Much assistive technology ends up benefitting us all; fax machines and closed captioning are two biggies. Yet another one is making it big: speech-to-text, also known as speech or voice recognition software. Originally designed as an alternative input device specific to the challenges of typing, it now is increasingly used as a business productivity tool. Just yesterday, an acquaintance was using it to capture meeting notes.
The winner software in this category is Dragon. You talk, it types. Use it to type emails, open applications, create documents, or even control your mouse. It can be a full featured application or a simple iPhone app. The smart phone and tablet app is the easiest to try out. Give it a go and see what you’ve been missing!
Dragon link: http://www.nuance.com/dragon/index.htm
Konrad Kaletsch, Universal Design Resource