Dragon Personal

Dragon Is Essential to My Life

jmeyerktm520 — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 07:08:00 GMT

As a quadriplegic, for me it's quite simple, Dragon NaturallySpeaking is indispensable in my life. Dragon allows me to be a far more productive member of our family and society. Without it, I could not. It is the difference between being productive and being inactive. With Dragon, I am able to do everything an able-bodied person would do with a computer. And in this digital age that's a lot! I pay our family bills on the Internet and track our household expenses on spreadsheets, shop online for gifts and all variety of essentials, use the Internet for research and social interaction, send e-mails, convert cassette tapes to MP3 files and of course manipulate my iTunes. Otherwise I would be relegated to lots of TV viewing.

In 2004, I was an avid amateur off-road motorcycle racer living in the mountains of southern California with my wife and two small daughters. On Thanksgiving weekend that year I crashed during a race, landed on my head, broke my neck, and sustained a spinal cord injury resulting in C4 level quadriplegia.

My introduction to Dragon NaturallySpeaking began while I was still on the rehabilitation wing of Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. As soon as I was into a wheelchair and able to access the computer lab, the speech pathologist began teaching me Dragon. It was a wonderful feeling to be back communicating with all my fellow off-road motorcycle enthusiasts via the online forums I frequented before my accident.

These days I am able to not only operate my computer hands-free, but the features and shortcuts within Dragon allowed me to do so often more quickly than someone using a keyboard and mouse. I am so satisfied with the program that I've begun advocating its usage and training others. I now work at a local senior center to provide Dragon training not to just seniors but anyone in the community who can benefit from all it has to offer. Just in the last few months I've introduced Dragon to another quadriplegic who has no hand or arm function whatsoever, a man whose brain injury results in hand tremors that make continuous typing extremely difficult, and probably most satisfying of all, a 17-year-old boy with a learning disability that had always required him to dictate his school work to his mother for transcription. My enthusiasm for the program makes it rewarding and just plain fun to share my knowledge with them.

On a side note, as soon as my eight-year-old daughter could read well enough, I had her create her own Dragon voice file. Frankly, I was amazed at how well she took to the program. As kids are apt to do, she was immediately able to dictate text and control the computer by voice just by what she had absorbed from listening to me use Dragon.

Thanks for making my life as it is, possible.

Family genealogy

William Stein — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 04:01:06 GMT

I have been doing family tree for over 25 years I have purchased version 9.
And I love them very much I do not spell very good and it also taught me to speak correctly. I used to slang my words people had to ask me twice what I say so now they don't ask me twice as I speak correctly and then God for the spelling I am 81 years old and my wife is 83. It's sure does help me when I write notes in the family tree. My grandchildren and great-grandchildren comes over and uses this program. So I guess I have to buy them a dragon for there birthday. I happen to be in target store when I saw Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 but it will not download because it says I needed a PDF file that kind of made me disappointed a little bit, I purchased version 10 thought it would be a a lot better than version 9 but did know that I would have this kind of problem but I guess I will delete version 10 l and leave version 9 in my PC. And yes it beats pushing My finder in the keyboard.

Thank You

William Stein

I use Dragon to Post Twitter Updates Through Experimental Voice Interfaces!

owntheweb — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 03:58:48 GMT

I use Dragon NaturallySpeaking to send Twitter updates through experimental vocal interfaces. With sci-fi movies as inspiration, I tell the computer, "Computer, post an update to twitter saying that I'm posting a contest entry to Nuance". The computer replies, "It's published".

I use these interfaces to explore other possibilites such as solving basic math problems, converting measurements, and looking up the weather. Soon, I could be creating dynamic presentations with commands such as, "Computer show me Space" with stars instantly appearing on the screen.

Who knows, In the future I could ask the computer to "raise shields!". However, this is not a sci-fi movie. It's happening for real, thanks to Nuance.

The Great American Novel Or Why I never became a famous comedian

reddogg — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 00:29:48 GMT

"A day that will live in infamy!" With these words President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in a six and one half minute speech on December 8, 1941 recounted the event of December 7 when the Empire of Japan had launched an attack on Pearl Harbor Naval Station Hawaii. His short, but inspirational talk focused America's anger in a way that would eventually change the world.

