"To be trained or not to be trained…that is the question!"

You’ve just received your latest assistive technology software or digital audio recorder to help you write letters, manage your daily tasks, control your in-house database or record your dictated speech. However, without training on how to use it… 

???   How useful will your solution actually be to you   ???

???   Does it work with your applications   ???

???   Will you be able to use it to its full capability   ???

We asked an experienced software trainer at Freedom of Speech Ltd, who is (amongst other qualifications) a Dragon Certified Instructor and Texthelp Certified Trainer to comment on these, and other questions. This is what they had to say:

“I would estimate that a user would only be 50% effective in their understanding of a new software application without formal training i.e. if they just had the manual or Help file to refer to. Imagine asking a new car owner who had not received driving lessons to drive from London to Edinburgh! A good trainer is able to show you all of the features of an application or device so that you can use the it effectively. Unfortunately, many software applications are supplied with lengthy and not very user friendly manuals leaving you no further forward.”

“A good trainer condenses how an application works into understandable, ‘bite sizes chunks’ of information and teaches you at your own pace ensuring you have understood a topic before moving onto the next one.“

“They will also ensure that you are shown all of the functionality of a new application and how it works in your system. For instance, a good Dragon NaturallySpeaking trainer will create new voice commands to operate your in-house applications by voice. An experienced Mind Manager trainer will show you how to create visual project maps for the specific topics you need to work on.”

If you do receive training, what qualifications should the trainer have?

“Ensure that the trainer has the appropriate qualifications or experience for the specific applications and devices that they are training you on.”

“For example, if you are going to use Dragon NaturallySpeaking ‘speech recognition’ software, ensure that your trainer is a Dragon Certified Instructor (normally known by the acronym DCI). They should be able to provide a copy of their DCI certificate to prove it. If you are going to use Texthelp Read & Write ‘text-to-speech’ software, ensure that your trainer is a Texthelp Certified Trainer. They should be able to provide a copy of their Texthelp training certificate to prove it.”

“By doing so, you have the reassurance that they have the necessary knowledge and experience to teach you how to use your solution effectively and in your environment.”

Do all training companies in the UK offer a high level of qualification and experience?

“Unfortunately not. There are a number of training companies in the UK who simply sell cheap training and provide sub-standard courses that are either not long enough (i.e. just a couple of hours!), provided by non-qualified staff (who don’t know their subject matter well) or do not meet the user’s specific needs. I often receive feedback from clients that have approached us after receiving poor quality training from other companies and feel like they can’t use their software properly. We are then able to turn their experience into a positive and effective one.”

What advice do you have when considering buying training services?

“My advice is that, when you in a position to book your training, phone a reputable training company, such as Freedom of Speech Ltd, and ask them to confirm their qualifications & experience (don’t be afraid to ask for copies of their training certificates). Ask them how they will tailor their training to your requirements. If you are in doubt, simply approach another training company that can provide you with a more suitable trainer.“

Do I have to use the company recommended in my assessment report?

“If you have been through the Access to Work scheme and have been provided with an assessment and subsequent report, you do not have to necessarily be trained by the company suggested in the report. You are able to phone the list of companies given (you should have a choice of at least 3) or other reputable company and see which one is most suited to your needs.”

What other services should I expect from a training company?

“Ask the company before you buy training from them, what technical support they offer after the training courses are complete. Many companies do not offer support on the product they train on. If you have a problem or query, who would then contact to help? As an example, if you bought a new car, you would expect a warranty with it to ensure the car keeps running after you have bought it…why should software training be any different?”

“Ensure that the training company has a dedicated technical support helpdesk (which is not normally something that 1 person companies can provide) that you can phone with any training or technical queries you have. Freedom of Speech Ltd provide this service as a standard part of their training service, free for 12 months after training.”

Freedom of Speech Ltd only employee qualified, experienced software trainers. We offer technical support after each training course to ensure that your software & hardware solutions work today, tomorrow and into the future. Contact us for pricing and availability…and even copies of our training qualifications and client feedback!

Posted
AuthorJames Kirk
CommentPost a comment

"Subscribe to our Blog!"

 
 

Receive all new Freedom of Speech blogs automatically by subscribing. Click on the link below and follow the on-screen instructions...it's that simple!

Every time a new Freedom of Speech blog is posted, you'll receive it as an e-mail to read over your morning coffee (...cup of tea, glass of water or favourite juice drink!)

Posted
AuthorJames Kirk
CommentPost a comment

"Dyslexia New Year Tips"

Welcome to 2014 and happy New Year!

Returning to work in the New Year is always a new experience. A new diary, a new calendar, a new rota at work…. Many things to manage and organise which for those with Dyslexia can be difficult.

