About Richard

My name is Richard Farmer and I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis when I was 15 years old.

I’m 36 now and my condition affects all aspects of my life. Ultimately, this means I rely heavily on assistive equipment and my family, friends, and carers to enable me to carry out everyday tasks that most people find simple.

Answering phone calls, checking social media and browsing the web are all things that I need assistance with daily.

Believe me, it is truly frustrating having to ask someone to turn the volume up when watching a film or pause it when the phone rings.

Will Dragon Assistive Equipment Work For Me?

Accessing my computer independently has always been a challenge and was something that I accepted was just not going to be possible.

I had purchased speech recognition assistive software in the past but found that it just wouldn’t work for me.

Previously, I had thought this was down to my voice (I have some speech difficulties caused by my condition).

When I first spoke to the guys at VoicePower, I was a bit sceptical and was unsure that there was anything they could do to make speech recognition work for me. Oh, how wrong I was…

Dragon speech recognition is a great tool for productivity and workflow management within businesses.

However, it is also a form of assistive technology.

Find Out More About Our Assistive Technology Services.

Speak To The Experts

Dealing with VoicePower was a pleasure from start to finish. The efficient and friendly office staff were super helpful.

Thankfully, they were able to answer any questions I had leading up to my appointment. The consultant from VoicePower came to my house and assessed my workspace.

They recommended another piece of assistive equipment to go with Dragon: a specialised gooseneck microphone that allowed me to get optimal mouth-to-microphone position without any assistance.

I loved the microphone. Immediately,  I could see that it would make a difference in my life even if it was just for phone calls.

Next, I was given a copy of Dragon Professional Individual 15 along with three training sessions with one of VoicePower’s specialist trainers. I must admit that my heart sank a little when Dragon was mentioned.

I had used Dragon assistive technology before and found that it didn’t work well for me. Well, it would seem that Dragon certainly works for me now.

Training Was Crucial

The training was absolutely excellent and the one-to-one time spent with the trainer made me see why I had not succeeded with speech recognition software in the past.

Thanks to Dragon assistive technology, I am now able to do the following without any assistance at all:

• Access emails and social media
• Write documents and spreadsheets
• Browse the Internet
• Make phone calls
• Watch TV and Films
• Write my autobiography

I had no idea that there was so much to learn and I would now say to anyone considering getting Dragon to ensure they get the training also if they want to succeed.

Since the training with VoicePower, I have been given excellent support from their team. When I call they are always able to answer any questions I have and can repair the software remotely if I have any technical issues.

Directors Sonja and Vicky were pleased to hear that I had been given a lease of independence.