"Oh my gosh what a pain in the butt is this kid." With these words new mother Ethel Bertha Wampler in a three second epitaph, uttered on December 7, 1946, summarized the destiny of her just delivered son Joseph Lee Jr. Cesarean attack of course to be a greater pain, the event would not, five years after the former, result in such a world changing event. Not only would the child not become a famous comedian but it is questionable whether to this day whether he will eventually complete the "Great American Novel."

When I was diagnosed with prostate cancer almost four years ago I stared dictating the above recounting of the beginning of my life. The sudden thought of facing my mortality and possible soon demise was overwhelming.

Ten years before I had been totally disabled by an accident that left me with spinal injury limiting my use of my hands along with other complications. I turned to Dragon Naturally Speaking for help.

Unfortunately I have not completed a history for my family and the "Great American Novel" due to the damage of my laptop and the loss of my computer discs during a move from California, to a more affordable location in Utah.

With any luck I can still try for the famous comedian gig if this contest does not result in new software since I have survived to the ripe old age of 63 on my wits alone.

Respectfully

J.Lee "Reddogg" Wampler

( Explaining the nick name is whole nother story y'all )

"Had it Wrong," a Repetitive Stress Injury Story ... Animated!

jdurgee — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 22:51:04 GMT

[View:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIVpQEpB4LY:425:344]

Dragon Natural Speaking is the "bomb-baby"

Catamountred — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 18:57:54 GMT

As a wee little baby, at only 20 months old, I was struck by a car and pinned between the car and the cement curb. I spent several months in a body cast and it seemed initially there would be no long-term problems. As I grew older, I always had pain in my hips and legs. By the time I reached college, I was unable to sit without extreme burning and throbbing pain in my back, hips and legs. To attend college classes I had to stand in the back of the classroom. To do my college class homework, I would lay down and read my college textbooks from the floor.

When I attended graduate school, IBM came out with their first high-tech laptop, the IBM convertible. The problem was, to work on the computer I usually had to try and sit. I rigged up a harness from the ceiling with springs to prevent weight from going on my hips and back but that failed. Due to the health problems I had, I dropped out of graduate school. It was a hard decision because I love to study, I love education, and I love the academic atmosphere. But all in all, trying to learn and do homework was just too difficult.

As computers improved, along came probably the single greatest piece of software, Dragon Natural Speaking. It literally changed my life. I got interested in online education courses but I still faced the problem of excruciating pain while sitting. The solution, Dragon Natural Speaking. I could do my online courses whether I was standing, laying down or sitting, either way, I was able to take course notes quickly and effectively. I could walk around as I took notes on my computer, I could sit in an antigravity chair and talk to my computer and take notes with extreme accuracy. When I learned the Dragon Natural Speaking commands for Microsoft Word and Excel, I could literally do all my work if I chose from a reclining chair. Suddenly I could do all my work in a fraction of the time it took me to do the old-fashioned way, sit in a chair and take notes with a pencil and paper notepad.

With the freedom that Dragon Natural Speaking brought to me, I have been able to take unlimited courses in numerous subjects that I had interest. If I didn't have my headset, my computer and Dragon Natural Speaking, my educational pursuits would have come to an end. That would have meant no education in Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Dreamweaver, Google SketchUp, Adobe Lightroom….. which means I probably would've been unable to work as a graphic designer. In my opinion, the top five most useful computer programs to date are:

Nuance Dragon Natural Speaking
Adobe Photoshop
Nuance PaperPort
Adobe Lightroom
Browsers (Explorer and Firefox)

"Write? I suppose -- but boy, can I talk!"

david spreckels — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 18:40:14 GMT

For years, I've been accumulating notes with an eye towards writing a book. Scribbling ideas is one thing, while sitting down to the real dirty work has always proved to be quite another. Somehow, writing has always seemed to be more of a task than a pleasure. The thought of it has always made me feel like a schoolboy putting off an assignment. But boy, can I talk. A couple of years ago, the realization that technology might help put me over the hump sent me in search of software. A techie pal suggested Dragon -- and suddenly the sea of scrap paper ideas I'd been swimming in were collated cleanly, within easy screen's reach. ( A few times, while breaking in Dragon 9, my ego suffered a bit -- some of the misrecognized dictation proved more intriguing than what I had intended.) But the floodgates have opened -- a quick sample:

"You work on the trading floor? Isn't that stressful?" The question often comes up socially when a discussion turns to career. I usually deflect, with the observation that everyone deals with stress. But it's true that the business does engender a high degree of intensity, especially given the shoulder to shoulder nature of the floor. Today, while in my basement office trading on the computer, the market may be going crazy, but I’m seated in ergonomic comfort, surrounded by calm – any tension is purely internal. Those days in the pit, however, were a different story. Herd mentality made it easy to succumb to panic – so the capacity to keep one's head was invaluable. I had grown so accustomed to having a knot in the pit of my stomach that I barely noticed it. At the end of the day, my (unlicensed) physicians down in the Exchange Club would provide an effective antidote. A tall double ‘goose’ and soda treated this symptom much like direct pressure applied to a wound. “The trading floor? Stressful? Naah -- not so ya’d notice.”

