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01/03/2010
Annemarie Theilade
Diversity Manager
National Probation Service
Annemarie developed ‘RSI’ symptoms in her right hand some 15 years ago as a result of excessive keyboarding and since then saw the problem come and go with variable intensity. When she began work with Cheshire Probation she was given extra administrative support as a ‘reasonable adjustment’, along with wrist and foot rests as well as an ergonomic keyboard.
Some three years ago, a period of concentrated keyboard use aggravated the condition and she noticed an increase in the severity of the condition. This restricted her dexterity resulting in a great reduction in the full use of her right hand: "It affected my ability to do my job significantly. I lost all use of my right hand and was forced to use my left hand in an effort to get by. Subsequently, my left hand started to give me problems too."
With support from my employer, Cheshire Probation, I sought extra help and was introduced to AbilityNet.
"My AbilityNet assessor was extremely patient and their expertise and experience was very evident. I tried voice recognition technology in combination with a small ergonomic keyboard and a roller ball instead of a mouse.
"By the time I was assessed I was completely desperate and in a lot of pain. I had absolutely no idea then that this type of technology could have helped me to the degree that it does.
"My assessor was really supportive. I never felt hurried or that there were any time restrictions. They were cheerful and knowledgeable and they were really confident that they could help me. They asked me about my needs and my objectives, and worked with me to support me in the way that I work. It was not just a prescriptive response.”
The result was phenomenal. In Annemarie’s own words: "I can’t sum it up really – it’s made the difference of continuing in work or not working and taking medical retirement – that’s how bad the condition became.
"In the end I was unable to type at all or use a mouse with either hand. The pain I was in affected my ability to use my hands for anything at all. In the end, I lost all my fine motor movement altogether.
"With assistive technology, I can do what I need to be doing. Not only that, but it has been recuperative for me because now I can drive without pain, cook and prepare food - even chop garlic which had become impossible!"
Barbara Howard
Director of Leicester-based charity, Mosaic.
After an un-diagnosed, minor stroke, Barbara was left with photosensitive epilepsy. In a digital world of flash and flicker, adverts, logos and icons, Barbara found using a PC was virtually impossible.
For her work this was a huge obstacle:
"Funders always want to send things by e-mail and many funding applications have to be completed on-line,"
she explains. With the help of her assistant, she was able to continue to work, but she felt the loss of independence very keenly:
"I had no confidentiality and was dependent on someone else’s time and their understanding of the importance, or lack of importance of information; I was dependent on someone else’s timescale and contributing to the speedy destruction of the Brazilian Rain Forest.
"Access to work tried to help and introduced me to a consultancy for assessment. However, their experience was with people with visual and physical impairments which prevented them from using a mouse for example. The exposure to the PC necessitated by the assessment made me ill for days afterwards. Their recommendations were – variously – switching off the screen (impractical) or using voice recognition software. The latter still involved me looking at the screen, and besides, I didn’t have a problem using the computer physically.
"It seemed inconceivable to everyone that I couldn’t use a computer because of an ‘invisible’ impairment. But 4% of people who have epilepsy have my condition – that’s up to 18,000 people in Britain.
“What I needed was control.
"AbilityNet was my saviour!
"For free, they carried out an assessment on the phone and convinced me that they could help with a remote assessment at home. I didn’t understand how the remote technology worked, but within an hour and a half Karen from AbilityNet had changed my life!
"She made a load of suggestions that I’d never thought of and didn’t understand the importance of, but they worked!
The colour of my screen was one of them. We tried khaki. It made an incredible difference. We removed all images – no photos, no flash photography and, best of all, no flashing cursor! My computer is also much faster as a result, as there are no pictures to download.
"I can e-mail, I can tender for funding bids, I have my world back plus some.
"There is absolutely no question – if you have problems with using a computer because of an impairment, try AbilityNet – they can change your life too!"
Mike Miller
heating and service engineer
Mike visits sites around the country installing and maintaining heating and ventilation equipment. Although he is field rather than office-based, he has reports and surveys to undertake, as well as quotes and estimates.
As a dyslexic, Mike struggled with writing, but found typing much easier. AbilityNet recommended a lap-top with voice recognition technology and Mike was given permission by his employer to reproduce the – normally – handwritten forms, electronically. The addition of text to speak was a huge bonus for Mike who experimented with TextHelp Read & Write and ClaroRead Plus. He preferred the latter as it offers a more natural voice speech engine which he found easier to interpret. He also liked the predictive text option and screen magnifier/highlighter function as he felt it would assist his proof reading ability when detailing job information on the many forms he has to complete.
On learning that Mike preferred a yellow background when working on his wife’s PC, his AbilityNet assessor was alerted to the possibility that Mike’s dyslexia was actually ‘scoptopic sensitivity’ (also known as visual dyslexia). On AbilityNet’s advice, Mike had a visual colorimeter test with his local ophthalmologist. The results were astounding:
"Everything changed for me from that moment,” says Mike, who had absolutely no idea that this was the explanation for the strange visual effects ‘like a waterfall’ he saw when trying to decipher text.
With the help of blue tinted spectacles and colour overlays in the form of an Eye Level Reading Ruler which helps counteract the background glare and tracking problems that are typical of his condition, Mike suddenly found that he could read.
For the computer there is an electronic version of this product which is indispensable as not all bespoke systems adapt to global colour changes made under the Windows accessibility options. It operates independently, does not require installation and can be simply moved from machine to machine on a memory stick for example.
As a consequence of his AbilityNet assessment, not only was Mike able to identify the technological solutions he needed to do his job effectively and efficiently, he has also been diagnosed correctly for a condition which had, hitherto, characterised his life.
The results have been dramatic and life changing: "I now have a better job, better money and a brand new BMW to boot. I’m achieving things I never thought I would do. It’s transformed my life completely."
Donald Eadie
Methodist Minister and author
Donald was diagnosed with degenerative disc disease some 15 years ago. An established author, he became increasingly frustrated and defeated by the physical process of writing.
Donald cannot sit or stand for long and uses a special ‘gravity chair’ on which he is more comfortable, but semi-recumbent. The effort required to sit up to use a laptop was very exhausting and painful and he thought that his writing career was over as a result. A friend put him in touch with AbilityNet and he was immediately impressed with the helpfulness and knowledge of their response: "The consultant I spoke to gave me the feeling that I was really important to them and that they really appreciated and understood what my problems were. I was immensely reassured and felt optimistic about my writing career for the first time in ages."
What happened next was a revelation. "My remote assessment was a huge eye-opener for me. I had no idea that these things were possible. I certainly didn’t expect loan equipment and it arrived so quickly! Before long I was able to try out a laptop with pre-loaded voice recognition.
"The great thing about AbilityNet is that they take you seriously and help you to manage the whole process yourself. They restore your independence and work with you to find a solution."