I Speak Dragon to Improve my Life
Paul F. -
I suffered a moderate closed head injury after a bad automobile accident. Two of the specialists I saw for treatment used Dragon for dictation and showed me how easy it was to use. They felt it would be useful in my recovery and wrote a prescription for me. The head injury left me with short term memory difficulty and problems with putting thoughts into words. With Dragon I found I could dictate reports as soon as I was finished with my work; which is great because the longer I had to wait the more I didn't retain. It's also proven to be a great tool for bridging the gap for when I'm trying to put my thoughts into words. I have difficulty with typing, trying to formulate my thoughts and then putting my words onto paper. Removing the manual typing has proven to be quite helpful in recovering my ability to think of and compose professional letters and correspondance. Version 9 is so accurate I can't tell you the difference it has made, it was well worth the upgrade. I find Version 9 also works great when speaking softly which helps to maintain privacy in the office. P.F.
Andrew L. -
I have been using Dragon NaturallySpeaking 9, for many years I have found myself making observations of natural history, and coming out with inane comments like " this is the earliest I could ever seen this thing flowering". I have not kept systematic records over the years and so I don't know whether my memory is correct or not. In addition, I have promised myself many years that I'll keep a diary. To date, I have not done so private project. Dragon 9 gave me the impetus to train the programme by keeping both the nature and a personal diary. In doing this I have met a personal ambition. Thank you Dragon NaturallySpeaking 9
Robert G. -
For many years, my disability has impacted my productivity and ability to compete with my able-bodied counterparts on an equal basis. Having only two fingers on my right hand and no left-hand, it is easy for anyone to see and indeed hear how much of a difference Dragon naturally speaking professional version 9 has made not only increasing the speed by which I work but also reducing the pain which I suffer from continued and prolonged use of the keyboard and mouse. Running my own business since November of 2006 in the field of disability, access auditing, and disability awareness training has only been made possible with the aid of Dragon naturally speaking. I have become an avid fan and shamelessly promote the advantages of the software not only to my disabled clients that to everybody willing to listen. My only wish is that I had known about the software during my PhD studies which took me over five years to complete, primarily is a result of my limited typing speed and associated pain. The 100,000 word PhD thesis would have been 100,000 words easier if I'd had access to Dragon NaturallySpeaking version 9. As you can hear I am an avid fan and feel that life has become a greatly easier since my introduction to Dragon NaturallySpeaking version 9.
Ian E. -
I am profoundly dyslexic and for many years written off by every person who knew me including personal family as being 'thick, lazy backward and slow. In 1978 I was diagnosed as being dyslexic but hid this away for many years and as a consequence were subjected to further abuse, In 1996 I changed career to work with people who have learning disabilities. Management encouragement to be open about my disability and I was introduced to voice-activated computer software-DragonDictate. DragonDictate Has Revolutionised the world I live in. No longer do I fear writing letters or reports. It Is Incidental That without DragonDictate I would not have been able to complete a university degree not once but twice. This Computer Software has given me so much personal confidence in the world I live in. It is incidental that People who labelled myself 'thick, lazy backward and slow' all those years ago find it difficult to accept my achievements. What they don't know or do not understand none of this could have been achieved without DragonDictate.
