Dragons have been part of mythology for centuries. While most dragons are fearful creatures to be conquered, those of the Eastern tradition also impart wisdom and good luck. A program called Dragon NaturallySpeaking has provided a gateway for people with various disabilities to communicate independently.
Photo by Shizhao, via Wikimedia Commons
Earlier in this space, we introduced Dragon NaturallySpeaking, a speech-recognition app. The program transcribes the spoken word to text. For someone with a physical disability prevents them from typing, or someone with dyslexia, this technology offers a critical solution.
It’s not only words that can pose barriers. From the same company, Nuance, comes MathTalk, software that allows the user to voice math without a keyboard. The user speaks the numbers, numerals, and symbols into the mic, and these appear on the computer screen. The user can also use their voice to move to a different line, as one would otherwise do with a mouse. And MathTalk integrated and works with Dragon NaturallySpeaking.
The manufacturer notes that MathTalk helps helps students of pre-algebra and beyond learn the language of math, claiming that “voicing math helps teach user to both focus and formulate thoughts before speaking.”
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These are some of the assistive tech items New Jersey residents can “try before they buy” at no cost.
Can create interest for doing math in a bright–but bored–student
- Can give confidence to a slow learner
- Saves and prints legible math work and email it to the instructor
- By using speech recognition, the user learns to speak more clearly and distinctly.
Another MathTalk accessibility feature is that math assignments can be translated to braille for students using BrailleNote or a Focus 40 device.
MathTalk joins our ever-expanding selection of assistive technology software, apps, and devices at the Technology Lending Center, a service free to New Jersey residents where they can “try it before they buy it.”
