app purchases – subscription model £0.79 a month or £8.49 for first year then £17.99 per year – skill practise app for nouns, verbs, adjectives, etc Reading, Spelling and Phonics and Extra’s. Free to setup an account. A unique calibration feature to work out your level. https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/dyslexia-games-dyslexia-ai/id1564885095

Post-it £free – if you are a post-it note person then this could be for you! This electronic version makes post-it notes into mindmaps. Exports to the following:- Post it Board to share with other post-it users, Trello Board , Miro Board, PDF, PNG Image, PowerPoint, Excel, Text files/ Work visually then convert to text. https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/post-it/id920127738

Class Timetable – £free – organise a timetable into colour coded themes and set homework on coursework with due dates. It offers a 2-week timetable that most secondary schools operate. Simple, clear and easy to use. https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/class-timetable/id425121147

Remember the Milk – £free – simple to do list – sends out reminders via emails , syncs on all devices , integrates with gmail, google calendar, Evernote and more. Range of outputs to help prioritise your life.

Windows 11

Voice Access Control – you can control the laptop with your voice and navigate windows via the command show numbers and respond with the appropriate number. The biggest benefit is that it overcomes problems of lack of internet as it works without a wifi connection. So you can use it with Word and other applications. You switch it on in Accessibility. It is one of the best features of Windows 11

Typing suggestions – this is switched on if you go into settings and type in the search window – typing settings – you can then choose the option to make suggestions on a physical keyboard and that would allow word prediction to appear in any application as you type.

Testimonies

“1’d like to give a shout out to Myles Pilling, BA,M.Ed. and encourage anyone who needs training and support around assistive tech to reach out to him directly. was lucky enough to have several hours of training with Myles thanks to my Access to Work grant. Myles’ training though? Well, it was closer to coaching than training. He didn’t assume. He asked me to show him what I did so he could offer refinements and tweaks.

But the most important thing Myles did was question why I was doing what I was doing; what was the benefit, why was it needed, and if it was what was the most effective way of doing it? No more ‘stick a tech plaster on a Luddite broken leg’ – instead Myles helped me work most effectively with my tech, by helping me figure out when and how I needed it. The absolute best bit? Thanks to working with Myles, I never ever need to do filing again.

Seriously. Never.

Myles helped me set up a system that I would likely never have discovered without him, that allows my work to be recorded and autosaved without a single follow up step.” Leah , Consultant , Search for Serenity

“Accessibility Smyles continues to serve up timely information about the latest and best technology for individuals with unique needs. Always pleased to receive these helpful resources with related links. I share them with parents, educators and others who serve the many with reading and learning challenges. (Thank you, Myles!)” – Jean

“I’ve known Myles for many years, he’s my go-to expert for all this Accessibility, so much so that he’s our resident expert at Anderton Tiger Radio. Whenever we feature this topic he’s always there with excellent advice and guidance, in fact you can listen to him again here from our January radio show https://www.buzzsprout.com/695014/2586430-myles-pilling-talks-about-technologies-for-send-that-have-caught-his-eye-at-bett-2020 Highly recommended, Myles is most definitely one of the top 5 experts in his field in the UK” – Russell Prue, Anderson Tiger

“After one of your recent training sessions, I visited your Techsavvy session and discovered the virtual tour guides. A a result my husband and I enjoyed a splendid trip to Edinburgh. A city I have avoided for a number of years due to its challenges for a wheelchair user due to its very steep streets and cobbles. I think the sessions you have posted are really good and I hoped you would be happy if I suggested these to clients, I am assisting in my volunteering journey. I am also liaising with a local charity who are trying to encourage their older members and I think they too could benefit from your regular hints and tips so would like to suggest they pass on the Techsavvy links. You really are an inspiration.” –

Heather Sneddon

South West Scotland Coordinator , AbilityNet