Just Learning

CLiff — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 18:13:17 GMT

We have the Dragon Naturally Speaking ( Word perfect office 2002 ) version. Which is a little old. We got it with a computer we bought in 2002. My wife uses it all the time I had never use it. We have a new computer 98@ Vista that it will not work on . So we don't have it on the new computer. I'm not a typer I'm a 2 finger taper. So it's taking me awhile here now. Well back to story. My wife left to go to her mom's up North for a couple month's vacation. We have about 2000 movies we've recorded that needs a movie list made up. So I started taping it took me about 3 hrs. to enter 200 movie titles got tired and gave up. That was a couple weeks ago. This last weekend I remembered dragon naturally speaking on other computer. Dug it out and had to set myself up on it. Took about 15 mins. but wasn't bad at all. Used it and entered 300 movies in about 30 mins. It Made a few mistakes but my speech wasn't correct. All I have to do is hook USB cable up beteween both computers and transfer data. I love it. Where was it 35 years ago when I was in High School Ha Ha.. Cliff

Oh, Poor Emus on Fire!

Diane Haggerty — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 16:43:28 GMT

I use Dragon every day, at home and at work, for everything from typing documents and updating spreadsheets, to composing e-mails, managing files, and writing short stories (and working on the great American novel!). I've had to use it instead of typing ever since a spinal injury of over a year ago left me with nerve damage in my right arm, but I know that even after I'm completely healed, I will still use Dragon instead of all the typing and mousing I used to do -- after all, why not? It's so much faster and easier! People at work are actually envious of my Dragon software -- so instead of feeling like I'm at a disadvantage, or am being pitied, I actually have people wishing they could do what I do!

At home, instead of being stuck in my chair while I'm working at the computer, I can get up and stretch and walk around the room, pet my cat, and even fold laundry at the same time I'm dictating stories and e-mails, which I could never do before. Even if I'm nowhere near my computer, I can still dictate into my little portable recorder, and transcribe the files later.

As for the program itself, I'm amazed at how accurate Dragon is, and how large a vocabulary it has -- which you can make even larger by adding words. Dragon is also fun to use, and has been since the very first day. I even enjoyed the few mistakes it made during the training period, when Dragon was still getting used to my voice, since some of them were highly amusing. Mind you, the training period is pretty short, because Dragon learns very quickly, and it learns more each time you use it. That's good, but I do sometimes miss the funny things it used to say.

Some favorite gaffes include:
- "pork checker" for "torque checker" (that got some laughs at work -- everybody wanted that job!)
- "Satan please" for "Saint Louise," the hospital I stayed at (that shed an entirely different light on the subject...)
- and my favorite by far, and the one for which this missive is named, which happened when I read the opening lines from Shakespeare's Henry V: "Oh, for a Muse of fire..." and Dragon happily typed out: "oh poor emus on fire." My friends and I love that one -- someone even suggested it would be a great name for a band!

All joking aside, Dragon is a great tool without which it would be very awkward, slow, and painful for me to use the computer, extremely difficult to continue with my creative writing, and absolutely impossible for me to do my job. Dragon creators, bravo!

Getting more of my life back with Dragon

texascubbie — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 16:14:36 GMT

I had never thought I would really need to bother with VR software-- after all, I had earned a PhD in English from the University of Iowa and had never needed to compose any essay with voice recognition-- I couldn't even imagien trying to use it to write my 100+ page dissertation! VR was simply a cool idea which would never apply to me

Enter, of course, my own personal "dragon"-- in January of this year, I was diagnosed with Relasing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis after almost two years of bizarre weakness in my hands and legs and one bad case of vertigo. It was the vertigo which sent me on my odyssey to Phoenix to eventually be diagnosed 2 years after things had started to go wrong in gradual stages.

