This is a list of assistive software that some of our Neurodiverse Postgrads have found useful. Much of the software is available from universities via their disability services and Disabled Students Allowance (DSA). We recommend that you speak to your university disability service to check what specific software will suit your needs and is available to you.
For those of you who are working, we recommend that you look into the government’s Access to Work grants. Please note that this is not a sponsored post or an advertisement. We are just highlighting some software that you might want to check out using the free demos (and doing some research of your own) before seeking further information from your university or employer about the support that is available to you. Word processing Scrivener is a word-processing software which lets you plan out the sections of your document and reorganise them. If you write in a non-linear way this will be especially helpful for you because you can write in separate sections and then reorganise these sections as needed. Within Scrivener it is possible to view the headings of your sections at a glance, so that you can see the overall structure of the document. The software also has the option to create flashcards of your sections so that you can preview what is in each section on a cork board, and get a broad overview of your work. In addition, one of the most useful features of Scrivener is that it is possible to view your research and notes (even images) alongside your document while you are writing. Your research and notes can also be organized into sections. In addition there are different modes such as composition mode and typewriter scrolling which reduce sensory input and allow you to better focus on what you are writing. Once you are finished with writing, you can compile all the sections together and export them to a Word document where you can edit them further, and perhaps add extra information such as in-text citations (this might be good for dissertations). Inside Scrivener, there are a number of other features and functions which might be useful to tinker around with to really tailor the writing experience for your needs and preferences. You can view a demo and get a free trial at the Scrivener website. Speech-to-text (dictation) software Dragon is a speech recognition software which enables you to dictate your words into a word processing document. This means it will recognise and write down your spoken words. Some people find that articulating their ideas verbally helps them. It may be particularly useful as a starting point when you are sketching out ideas for a new piece of work. It is possible to dictate straight into a Word document but also other software such as email. It takes a bit of getting used to because you have to speak in fully formed sentences, and you even have to dictate your punctuation, which might feel a bit strange at first! Dragon learns to recognize your voice and the way you speak, so the more you use it the better, because it will adapt to you over time. You can add words into the dictionary and train it to recognize words that are distinctive, and abbreviations. There are also some software widgets that you can add to Dragon which will act as a dictionary with specialised terminology. One such software is Medincle (specialised to Medicine). The website for Dragon is here. Please note that Dragon for Mac has been discontinued, so if you use a Mac, you will need to get the Parallels Desktop virtual desktop software which allows you to run Windows software on a Mac. There is also a Dragon mobile app but it requires an internet connection and has less functionality than the desktop version. Fun fact: this blog post was dictated in the Dragon Anywhere IOS app before being edited further in a word processing software (Google Docs). Spelling and grammar Grammarly is a software which checks your spelling and grammar as you write. There is a free version of the software but it is also possible to get a paid subscription which has more features. Audio recording Lectures and meetings can often be challenging as you have to concentrate on listening, understanding, and writing notes all at the same time. Audio recording technology can help break this down into sections so that you can focus on listening instead of trying to remember and scribble down what’s being said in real-time. Sonocent Audio Notetaker has a number of features: while recording you can split the lecture into sections and colour-code it, which can help you navigate back to specific sections when you review the recording. This highlight function can be helpful in supervision meetings because you can highlight any actions that have been agreed, and after the meeting you can go directly to the relevant parts of the recording. Later on you can combine the recording with your lecture slides or meeting agenda/minutes, and add extra notes or even images. There is also a companion app called Sonocent Link that you can download onto your phone or mobile device. There is a pared down option on the app where you can just see a black screen and tap once to add a section break and twice to highlight the section. This can be helpful for reducing sensory input and distractions. The website for this software is available here. Mind mapping Some software can be used to map out ideas in a visual format. One common way of doing this is by creating a mind map. This might be helpful if you want to get an idea of the bigger picture of your project or research area, or how certain areas or concepts relate to one another. There is a lot of software that is available for mind mapping. One of them is called X-Mind. It has a number of different formats and settings for mind maps and other diagrams with linked information. You can find out more here. Screen readers (text to speech software) and screen overlays During your PhD or other postgraduate course, it is likely that you will be expected to read a lot of material on a computer screen. There are screen readers which will make the process a little bit easier. One of them is called Texthelp Read and Write. It has a number of features including a screen reader which reads aloud the text from PDFs and word documents. You can change the speed and accent of the voice that is reading aloud, and choose how the information is displayed to you as it is being read. It is also possible to create an MP3 (audio) file from a PDF document, which can be helpful if you want to listen to your reading on the go. This software also has functions such as a screen overlay which allows you to overlay a translucent filter over the screen with a colour of your choice. This may be helpful in reducing eye strain if you are looking at a screen for long periods of time. There are a number of other functions which you can check out on the Texthelp Read and Write website. Claro Read is an alternative software which has text to speech functions. Microsoft Word has an inbuilt text to speech feature called 'Read aloud' feature which reads out selected areas of text. Claro View is another software which allows you to put a coloured overlay on your computer screen. You might also want to check out BeeLine Reader which is a software that changes the colour of text on screen to guide your eye through reading the text, with the aim of making things easier to read. Presentation software Present Pal is a phone app which lets you use digital cue cards with a few short bullet points to remind yourself of what you are going to say during your presentation. You can link your app to the computer that is being used to project your slides, so that you can change between the slides from your phone during your talk. All you need is for the phone to be on the same Internet connection as the laptop/computer that you are presenting from, and you also need to download some software onto the laptop or computer to link the two devices together. You can look at the website for more information. Do you have any suggestions of other assistive software that you have found useful? Contact us to let us know.
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