So to help you, we have put together our most useful tips and strategies to help you keep organised and efficient in 2014.

STAY ORGANISED

Organisation is a process, not something that will be achieved and completed. Think of it as “being organised” or “staying organised” rather than “getting organised”.

Being organised optimises time, reduces stress and means that you will have more mental energy because you’re having fewer worries about forgetting something.

Choose a diary that has a day per page with the date written out in full and time slots. Use the bookmark so you know the day you’re on.




 

When taking notes or writing in your diary, try to draw images rather than words if it helps to remind you of the task at a later date.





 

Post it notes are your friends! They can be very useful to place on your door to remind you what you need to remember that day. Available in all the colours of the rainbow, perhaps you can have a different colour for each type of reminder? Green – household reminders, Red – work reminders, Yellow – Reminders for the children.
 

Highlighters should also be a close companion to you. Colour coding has been proven to help with organising as it makes notes pop out of the page and is attractive to the eye.



 

 

Put a notice board on your wall and use it to pin your important paperwork on. IE. A household bill that needs to be paid or a project dead line.


File your paperwork as you go. A small pile of paper work is much easier to manage and file away correctly than 6 months’ worth of paperwork. Filing cabinets are great if you know how to make them function for you. You may want to organise your files alphabetically or by category.  The most important thing is to keep it simple and easy on the eye. 





 

EFFICIENCY IN THE OFFICE

Don’t wait until you’re frazzled – schedule your breaks, no matter how brief they may be.




 

 

Stay on schedule. If you planned to take a 15 minute break at 12pm, you’d be better backing away from your desk at 12:01pm. The same goes for ending your breaks. Stay on time and you’ll find it easier to move in and out of your focused work mode without losing forward motion.



Taking down a phone message can be quite problematic to Dyslexics. Sometimes the telephone number ends up jumbled or you don’t quite get the message correct. It can quickly become a very stressful and frustrating task. Invest in a dictation machine. When taking messages, just press the record button and simply repeat their details as they say them and the information will be stored for you to listen back to and take note of the message in your own time.

MANAGING DISTRACTIONS

There will always be the call you MUST take, a fire alarm in the building or a colleague who needs your help. Interruptions happen, so focus on managing them so they have less impact on your tasks.

Acknowledge the interruption – the best interruptions are the ones we see coming. The worst tend to open our door without knocking and spill coffee all over important papers.  No matter the interruption, it’s not worth your time to get annoyed.  Doing so will just make it that much harder to return to work once the interruption is over.

Bookmark your idea – In the moments after the phone rings for the first time or you’ve said “come in” to the person knocking at your office door, you have a chance to note exactly where you were before the interruption. Part of the interruption process is to have sticky notes available to hand before the phone rings or somewhere you can bookmark your idea.

Minimise your immediate involvement – Many interruptions require more than just a one word answer. Colleagues require more than just a discussion, they want an action. The trick of staying productive is to just schedule your action for a later time.  If a colleague requires an immediate action, then say “I’ll have it for you in 20 minutes, when I’ve completed my own action”.  Follow through with quality & others will respect you for setting your own boundaries.

There are many other strategies and software that can assist with Dyslexia. If you would like further information, please contact Freedom of Speech.

Posted
AuthorKristina Sinclair
CommentPost a comment

"Access to Work – Christmas Special"

The snow was sparkling in the sunshine and crunched as Cheerful Brandyspice the Christmas elf ran through Lapland to the workshop.

It was a month before Christmas and everything was in full swing. The children’s scooters, dolls and games were being made lovingly by all the elves.

Cheerful took his place at the work bench and started his days shift. He was in charge of making the Laughing Jack in the Boxes for the children on the Nice List. Very independent and hardworking, Cheerful ran his team of elves efficiently like clockwork.

The clock struck 5:30pm and the jingle bells signalled the end of the day. Tools down and up everyone got rushing for the door to make Santa’s speech. Cheerful sprung up like one of the Laughing Jack in the Boxes he made and headed towards the exit. He was so excited to hear Santa’s speech. It is a Christmas highlight listening to Santa tell the elves how the Christmas preparations were going.

Cheerful had almost reached the exit door and could smell the warm candy that was being served just outside, but suddenly he slipped and slid into a work bench. A clatter of boys Action Men fell onto Cheerful’s head as he crashed to a halt. Dong! Dong! Dang!

“Ouch!” he shrieked.

The medical elves collected Cheerful and put him onto the festive stretcher made of candy canes and old Christmas sacks. The North Pole was very much for recycling.

Cheerful was in the North Pole Hospital for 1 week. On Thursday, Santa came to visit and had some bad news.

