Twenty-five year-old businessman, Arran Smith, set up his IT company five years ago to provide computer services and support to local businesses and individuals. Diagnosed as severely dyslexic at eight years-old, Arran’s condition historically prevented him from reading and processing information.

Now managing director of a successful business, Arran spends considerable amounts of time on the road, so has invested in CapturaTalk v2, the UK’s first mobile phone software which converts text to speech, enabling him to access to emails, digital documents and proof read vital documents on the go. With Oxford English Dictionary definitions at his fingertips, Arran is able to access and make sense of difficult information from one handset quickly and discreetly.

Arran began his IT career at Bosworth Community College in Leicester, where he studied for an IT GNVQ, which he then furthered with an advanced GNVQ at North Warwickshire & Hinkley College. “When I was diagnosed as dyslexic, technology was no way near as advanced as it is now, so I struggled immensely with my reading, writing and spelling. Moving on to college, I was given much better support which enabled me to get to grips with computers and discover my passion for IT. I find typing a lot easier than writing by hand, so using a computer gave me a lot of confidence to try new things and further my career.”

Fresh out of college, Arran’s first job as Project Officer for a local charity involved designing and managing the charity’s web site and designing a mobile computer project. Arran comments: “As a very imaginative and creative person, web site design and branding was a dream job, however, my dyslexia meant that I relied heavily on my friends and family to proof read all my web copy which is incredibly frustrating. Assistive technologies such as text-to-speech and speech-to-text have really changed my life; I no longer feel like a burden to people as I can check my own work.”

Arran’s work with the charity then inspired him to set up his own business, Azco Services. As managing director, Arran spends considerable amounts of time travelling to and from jobs; so much of his communication with clients takes place on e-mail. Perfect for accessing information on the move, CapturaTalk enables text-to-speech for Pocket Word, Notes and tasks, SMS, e-mail and Pocket Internet Explorer applications. Arran said: “As I am out and about a lot, I need a quick and effective way to keep in touch with clients. As I still often rely heavily on pictures and colours to understand information, having a solution which will instantly read out my e-mails, texts and even Word documents is invaluable. The fact that it is on my mobile is ingenious as I always have my phone on me and never need to worry about lugging a laptop everywhere I go. As my phone’s got Windows Mobile, I also don’t have to worry about being without my calendar and simply sync my phone up to my laptop when back in the office.”

Read more… ]]> http://activegreymatter.org/2009/06/entrepreneur-uses-latest-mobile-assistive-technology-to-compete-in-the-business-world/feed/ 0 http://activegreymatter.org/2009/06/economy-makes-finding-a-job-harder/ http://activegreymatter.org/2009/06/economy-makes-finding-a-job-harder/#comments Wed, 03 Jun 2009 00:53:41 +0000 Krishanna http://activegreymatter.org/?p=460 Continue reading →]]> From Profoundly Yours

This is a question I am often asked: Does the shaky economy make it harder for people with disabilities to find a job? Undoubtedly, yes. The job marketplace is more competitive, and frankly, it’s easier for an employer to hire someone who doesn’t need an accommodation.

Though the American with Disabilities Act prohibits discrimination of the disabled, it still happens indirectly — and more so when the hiring pool is larger. Just look at U.S. employment rates from the past year. Only 46 percent of working-age people with disabilities held jobs, vs. 84 percent of non-disabled people. The national unemployment rate for people with disabilities was 12.9 percent in April 2009, compared to 8.6 percent for non-disabled Americans.

And here’s a little-known fact: It takes someone with a disability 10 times longer to land a job than the average person. “Employers want to hire people with disabilities but they’re often not trained on how to find, interview or manage this group,” says Sheridan Walker, founder of consulting firm HirePotential.

The good news is assistive technologies can level the playing field. Many of these accommodations are already in use in the workplace, and most cost less than $500 or are free to use. For instance, a screen reader for the blind is built into both Windows and Mac computers. Speech-recognition software, around $200, is used by both busy CEOs and workers who are dyslexic. Instant messaging programs, free and used in offices everywhere, are also very useful for the deaf and hard or
hearing.

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