Assistive Technology for Dyslexia Reaches New Horizons

Today, thanks to assistive technology for dyslexia, the challenges, and setbacks in life for people with dyslexia have diminished substantially. Only a few decades ago, kids and adults with dyslexia were experiencing more difficulties in school, work and in their personal lives. The main two reasons for this are a change in society’s opinions regarding dyslexia and the availability of advanced technology solutions.

Changes in the Perception of Dyslexia

Educational institutions and educators have changed their perceptions about dyslexia. This is not only an outcome of the capabilities provided to dyslexic students by assistive technology for dyslexia, rather, facts derived from academic studies have a big influence as well. Research and study have been done over the past few decades to understand dyslexia. Educators and most of society used to view dyslexia as a condition that implies a lower level of intelligence which prevents students from being able to read properly. Today, that assumption has been proven wrong. Dyslexia has in fact been proven by science and research as an indication of enhanced creativity and better problem-solving capabilities.

This TED talk discusses the advantages of dyslexia.

Assistive Technology for Dyslexia

In the past twenty or thirty years, the world has seen an increase in technology development like never before. Most of society experiences these advancements with better consumer electronics and Internet Of Things lifestyle improvements. These are only a few use cases for the new technology capabilities available today. Technological innovation is used in energy, agriculture, transportation, business and many other industries.

The medical field is one of the major industries using new technologies. These technologies are not only used for researching new medicines and improving hospital logistics and operations, they are also being used to develop and improve assistive technology devices. Assistive technology for dyslexia is only one of the many types of assistive technology categories improving the quality of life for its users. They are also available for people who have mobility impairments, cognitive impairments, hearing impairments, visual impairments, and many more.

A New School Experience

These new technological advancements and assistive devices have made way for the development of a new schooling experience for students with dyslexia. The main reason for this new experience is the new capabilities these technologies provide. The most important feature in assistive technology for dyslexia is text reading. With this capability, students with dyslexia can read anything. They can read from textbooks, digital blackboards, computers and other digital surfaces. They can even read from signs around the school. This creates an equal level of academic achievement for students with dyslexia. They even experience a boost of morale and a higher sense of accomplishment using assistive devices.

OrCam Learn

The most effective and convenient assistive devices are the wearable ones. Wearable assistive devices will leave both hands free while using them. They will also let students who wear them blend in easily at school without drawing attention to the device. OrCam learn is the most advanced wearable assistive technology for dyslexia. The majority of devices require students to scroll across a page line by line in order to read it. This is not only time-consuming and frustrating, it also draws attention to students while they are using it.

OrCam Learn only requires one gesture to have an entire page or digital surface read to the students using it. This is not only true for textbooks and documents, it also applies to digital surfaces as well such as computers, tablets, and smartphones. It even applies to signs and bulletin boards. Using hand gestures, the device will begin to read the entire page or digital surface. Hand gestures can also halt the reading. Connection to Bluetooth earbuds is available to provide privacy. It does not require an internet connection, so students can use it anytime, anywhere.

More Work Opportunities

The features and capabilities available to students with dyslexia can also help them in pursuing more career opportunities. The first barrier to entry for many careers is a relevant academic diploma. The main challenge for people with dyslexia obtaining those diplomas is their reading difficulties. This information needs to be acquired by reading large volumes of text, printed on paper or online. Using assistive technology for dyslexia, college students with dyslexia can keep up with their reading assignments and complete degrees without difficulty. Once they have obtained their degrees this way, they can then use the same assistive devices to read throughout their careers.

Personal life Usability

The challenges of reading difficulties for people with dyslexia are met in their personal lives too. Reading books, newspapers and magazines is not easy for people with dyslexia. In addition, going out to restaurants and cafes can be challenging as well. Menus with written information of what is offered will prevent people with dyslexia from being able to order independently. Even shopping for groceries requires reading the product information and a list of ingredients.

Using assistive technology for reading such as the OrCam Learn will provide the best solution for all of these requirements. Text reading, product identification, and even reading barcodes is available. This will make life easier for people with dyslexia in their day to day life. Access to written information will become available instantly whenever they need it.