Tom J. -
My Wicked Dragon I am just a lazy slob, retired abroad,who gave up all serious business in lfe years ago.Since 1998 my greatest pleasure has been to use DragonDictate for my emails to keep in touch with acquaintances worldwide. The DragonDictate version I originally bought required words to be pronounced separately, but I soon graduated to Version 2. I remained content with this version for a long time, and often sang its praises to my friends. However two years ago I bought Dragon NaturallySpeaking Preferred Version 8, and it is hard to exaggerate how delighted I am with it, and how ready to extol its many excellent qualities. I could always spell accurately, though not as faultlessly as the Dragon does, but the one thing I could not do was master touch-typing, despite having laboriously typed a 30,000 word dissertation, with just two fingers, in the early nineties. Besides, I like the sound of my own voice (even if very few other people do) -- not least when tucked away in my own room in front of my computer,where noone can hear me except my friendly Dragon. The Dragon's many virtues do not need spelling out, but it also has one magnificent vice, which I choose to regard as a supreme virtue, namely its wicked, nay malicious, sense of humour, which it reveals at frequent intervals by indulging its penchant for (deliberate?) Freudian slips of the pen; I know they are not slips of the tongue (mine), for I pride myself on always enunciating all I wish to communicate with singular clarity, but then I suppose that as the Dragon deals in typescript, they cannot be described as slips of the pen either. But when I have finished dictating, these lapses, howsoever caused, almost invariably make the editing process,a process which would otherwise border on the tedious, a thoroughly hilarious one, and all because of the Dragon's interpretation of what it has allegedly misheard. It has not really misheard, of course; I think it chooses to come up with the all-too-often unrepeatable out of an irrepressible sense of fun. Then I have to go through the text with a tooth comb to ensure the safe removal of some of the more Rabelaisian comments before they can give offence to the email's intended recipient. ( And the Dragon knew the word Rabelaisian -- his memory is phenomenal!) I trust these few words, dictated in a matter of moments, may be enough to show that I am really grateful to the Dragon, and proud also to have such a splendid pet as he is.
Terry P. -
I am 69 years of age and would be described as dyslexic which I have been able to disguise from all but my closest friends. In 1997 I bought my first computer and I obtained NaturallySpeaking which consisted of a number of floppy disks I thought it was quite remarkable. But now with NaturallySpeaking 8 it saves me literally hours of time and is incredibly efficient I use it for all kinds of purposes for example, writing sermons, as I am a Methodist local preacher writing letters and reports as I am a local councillor. It really has had a major impact upon my life and allowed me to free up time for other things.
Magdalene S. -
What a difference a Dragon makes!!! I have had Work Related Upper Limb Disorder (RSI) for almost 10 years now. I have had and will have many adaptations to my work and life, but I am always very wary of my ability to continue working with computers - they are a major factor in my work. My condition has not disappeared or lessened. So i am aware that there may have come a point where I would have to change my occupation completely. Having Dragon has now put my fears of my ability to continue working with computers at ease. I am no longer fretful when pieces of work come my way that would have otherwise caused my fingers, hands, wrists etc great discomfort and nights of pain. I can happily take on these tasks without any hesitation. Dragon is the way forward for all workforces using computers... Prevention is the best form of defence.
Stuart D. -
HOW DRAGON SAVED MY LIVES I am a busy small businessman. I work in property - letting out offices here in the Midlands. This career started 20 years ago. Then I was a very enthusiastic young builder, not a typist or a trappist. From my hard work followed some success. With this success came a need for bureaucracy: systems, organization, information retrieval, quality records. Yes, I had stopped being a builder, and was now an Organization. Now, typically all my time was spent working in the office as a typist and a trappist. Most of it spent away in private with my PC. Reports, accounts, lists, designs, budgets etc. Nothing out of the ordinary there. Until the year of the Dragon, I was at the computer 10 plus hours a day. And weekends had become just an extension of the working week. It is relevant – perhaps you guessed - that I am divorced of many years. One of the main reasons that sweet young Lindsay and I parted is - TOO MUCH WORK. Working long hours from the marriage day, over 3 years, to grow the business. So, to the present and computer dating. Like many people I discovered that computer dating is more challenging than it sounds. Starting off is NOT just a couple of mouse-strokes! It should be approached like conducting a campaign of war. The personal photograph. I didn’t have one less than 15 years old. Decent new photos took my staff ages to snap, as they tried to coax a smile over my severe proprietorial face. The personal Resume. You write a lot, and when done it reads like shallow drivel. You wouldn’t want to go out with you. You realize that you really need to write a book to say everything. Then you realize that you don’t really know yourself at all well. Those things that people say about you – could they be true after all? And how come I know more about Bridget Jones than about myself? A week later I had gone Live on the Dating website. And I was getting replies – and not just from the automated system. From females. It was about this time that, after much deliberation, I bought Dragon for the office. Quickly I became a born-again dictator. Dragon had saved my work life. And so it also saved my personal life. To those many alluring ladies I dictated the required answers, banter, facts and flirts. If it wasn’t for DNS they would have found me conversationally challenged and a dating dullard. In fact Dragon did better than save my life. It enabled me to find a fantastic new life. This life with Andrea.
