Living with Multiple Sclerosis

‘Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a condition that can affect the brain and spinal cord, causing a wide range of potential symptoms, including problems with vision, arm or leg movement, sensation or balance’ (NHS) and for Jane, it progressed over time.

Jane was diagnosed with Progressive Secondary Multiple Sclerosis which affected the use of her hands:

“Gradually I lost the use of my legs, then my right hand (I was right-handed) and finally my left hand after I’d learnt to use it. I ended up typing one-fingered into my PC.” – Jane

It was during her care at the hospital that Jane began to contemplate assistive technologies:

“I was pointed towards Voicepower by the Neurorehabilitation people at the hospital. They showed me a very old version of Dragon and suggested I might like to learn to use it. By then use of my remaining working hand was failing fast.” – Jane

Empowerment through technology

Ready to explore the possibilities, Jane reached out to speech recognition experts, VoicePower Ltd.

The VoicePower team has over 25+ years of experience with using digital dictation and speech recognition software to help people with accessibility and productivity. From software to hardware and training and support – They have it all.

It wasn’t long before Jane was set up with the best speech recognition software on the market, Dragon speech recognition. VoicePower recommended the Dragon Professional Group version for Jane given its hosting on the user’s computer.

“VoicePower was there right from the beginning – advising what sort of PC I needed, how much memory etc” – Jane

It wasn’t just the support that Jane found useful, but the 1-2-1 training too:

“VoicePower suggested different ways I could learn to use Dragon. I learn better by doing something than reading about it so they organised for somebody to come to our home. I then practised what I had learnt and saw them again for another session, a bit more advanced, a fortnight later.” – Jane

A new lease of life

Once set up and trained on how to use Nuance Dragon Pro, Jane was using speech recognition for pretty much most of her daily tasks:

“I can do, independently, anything I want to on the computer. I can visit any part of the world, any art gallery, read any book, access any journal, and find any recipe. Not to mention internet shopping!” – Jane

“With the help of Dragon and PC by Voice, there’s nothing that anybody does on a screen (other than drawing or graphics), or with the written word, that I can’t do. You learn to work around different sorts of on-screen experiences/questionnaires/and you learn as you go. Luckily I already knew, because I’m of that sort of age, how to dictate.” – Jane

What’s more, Jane explains that Dragon speech recognition is more than a workflow to her, it has been pivotal in her quality of life:

“I can honestly say that without Dragon and VoicePower’s support to back it up, I don’t think I’d have been able to carry on. I would be completely dependent on my loved ones for everything. Instead, I have the independence to do anything I want in the virtual universe, manage my own affairs, and maintain relationships. Dragon gives me back the agency which MS took away.” – Jane

Support and guidance

As with all technology rollouts, the support and guidance of a dedicated professional is often the difference between failure and success. Jane completely understood this, appreciating the value of having someone to go to with any queries.

“I have an annual contract with VoicePower which provides me with the security of knowing that if anything goes wrong there is always a friendly and knowledgeable person at the other end of the phone to help put things right.” – Jane

But what did she think about the service she received from the technical team?

“Well, if I need to give it a rating – five stars. I would recommend it to anybody. The technical team are brilliant; If there isn’t an ‘official’ solution, they find a workaround. They always respond quickly and, if something can’t be fixed immediately, they always come back to you.” – Jane

“I think Nuance Dragon Pro should be available to anybody in my situation. I had to buy my computer and software but I would seriously suggest it to anybody who wants to be able to work accurately, quickly and hands-free. If you have a lot of writing to do, you are getting older and arthritic, or you have a neurological condition which affects movement, Dragon can make such a difference to your life.” – Jane