AT for Writing

Writing has many different aspects that we have to keep in mind with our students with disabilities including the transcription of thoughts onto paper, forming logical sentences, spelling, organization, etc.

Sometimes physically using a writing utencil is the main barrier for students with disabilities. They have the ability to form sentences, spell, and organize their writing but cannot sit down with a pencil and write down their thoughts. The assistive technology this blog post will focus on helps with that by allowing students to orally recite their thoughts instead of writing them.

What is it? 

This assistive technology is called wordq+speakq. It is a software that provides three specific supports: word recognition, speech feedback, and speech recognition. 

How to implement it? 

This software can be installed on school computers, personal laptops, or home computers. It is important to teach our students how to use it. The website provides great tutorial videos that can be used to either educate yourself (as the teacher, parent, etc.) on how to use it so you can help your student or child or if the student is capable of learning on their own, they can watch the videos and play around with the program a little bit. Here is an example of the how-to video for using the speech recognition feature: 

Who uses it? 

Some examples of who could use it are: students who have difficulties gripping writing utencils, students who have poor handwriting, and students who have better oral language skills than writing skills. The website also states this, "Our users include students from primary school to college, CEOs of major corporations, journalists and many more. How they use it is completely personal to their needs as wordQ is flexible and adapts to your needs. WordQ + SpeakQ offers you the support you need only when you need it, instead of distracting you with features and functions you aren't using." The great benefit to using this product is that it is very adaptable and universal. Anyone can use it to support multiple needs.

Where can I buy it?

This software can easily be bought from its website. There is also an option for a free trial so you can try it out first to see if it is a fit for your student/child. The website sells it for only $199. You can receive it in the form of a shipped DVD or an online activation code. This is a great option if you needed it right away.