Margie W. -
I have cerebral palsy, which means that my dexterity is severely impaired. I also have a speech impairment. When I was a teenager trying to do my “O” levels on the normal typewriter typing with one finger, was the most frustrating and limted experience. It suppressed my creative ability, and did me no favours, intellectually. Since I came across Dragon software. My life has changed. I can create anything I want to without having to ask anybody to help. My productivity at work, has dramatically changed and I can now write what I want, whenever I want in whatever format I want. From presentations, to spreadsheets, and literary geniuses, the world is my oyster. Thank you very much for making this accessible for disabled people.
James G. -
I've suffered with dyslexia or all my life I am now 51 years old, and it is the first time I is able to correspond letters and notes e-mails. It gives me a great deal of pleasure to be of the correspond with people and use the skills I have that everybody else takes for granted when I was a child dyslexia was not recognized I was just classed as slow. As you know dyslexia now has been accepted in society and it proves that people's intelligence is nothing to do with the difficulty of using being with language in written form for your software has been a revelation to me. Thank you very much I hope this is of interest to you and in the future when you improve your software it can help lots of people that have the same circumstances as I do. You're sincerely James Leslie goodier United Kingdom
Steve C.
Thank you. I am dyslexic. Dragon NaturallySpeaking has allowed me to write letters. I never wrote a letter before Dragon NaturallySpeaking came into my life
Cathy C. -
In the year 2000 my office went "computerised". A large part of my work involved report writing which up until then I wrote in longhand and the office secretary typed. Almost immediately I took a typing course and began typing my own reports. I liked the independence and control which this gave me, plus my productivity increased, plus the office secretary was able to get on with other tasks. At the end of 2001 I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I had a left mastectomy and during the operation my median nerve was severely and unfortunately irreparably damaged. When I return to work I found it quite difficult to function. In 2003 I attended an ideal homes exhibition where I picked up some leaflets about a computer voice recognition program - Dragon Naturally Speaking. My work IT section agreed that it could be just the thing I needed and my employer supplied me with the software. Dragon NaturallySpeaking has made a tremendous difference to me by allowing me to work independently again. It was also a great boost to me psychologically. I was so impressed I also bought the software for my home computer.
James B. -
When I found out I had a non-specific pain disorder in my arms three years ago, it was a massive blow; I’d worked out there was a problem because my arms were hurting non-stop, getting worse when I was trying to use a computer, but I thought it would be a short-term thing. Finding out that it would last for years at the very least was a shock. So little is known about this unusual condition that it wasn’t clear whether I’d ever fully recover. Fortunately, my arms have since improved so the pain is no longer continuous (although frustratingly it’s not always clear which of the remedies I've tried out is actually helping), but they can still cause quite a large amount of pain and discomfort. I have been using Dragon NaturallySpeaking for a couple of years now, after reading about how useful it was for working with computers without needing to use my arms. I gave it a try and it comes up with a lot of accurate transcriptions of what I’ve said, along with a few amusing ones that are sometimes more appropriate! I have used it to reduce my reliance on using the mouse and keyboard, sometimes bypassing them almost entirely, for which it has been of great value. It helps me to continue working (or doing other activities at home, such as using the Internet) even when my arms have other ideas.
