Speech Recognition as an Accessibility Feature for Digital Devices

 Years ago I was using the medical version of Nuance's Dragon Naturally Speaking speech recognition software with what I considered good results. I was using it on a desktop PC, but stopped as I switched most of my work to a laptop, since I was mostly moving.

I'm in the process now of finding a new laptop that has the capability of producing workable results.

In the interim, I've been using the speech recognition feature of Google Docs with acceptable results, but I really want software that will allow me to navigate Web searches, opening various apps and the like.

I got started when I read about David Pogue's foray into speech recognition when in 1993 his Doctor told him to stop typing because it would aggravate his recently diagnosed carpal tenosynovitis. He is a prolific journalist and author, including  publishing The Missing Manual for the Mac series, and he needed to find a work-around.

[Tenosynovitis, a form of tendonitis, is the inflammation of the fluid-filled sheath (called the synovium) that surrounds a tendon, typically leading to joint pain, swelling, and stiffness.  When it afflicts the wrist, it differs from carpal tunnel syndrome, which is caused when the median nerve in the wrist becomes pinched.]

The are other conditions that would create a similar need such as arthritis of the wrist.

I just ended a phone call to Thor Schrock during his Computer This radio program on KFAB, on this rainy Sunday morning.

I asked him about running speech recognition software, namely Dragon, on a laptop. I see that he sells laptops on his Website and I asked if these would work. He said his Gallant or even the Intrepid would do the job. He also mentioned the JAWS software for the non-sighted individual. It's basically a screen reader, but it gives you the ability to navigate your PC and open various apps using voice commands. It probably wouldn't suit my needs, but I thought I mentioned it anyway. 

(more to follow...)

Vaccination for the Elderly

I received my flu vaccination this past yesterday, so I'm approaching this topic of vaccines for the elderly.

You can see I made sure I took a photo of the box, which might seem to some as not necessary. Here's my routine for any injection I receive: 

1. I always start a friendly conversation with the nurse/pharmacist giving the shot, before double checking what I'm about the receive is correct. Sure, a flu shot seems safe enough, but in this case, I wanted to make sure I was getting the 65+, high-dose shot.

2. I record this info in my daily journal which also serves as my health log. In this log I'll also record any side reactions I might encounter, even though I've never had a bad reaction in the past. I would be precarious trying to tell someone after a bad reaction that I had some kind of flu shot, a short time ago, with some symptoms I'm trying to remember.

I'll be doing another blog post about the use of a daily journal, or bullet journal, which is essential if you're managing a chronic condition, and have any regular interaction with the health care system.

Don't be a "bad historian," which I've written in a patient's chart from time to time. Resolving a medical problem means answering a bunch of questions, so it's better to be prepared.

(more to follow...)