My Favourite Adaptive Technologies
The following is a list of the best assistive technology products, in my opinion. Prices provided are only a guideline, and of course are subject to change.
HARDWARE
- iPod 120G Classic - also syncs with Outlook and so can also provide task and appointment reminders. Programs such as Natural Reader and Kurzweil 3000 can create audio files from text that can be transferred to an audio player for listening to on the go or away from a computer.
- Smart Phone Sony Ericsson $300 Available from Rogers, syncs with Outlook to provide customizable alarms for events and tasks
- Brother Labeller $60 to assist with paper organization. David Allen
- USB Headset for Dragon NaturallySpeaking $50 (wireless headsets can be difficult for new uses to troubleshoot)
- Scanners – CanoScan LiDE 90 or newer is a portable, USB Powered scanner for OCR and a scanner with an Auto Document Feeder $69-$499
- Desktop Acer AMD Athlon Dual Core, RAM: 2 Ggs, Hard Drive 320 Gs
- HP Pavilion dv6 AMD Dual Core 2.0 Ghz Laptop 15.6’’ - bare minimum for Dragon and Kurzweil, better off with more RAM
- Digital Recorder <$100 for Notetaking
- Canon PowerShot Camera $300 for Memory and Notetaking Support
- Franklin Language Master $120- A phonetic dictionary for lab based work where no computer is available
SOFTWARE
- NaturalReader Professional- Free Version available to read any text you can copy and paste into window
- System Wide: Spell Check TinySpell - $7 for customizable version
- WordWeb Pro 6 – includes Canadian Oxford Dictionary, includes the sound files for pronouncation $48 (free version with no sound files or Cdn dictionary)
- Graphic Organizer Software: Inspiration $79 Mindjet $349 MindMeister.com Free
- iTunes the software that syncs with an iPod or iPhone - Free - For Free podcasts and
- Dragon NatuallySpeaking Preferred v10.1 $200
- OmniPage Professional $149
- Kurzweil 3000 - Probably one of the most expensive yet easiest to use academic products. Because it has so many features, it not for everyone. $1000
The best thing to do is always look up consumer reviews by googling the products name with the word reviews. Make sure that the review is unbiased, and not just marketing copy from the person selling the product.
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Recommendation from a Student
“Leslie was one of my teachers while I was a student at Conestoga College. I found Leslie to be a great help, and understanding of my needs and concerns.
Our class had a wide variety of students with knowledge of computers ranging from very little or nil, to others that had extensive use on a computer already. Leslie also spent time apart from her teaching to help me understand and operate the Dragon Voice Activated program.”
April 22, 2010 from Lynn Yull, Business Applications and Bookkeeping
Recommendation from a Student
“Leslie is very detailed oriented and consistent in everything she does. Leslie has many talents that she can bring to the table for any company.”
Sincerely, Nelson Andrews April 20, 2010