Rob W. -
I am dyslexic adult with an interest in creative writing. Here is an example. Relativity rap Check Einstein he wrote the line Relativity he found divine Mass and energy is the same thing E=mc squared is da bling A curved prism light gave Newton insight That classical unstable thermodynamics is the structural wave form which moves the planets The sun is a changeable force with a moving boundary which gives heat and light to you and me Spectral light emissions cause the effect that curves space/ time to a constant effect Nuclear fusion will cause no confusion If you get over the simple delusion That every thing is in a fixed state That’s not how particles interrelate I understood Newtonian physics at school for every action an opposite I was no fool Well Dense energy equals mass they didn’t teach me that in class. Compressed energy is released in a dance a physical activity not left too chance All the sums must balance out and that’s what stars are all about Well a black hole it has no mass Progress and motion towards its devotion No light escapes this Euclidian potion Into what dimension does the energy emerge The whole damn thing is truly absurd and I have One two three all states emerge, mass and light and energy Extend from a singularity. Unleashed potential all around and that was how the light was found With energy the world resounds there’s are always motion where light is found Photons and electrons perform the trick that lets the clockwork universe tick It is not clockwork Newton’s bucket was wrong but try making that into a song The Lambda principle lets there be light who’s to say it’s not cosmologically right? A balanced creation of energy that created everything mysteriously Electrons and photons Like to dance and will interact given half a chance Too all of us its quite clear the earths a sphere You can not see the curve off the earth for its mighty girth The curve of the line resting on the equator Is the truth of the now in the past and the later The point of an arrow that curves on a dime This is the essence of circular time, gravity curves nature too a constant degree And even time is a singularity I hope this rhyme found the time to show you that physics is so sublime I now get up on stage and perform my poetry something I never would have envisaged myself doing a couple of years ago. Yours Rob Wheeldon
Elwyn P. -
I wish to thank Dragon natural speaking, this product has been a great help to me. I would not be able to use computer my education is very good. As regards all spelling I am now able to use my computer without any restrictions. I am a disabled person without computer. I would be lost. This is the most exciting thing in my life to use my computer to communicate with many friends around the world. Otherwise I would not be able to communicate, because I cannot spell to type. Thank you very much. I would recommend this programme to anybody that is a little bit dyslexic and have no confidence in themselves. You make my life more exciting to use computer as you can see. I have confidence in what I am saying. It is all down to you Dragon natural speaking thank you very much
Rachel B. -
I hurt my right wrist quite badly, in an accident, a year ago. I work as a GP; previously I had to type up all my patient consultations. It would have been impossible to continue working without the help of Dragon. I would have needed time off for surgery. I've been able to avoid this, and my wrist has now recovered without intervention. It's no longer painful to type, but I'm so used to using Dragon, I won't give it up! It helps me keep to time, and I can do all my own correspondence, without having to rely on a secretary. I consider myself to be the most efficient doctor in the practice.
Alexander C. -
I am only 3 and a half and my Daddy has to help me, but I can now send an email to my friend Lily.
Kevin B. -
It is the third version of Dragon but I have used I started with five they moved to seven and am now using number nine which is real good I studied nursing at Napier University and passed with the aid of Dragon supplied with a laptop computer by the Scottish executive I was one of the first to get this benefit, it makes writing essays, letters, and e-mail is not fun then acceptable. I am now working in a hospital in Scotland using the computer to do some work I wish that the NHS would buy Dragon so that we can have it on the computer at work. The reason I use it is that I have dyslexia and not very good at writing and spelling which Dragon does very well it is the best piece of software ever and I could not have managed without it "thank you."
Stephen W. -
As I am dyslexic and a self-employed plumber I have relied on my wife for years to do my business typing. Unfortunately nearly 5 years ago her mother had a serious stroke which left her in a comatose state and a short while afterwards her father had a heart attack which left him in a very weak state. My wife has to go to their house every day to look after them which has left her with very little time to look after my paperwork. As I was unable to spell or type I was starting to get complaints from customers which was jeopardising our income. I had tried a dictation program some years ago but it was not very good so in desperation I tried DragonDictate 9. I cannot emphasise enough the change this has made my life and the pressure it is taken off me. I am amazed at the vocabulary of this programme as my work often requires specialised terms. It is also such a relief how many forms and programmes it will dictate into. Up till now e-mails were always a no go area for me which I always found an embarrassment, but not any more.