Of course, I came home to a lot of rehab and the knowledge there was a reason I couldn't really type well anymore-- the lesions in my brain were very near the motor areas of the brain, and I had lost permanently some control and speed in my hands. As an English professor, this was more than annoying-- it could be potentially disastrous. And then I remembered that VR technology.

First I got it for my home and learned how much easier it made emailing, grading essays, and simply surfing. I didn't have to worry so much about "losing independence" in terms of communicating, because I could use Dragon to do so much that my hands had done before. Then, I had my school get it for my office and it made a huge difference in how much work I could do and how fast I could do it. So though I had been very concerned with the loss of brain matter and the difficulties ahead with MS, and had worried that somehow MS would "take over", my doctors, friends, and technology like Dragon has made it possible to feel more in control and less like a victim.

Maybe it seems like a small thing-- the ability to write an email or compose a letter to friends-- but without it, a person who is by nature and education very verbal feels more than lost. So thanks, Dragon, for all you have helped me do!

I speak Dragon personally, and so much more!

ellengem2 — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 08:46:41 GMT

Although I'm entering in the personal category, I also have used Dragon for personal and educational reasons. Just recently, I experienced using Dragon socially for the first time. It made things a lot easier! I am a 46-year-old woman with cerebral palsy, from birth. I have used Dragon since version 3, and I'm now on version 10. I even gave up the Macintosh format that I learned on, because I knew that no voice recognition software that Macintosh had developed was even close to the performance provided by Dragon. This statement is true today as well. I tried the built-in voice recognition program that came with Windows Vista because I had heard good things about it and it was good- for a while. However suddenly its performance started to deteriorate, and I'm now back to Dragon. With the improvements -that have been made in versions 9 and 10. I don't think I would ever go back to using Vista.

I can only type with three fingers on one hand and so even version 3 was quite liberating. In fact have always wanted to express my thanks to everyone who works on this product . I have never heard of this contest before so I am glad I have a chance to do so now.

I have used dragon for personal letters and creative writings. However, I have also used Dragon educationally to help me complete two additional certifications which added to my original teaching certificate. Since I was working when I got these certificates,. I'm not sure i would have been able to complete my programs without Dragon's help. One of the Certifications I Added on Was a Special Ed Certificate. I am a strong advocate for voice-recognition when I speak to parents, who I believe have children who could benefit from it. In the professional realm, I have used Dragon should create lesson plans, and handouts for my students and school staff. Dragon helps me be more productive and do my job more effectively. Most recently, I have been using Dragon to write cover letters as I am looking for a new job.

I have noticed that the last two versions have made it much easier to use Dragon with my AOL e-mail. Just in the last month I have used Dragon to participate in an online class. It certainly has made chatting, online much easier and more enjoyable.

So as you can see I have grown along with Dragon, and I am continually surprised with your innovations. I really appreciate your commitment to making your product even better. Keep up the great work and I will continue to speak Dragon!

(Please note: I submitted an entry on June 29, but I never got notice that the moderator had approved my entry. When I got a note that the contest had been extended I went online to look for my entry. I looked twice and couldn't find it. So I'm reposting. Please let me know that you receive it.)

My story followed by my "Gratitude "

sunn021273 — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 06:46:59 GMT

Thanks Dragon NaturallySpeaking, you've literally changed my life. I've actually been using Dragon, Every since 1998. That's When I Learned about Dragon Dictate Classic Edition 3.0. Unfortunately I am a victim of a valid crime. Which took place in the early 90s. I was shot in the neck, which paralyzed me from the neck down. I was a 20 year old college student with a life when it happened. After it happened, I felt like I've done a 360 to no life. I had not one urge to do anything but be angry. After I finally made it home, which was about 11/12 months after my accident. Fortunately after I met my first girlfriend :-). It was fortunate for me because, she was in school and for breaking up with me in 98 :-). She definitely tried encouraging me into going back to school. She had me so excited I wanted to register that next semester, and at the same time I really felt lost because I didn't know what to do or how to go about getting back into school. Being as though she was putting herself through school and taking care of me at the same time. I got caught up into my feelings for her to the point where as though I put myself on the back burner. At that point in my life for a brief moment I felt like I had my life back. Because she did everything for me. I was definitely dealing with a dilemma, because I felt as though I owed her everything. After a couple of years past I finally had the opportunity to show her my appreciation. So I ordered a nice brand-new fully equipped PC for her to continue her studies. Unfortunately it was too late because she broke up with me and left with another man. Fortunately I wasn't out of luck for to long. That following week my speech therapist introduced me to a software called Dragon Dictate Classic Edition 3.0. Every since I've made Dragon there has been no looking back. With Dragon's assistants I have been able to go back and finish school, find work and start my own business in graphic designs. I tell all my friends now that I have Dragon NaturallySpeaking on my side. I can do more than they could on their feet. Of course I was joking a tad bit. They didn't believe me anyway. Each and every one of them said like what? I immediately start telling them everything like, writing a paper, giving presentations, playing games, chatting with friends, paying bills, finding and making new friends, hanging out all night in club like chat rooms. They still didn't believe it. Until they've seen me in action with their own eyes. Now we are all active users of Dragon NaturallySpeaking software..I am so glad my speech therapist introduced me to the Dragon family because it gave me a purpose and my life back.. For many years now I wanted to tell my Dragon's story but never had the chance. Until now therefore I feel like I've already won. Again thanks for everything Dragon NaturallySpeaking :-) xoxo

