Voice recognition software

There are so many mobility impairments that it is difficult to begin to cover them all. Usually the impairments that affect a user's ability to access a digital device are connected to hands and arms. This might be that the user doesn't have one or both hands/arms, or it could be that they are not able to use them with sufficient accuracy to control a mouse and/or keyboard.

There is a variety of hardware devices that enable users to input information without using a mouse or keyboard. This can be done using a stick or puff device, operated by mouth. There are also different types of mouse and keyboard that are easier to use.

In terms of assistive software, speech-to-text applications such as Dragon, can be used to dictate and navigate by voice. Windows, Apple and Android all provide free to use speech-to-text applications. These will be demonstrated in the videos that follow.

Dragon

Dragon Naturally Speaking, or Dragon for short, is produced by Nuance. It is a licenced assistive software, which is quite expensive but rich in features. The following video shows how Dragon can be used to navigate a webpage and fill in an online form.

If you are a Dragon user and need help using it with Excel, this Using Dragon with Excel guide might be helpful.

Windows Voice Access

Windows Voice Access is free and is built into the Accessibility centre on Windows 11 devices. Windows 10 has something similar, called Windows Speech, but support for this is being stopped. Voice Access is easy to set up and use, and Microsoft are adding new features to it regularly. The following video shows how it works.

Voice Control

VoiceControl is free and built into all Apple devices. It can be accessed via the Settings and Accessibility. The following video shows how it works.

Android Voice Access

Android devices don't have speech-to-text built in but you can download a free app called Voice Access. The following video shows how Voice Access works. Because it is on a mobile device, in portrait, the video will probably fall off your screen. I suggest selecting the Full Screen option, and this will make it easier to see.