Julie T. -
The greatest impact that this programme has had on my life is that it helps me to do things I wouldn't normally be able to do when the illness I have affects my ability to function normally. It means that I can continue to enjoy using my computer, to surf the Internet, write letters that I wouldn't otherwise be able to do certain times of the day. I have Parkinson's disease and one of the problems of this for me is the inability to sleep for long periods during the night and because the tablets that I take do not work throughout the night it means that my capacity to operate a computer is more limited. However this programme allows me to use the computer much more easily because I can navigate programmes by using my voice. I also often write letters, e-mails and surf the net in the early hours of the morning with the ease of just using my voice. I have tried a similar programme which I used and four some time but it regularly failed me I have had this programme for approximately a month and have found it to be far superior to the previous programme. It has made my life easier and I would recommend it to anyone. When you are in your 20s and 30s you do not expect to be retired before you reach the age of 50 will be incapacitated to the extent that it is difficult to operate a computer but at least with the aid of Dragon naturally speaking I am able to carry on using the computer.
Chris S. -
I am a medical teacher, my work involves fair amount of lecture/tutorial preparations. Until the computers came to being I had no necessity at all to learn typing on a traditional typewriter. Soon it became clear to me the modern day computer is indispensible but I was at a loss since I was not good at typing and all efforts to master it didnt bring expected results. So needless mention the benfits DNS eespecially version 9 has brought me. It is simply marvellous and I now I use it every day for dictation to my word files, including the emails. Its simply amazing for it spells down EVEN complicated medical words without training. Well done DNS team, keep up the good work. DNS 9 is so good and clever, wonder any improvements on it is possible?
Andrew F. -
My father became totally blind just over two and a half years ago at the age of 75. For those of us with sight we can only begin to imagine the terrifying profoundly disturbing and life changing experience that this must be. My father had never turned on a computer before in his life. Despite this we kitted him out with a computer & some clever software, front ended by Dragon that allowed the computer to be controlled using voice recognition. He would speak his commands to the computer and the computer would speak its response back The out come is that a blind 75 year old man with no previous computer experience is now able to keep in touch with the world via email & WWW It has given him a sense of purpose a degree of independence and a way of over coming the feeling of isolations. It has allowed him to record his experiences and reactions to his blindness. Enabled him to explain himself to the sighted world and give those around him an insight into his blindness. He does this in a series of monthly conversations with his computer which are posted each month on his web site. I hope this may introduce other blind people to the possibilities offered by Dragon and show that that they too can learn how to do it and in doing so improve their quality of life. My father’s website is http://www.myblindsite.com and I would ask that you visit this site, read his stories and link to this site to your web page Remember my father has no sensation of vision whatsoever. His world is full of constant never ending darkness. Those of us in the sighted world wouldn’t be able to operate our computers without our monitors, mouse or keyboard. My father operates his computer by TALKING to it! He sits in a dark room in front of his computer and they actually TALK to each other – you have to see this to fully appreciate how impressive it is. His computer really has become his new best friend and DRAGON is the interface that allows this to happen. For most of us DRAGON is a productivity enhancing tool. For my father DRAGON is a life enhancing tool. Visit http://www.myblindsite.com read his stories and discover the real power of Dragon Naturally Speaking. The power to improve the quality of life, to grant independence of expression, alleviate isolation, enable communication and introduce a sense of achievement and purpose into an otherwise dark and terrifying life.
Amanda L. -
Since I started using Dragon Naturally Speaking 3 years ago it has opened up a whole new world for me. For example, the software has enabled me to communicate my thoughts more clearly and precisely. The process of writing by hand has been totally eliminated, which due to my disability was a very labourious task and extremely time consuming. Dragon Naturally Speaking has help me greatly in my education. When the software I was at university, I dictated all my assessments by voice, which greatly contributed to the productive process. My written was completed in half the time, then it would have been if it had been handwritten or typed by hand I would recommend Dragon Naturally Speaking to anyone with or without a disability. It is a first-class piece of software in every sense, in that it is innovative in that it has transcended boundaries for people like myself who find it difficult to write down things down on a daily basis. It is like having an extra person in my life who offers a helping hand when ever I need one. Well done Dragon Naturally Speaking, what would I do without you!
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