"Had it Wrong," a Repetitive Stress Injury Story.... (animated!)

jdurgee — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 05:14:22 GMT

[View:http://community.nuance.com/cfs-file.ashx/__key/CommunityServer.Discussions.Components.Files/36/3858.dragon_5F00_Julia_5F00_Durgee_5F00_2.wmv:640:480]

My Dragon let me keep working!

Wendy Christopher — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 03:48:46 GMT

I love my Dragon!

I LOVE my Dragon!

I wish I had dollar for every time my co-workers heard that phrase.

You see, in late April of 2008 I was diagnosed with cancer and although I had almost 5 years of sick time and several weeks of vacation time stored up, by September I had used up most of that time. However, my prognosis was good, the treatments were tapering off and we were coming into a new year, I wasn't worried about needing more time off. Unfortunately, about then I injured my shoulder and was told that I would need surgery, and then would probably not be able to work for about six weeks. I was very concerned about my finances and paying the bills; I really needed to work. A friend of mine suggested buying the Dragon. She had purchased one many years before for a child with disabilities, and thought that I could use it at the office for the correspondence I needed to do there, and that way I wouldn’t lose as much time. It worked so well that I only needed to be off for about a week! Of course I had to demonstrate it for each of my co-workers and many people coming into the office and everyone of them had to hear how much I love my Dragon. What they didn’t realize was that the Dragon made it possible for me to work and continue to receive full pay, rather than my having to be out of work and receiving half pay on workers compensation. I was able to do my job so well that my boss kept forgetting I’d just had surgery.

I guess in conclusion, all I really have to say is, I really do love my Dragon!

Dragon NaturallySpeaking changed my life.

digitalkaren — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 02:14:07 GMT

Prior to using Dragon NaturallySpeaking I would type with two fingers, but with limited strength caused by SMA, a severe lifelong disability, I would fatigue quickly and give up. When I heard about Dragon NaturallySpeaking I thought I would give it a try. That was eight years ago. Today with the help of Dragon NaturallySpeaking I can utilize my computer and the Internet in ways I never imagined. I started blogging and developed a following of friends and Internet acquaintances. I had access to the world with my own online journal and personal soapbox. Because I'm an avid blogger I'm able to make extra money by selling keyword text links for website advertisers. Dragon NaturallySpeaking has opened up a new world for me. Today I utilize various forms of social media and not only do I blog, but I also Twitter and use Facebook. Without Dragon NaturallySpeaking these social media tools would be too difficult to use and I would have missed out on reconnecting with old high school friends and cousins all over the country. Advancements in technology have done much to help someone like myself, unable to walk and with very limited manual dexterity, to utilize their talents and skills beyond physical limitations. I say a hearty thank you to those who create such technology.

Memories are for tomorrow

Lewis Horwitz — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 21:40:59 GMT

While I have few typing skills and even less ability to spell, I have, for some time now, wanted to write my autobiography so my children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren to be, would know a little something about my past, my thoughts and desires, my feelings about life and my great love for the only woman in my life, my wife.

For the past several years I have used Dragon, Naturally Speaking, to write e-mail, numerous letters and on occasion, lengthy memos for a business I established shortly after retiring. I learned to use it fairly well and I found I enjoyed the option of peering out the window at my yard or closing my eyes and focusing intently on what I intended to articulate; to say nothing of the fact that as I spoke the words went through spell check and came out perfectly.