“I am sorry Cheerful but the doctors have said you have injured your spine. You will be confined to a wheel chair”

Cheerful didn’t feel very… well… cheerful. He let out a disappointed sigh and began to worry about the future. How would his team of elves finish the entire order of Laughing Jack in the Boxes before Christmas Eve? With his injury, he was unable to continue making the toys and had to focus on the administration responsibilities of his job. But even this would be a struggle. Cheerful’s movement was limited and using a computer seemed impossible.

Santa reassured Cheerful. He had been in contact with one of his undercover elves in London who had advised there was a scheme run by the government available called Access to Work.

It stated:-

 ‘If you want to work but have a disability that make working a problem you may be able to get help from the Access to Work team’  

‘If you can tick ‘yes’ to the following you may be able to apply’

Do you have a disability or health condition that has lasted 12 months or is likely to last for 12 months or more? YES / NO

Does your disability or health condition impact you on your ability to work?  YES / NO

Are you aged 16 or over? YES / NO

Do you need help with a job interview? YES / NO

Are you about to start work? YES / NO

Do you have a job or a starting date for a job? YES / NO

 Are you self-employed? YES / NO

Are you a resident in Great Britain? (Excluding Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands) YES / NO

Cheerful lived in Lapland, but having Santa as his boss meant that things could be tweaked slightly for him. With a little Christmas agreement made between Santa and the Access to Work boss, Cheerful contacted the London Access to Work office for help.

South East England, London, East of England – London regional centre – 020 8426 3110 –  atwosu.london@jobcentreplus.gsi.gov.uk - Job Centre Plus I Access to Work I Operational Support Unit I Nine Elms Lane I London SW95 9BH

South West England, Wales, West Midlands, Midlands – Cardiff Regional Centre – 02920 423 291 – atwosu.glasgow@jobcentreplus.gsi.gov.uk – Job Centre Plus I Access to Work I Operational Support Unit I Alexandra House I 377 Cowbridge Road I East Cardiff I CF5 1W

Scotland, North West England, North East England, Yorkshire and Humberside – Glasgow Regional Centre – 0141 950 5327 – atwosu.glasgow@jobcentreplus.gsi.gov.uk - Job Centre Plus I Access to Work I Operational Support Unit I Anniesland JCP I Baird Street I Glasgow I G90 8AN

During the 20 minute phone call Cheerful was asked to provide his National Insurance number (believe it or not, elves all have national insurance numbers. Tax’s still need to be paid in the Lapland!) and his work contact details. He also had to explain the barriers he faced at work and a workplace assessment was recommended.

Much to Cheerful’s surprise it was all very straight forward and provided instant relief knowing that he was getting the help that he needed.

Having completed the telephone application, a form arrived through the post to Cheerful’s home address for him to check and sign.  He did chuckle watching the postman walk to his front door, licking candy canes and stuffing his pockets full of sweets on his way.

Access to Work received the signed form and an advisor got in touch to discuss the application in further detail. A date was agreed for the work place assessment and soon enough, Cheerful was sat at his desk with Susie, the Access to Work assessor, talking through the solutions that could assist Cheerful and reduce the impact that his disability had on his job role.

Susie was so helpful and full of enthusiasm. She was a very excitable Christmas fanatic who had always been close to the very top of the Nice List as a child. So she was perfect for the job in helping Cheerful!

Susie recommended Dragon NaturallySpeaking voice recognition software and training to reduce the use of the keyboard and mouse. This will eliminate the pain and discomfort Cheerful experienced when using his computer.

A report was written by the assessor and sent to Cheerful. He then discussed with Santa (his employer) the recommendation of Dragon NaturallySpeaking and the training.

Santa contacted the supplier recommended (Freedom of Speech of course!) on the Access to Work report to place the order. As Santa Incorporated has less than 49 employees, they were not required to contribute anything!

Elves are fantastic workers so Santa doesn’t need to employ over 49.

Number of employees      Amount to contribute

0-49 employees                nil

50-249 employees            £500

Over 250 employees        £1000

Freedom of Speech sent the Dragon software to Lapland on a next working day delivery service. The software was installed and less than 2 weeks later, a trainer from Freedom of Speech was sat with Cheerful showing him the software. The possibilities seemed endless using it. It was like magic in the little strange box called a computer that humans use.

6 months have passed and Cheerful is doing great! Christmas went by without a hitch and Cheerful is well on the mend. But will continue to use his voice recognition software. He quotes “I cannot imagine living without my Dragon. It’s astounding. All the other elves are interested and Santa has been having a sneaky peek to!”  

Santa simply quotes “Ho, Ho, Ho!”

Posted
AuthorKristina Sinclair
CommentPost a comment