I knew writing was demanding and tedious and required not only elucidating one's thoughts, but re-writing again and again. I don't believe I am lazy but frankly, I just could not push myself to just sit down and "do it."

My children are all adults and have children and have heard my "stories" over and over again... but not my grandchildren and future family members. My thoughts progressed to my father, a Russian immigrant; he lived a difficult life when very young and never talked about it. I knew nothing of his family, of stories of his growing up, of his dreams and at times, his disappointments. I knew I must write my story.

And so, I experimented. I sat at my computer in my comfortable chair at my desk; I opened Microsoft Word and Dragon. I gazed out my window at the garden below, then closed my eyes and began “speaking” of my mother and father, brother and sisters, the challenges in my life and my love for my wife and family.

At times I spoke directly to my mother and father and brother and sister, who are no longer with us, and to my wife, children and grandchildren, about my most intimate feelings, about the past and what I thought the future might bring.

After some time, I opened my eyes and looked at the screen before me, I saw my thoughts spelled out in written words in front of me. Tears welled up in my eyes; I can do this, I can meet this challenge, in great part because I have the ability to simply speak from my heart and have those thoughts converted to words on paper. What a wonder, this great technology, so simple to use and yet it takes me down the path I have wanted to go for so long.

Starting at the age of eight, my autobiography has progressed through my teenage years, my marriage and now my first child. I have a ways to go and I pray the time to finish.

All this and more … from Dragon. Thank you.

Escape from Destiny with a mouth stick

DestinyJoe — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 20:54:44 GMT

When trying to type my autobiography, (Escape from Destiny) with a mouth stick, that is, a piece of wood with rubber tubing on the ends, it was time-consuming, to say the least. It also gave me chapped lips, and a cracking jaw from constantly holding the stick on one side of my mouth.

Eventually, computers evolved so I could type on a software keyboard (a picture of a keyboard on the screen) and type by head movements and an air tube I blew into.

Somewhat better but, still pretty slow. In about seven hours, I could type 1000 words on a good day.

I think voice typing was, sort of, around, but it ran on a separate computer, as a keyboard to the first, and was very expensive. Computers were still pretty slow.

Today, and for the last several years, I've been using Using Dragon naturally speaking, I can type 1000 words in about 1/2 hour or so.

It also spells a lot better than I do. Sometimes when somebody asks me how to spell something, I just turn on Dragon naturally speaking and say the word, shazam, there it is.

When I had my swimming accident in 1976 and lost the ability to move my arms or legs, there was no home computer. What a difference. It's like having a building secretary in my computer that takes dictation whenever I'm ready.

I'm also writing a screenplay using Dragon naturally speaking. It's about this old guy that was just put in a nursing home by his daughter.

The old guy, with the help of his granddaughter, will go back in time, and save the world from imminent destruction.

Oh yeah, I am working on one more. "I was a foster parent." A lot of baloney there, believe me, but not where I expected it from.

It would be nearly impossible to do my writing without Dragon NaturallySpeaking. By the way, it's 11: 32 PM and I'm laying in bed writing this (voice typing) using my laptop, turned on its side, on a table next to me. How cool is that!

Very important, I use their PaperPort too. One very important advantage over hard folders, is that you can put one folder in another folder in another folder. Try doing that with your real file cabinet. I've developed a pretty simple system, that even I can follow :-)

I have about 25 filing cabinets of information in my computer, and I can actually find all of it. I've never lost anything. Even though I turn my computer off during thunderstorms and I've never lost data, I always keep plenty of backups.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I rate NaturallySpeaking, supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, and NaturallySpeaking spelled that.

Looking forward, Fred

Dragon to the Rescue

Lydz — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 19:20:23 GMT

Damsels in distress are usually rescued by knights in shining armor, but my hero is a dragon. Dragon Naturally Speaking has enabled me to continue using my computer in spite of a progressive disability. I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) twelve years ago and my disease has slowly taken away my mobility and independence. Because of MS, I can no longer walk, work or stand and my fine motor skills are also affected. Typing has become particularly difficult because I find myself only able to use one finger of one hand quite often. This is okay if I am just checking emails or surfing the web but when I want to do more, it’s Dragon to the rescue.

With my trusty Dragon, I can reply to my emails, participate in social networking sites such as FaceBook, manage my family’s website, solicit donations for the MS walk and even keep a blog about living with MS. Also, I am a political activist writing to my senators and congressmen about legislation that affects me and everyone else living with the disease. I could not possibly do all these things if I had to rely on my diminishing typing skills.

Dragon helps me stay connected to my friends, family and the world. I can’t imagine my life without it. In this age where technology is creating smaller and smaller devices, I often feel left out because I can’t use them. Dragon allows me to fully participate in the online world despite my physical limitations. I am no longer a “damsel in distress.” I am an empowered woman riding through cyberspace on my mighty dragon!

The Magic of Dragon

DragonLady — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 18:52:12 GMT

When I was in my pre-teens I was diagnosed with severe depression and anxiety disorder. A symptom of this illness is a tendency toward racing thoughts. A way to describe it would be as if your brain were a balloon and your thoughts the water that filled it from a constantly flowing faucet. It would soon feel as if it were going to pop if you didn't find a way of releasing some of the water. A way I found to do this was to begin writing. It felt like whatever I put down on paper or spoke aloud released some of the water from the balloon and temporarily made me feel better. I can't remember how many notebooks I filled with random thoughts, or how many times I woke my mother in the middle of the night to tell her what was in my head. The need to expel the abundance of ideas, thoughts, worries, and dreams in my mind was a necessity; like lancing a boil to relieve pressure.

Though my depression and anxiety were eventually controlled with medication and therapy, the need that I developed to write and express myself through it only grew stronger. Even without the anxiety my mind would fill to bursting with ideas, poetry, stories, and often just what I'm thinking at any given time. But whereas this once seemed to be a curse, I've found it's been my salvation. The only problem was that my thoughts still manage to outrun my poor hands. I could never seem to keep up with everything I wanted to put down and often lost many of my musings to my slow writing or hunt and peck method of typing. It was just heartbreaking to me when they were simply lost to lack of time or speed on my part.

Luckily, I discovered there was a way to give voice to my thoughts and still capture them in written word. Dragon Naturally Speaking has made it possible for me to hold onto every thought or idea and catch it as quickly as my lips can speak it. It's like magic to think something, say it, and have it appear on my computer screen in a matter of seconds. There was a time in my life when I felt writing saved my sanity; now it feeds my soul. A painful period in my past gave me an unexpected gift in my ability and love of writing. I still have that sense of release whenever I write, and thanks to Naturally Speaking that feeling is magnified. Dragon gave my mind wings.

Personal story

lbenoit — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 17:37:16 GMT

Hi,

My name is Leo Benoit and I work at an AT (Assistive Technology) center in New Hampshire. If it were not for Dragon Naturally Speaking I would not be sharing my story with you today.

My story begins back in 1986 when I began attending a technical college. My first month there was a trying one because I’ am dyslexic. During that first month I was very anxious and could feel my heart beating out of my chest. At that point I had to decide to calm down and take it easy or I would not be able to make it through this challenging time in my life. I decided to take nine credits for each trimester. I was very up front about my learning disability. My professors were very understanding and worked with me during my three years six months at the technical college. The hardest part of college was writing papers for my classes. It took me three times longer than the average individual and I was usually very mentally drained by the time I completed my assignments and if it was not for my loving wife's help with spelling and grammar it would've taken me longer

When I was at college I began hearing about DragonDictate which was way back in the late 80s. I felt that if I could obtain this product I would have a chance in the working world to use my COTA (certified occupational assistant) degree and help others. When your product was first available it was very expensive. My vocational counselor and I looked into ways of funding this type of assistive technology. After three years I was finally able to own DragonDictate. Ever since then I have been using it on a daily basis to help me with my paper work.

Today I am using NaturallySpeaking 9.5 professional to compose his e-mail and because of it I will not be mentally tired after doing so.

For many of years now I have taught teachers, so that they can help their students with learning disabilities, students with learning disabilities, so that they could be more independent with their writing, workers with physical limitations, so that they can be more productive and people who use it for recreational purposes as well.

I am very grateful that a product like yours was invented. Because of it I can write more intelligently than before. This is not because I did not have a good vocabulary I just did not know how to spell the words that would give my writing power. I would use smaller words such as big instead of gigantic, car instead of automobile and happy instead of joyful. It has helped me and countless others achieve their goals in life, I know this because as an assistant technologist I have introduced NaturallySpeaking to others who need assistive technology to access their computers.

In closing I would like to say it has been a long and rewarding journey thanks for your audience.