Hi Stewart,
I can tell you that the discrete word recognition products work with
Slimware Windows Bridge. I do not know if the naturally speaking products
work.
David Chittenden, Western U.S. Manager
Technologies for the Visually Impaired, Inc.
5455 Geary Blvd, suite 161
San Francisco, CA 94121
(415) 902-3462
fax and voice mail (888) 269-9233
email [log in to unmask]
http://www.tvi-web.com
certified window bridge distributor
On Sun, 24 Jan 1999, Stewart Hughes wrote:
> Hi Kelly
> Unless I missed it in the article, the big issue for us is not addressed
> which is having it read back. From what I know our current windows scren
> readers will not run with the voice recognition software. Am I correct? I
> get asked about this technology quite often from our older consumers.
> thanks,
> Stewart
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Kelly Pierce <[log in to unmask]>
> To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: Sunday, January 24, 1999 12:46 PM
> Subject: tech: will voice recognition work for you?
>
>
> >Here's another article from Washington state's tech act project.
> >
> >kelly
> >
> >
> > Voice Recognition: Will it work for you?
> >
> >
> > by Kurt L. Johnson, Ph.D Associate Professor and Head Division of
> > Rehabilitation Counseling Department of Rehabilitation Medicine and
> > Director, U.W. Assistive Technology Resource Center
> > &
> > Sharmon Morris, M.S. Rehabilitation Counselor U.W. Medical Center and
> > Assitive Technology Center
> > ______________________________________________________________________
> >
> > So - you want to use a computer for work, school, or play, but you
> > cannot use a keyboard efficiently. Perhaps you have lost full use of
> > your hands due to spinal cord injury, orthopedic trauma, carpel
> > tunnel, muscle weakness, or some other reason. You have heard that
> > programs exist that allow you to "just talk to the computer." Will one
> > of these programs be of use to you? This is one of the most frequent
> > questions we are asked at conferences and on our information and
> > referral line. We will review these issues in this article.
> >
> > The general issue here is, "how can I gain access to my computer -
> > access that is suited to my skills, abilities, preferences, work
> > environment, and work tasks (or school or play)? The most conventional
> > method of computer access is to issue commands to the computer from a
> > keyboard, and by pointing and clicking a mouse. When an individual is
> > not able to use these access routes (or prefers not to), then we look
> > for alternatives. Computer technology changes rapidly so the
> > observations we make here may not be true tomorrow.
> >
> > Many people, regardless of whether they have a disability, would like
> > to just talk to the computer and have it respond. There are a number
> > of applications which permit, to some degree, voice input. For
> > example, with either specialized or off-the-shelf software, many
> > functions of a computer can be controlled by voice. For example, one
> > might say, "open file," or "close file," to initiate an action. But
> > realistically, most of what we use computers for in work and education
> > is writing and, to a lessor extent, data entry. To write, we want the
> > computer to recognize our spoken language as input just as if we were
> > keyboarding. This is called Voice Recognition. Essentially, we want to
> > be able to dictate our thoughts and have them transcribed by software
> > and appear as text.
> >
> > To date, voice recognition systems require "discrete" speech - that is
> > to say, you
> > must..allow..a..brief..period..of..silence..between..each..word..you..
> > speak..in..order.. for..the..computer..to..recognize..your..speech.
> > The very newest systems have improved sufficiently so that one can
> > very nearly speak in a normal fashion, but there are tradeoffs that we
> > will describe in a minute. The problem with discrete speech is that it
> > takes a fair amount of your cognitive "horsepower" to compose written
> > material AND dictate it using discrete speech.
> >
> > Although vendors often demonstrate speech recognition systems with
> > claims of speeds in the 60 words per minute range (about the speed of
> > a good office typist), we have not seen users exceed about 30 wpm in
> > real life settings unless they are using a set of language that falls
> > into a routine where one can use pre-set groups of text (called
> > macros) and insert the new material (almost like filling in a form).
> > Also, most voice recognition systems achieve about a 90 - 93% accuracy
> > rate. That's great, but if you are trying to compose, and every 10th
> > or 13th word is wrong and must be corrected, that can again make a
> > greater demand on your "cognitive horsepower" as you try to compose
> > your message.
> >
> > Correcting errors is another issue. When you notice an error in the
> > transcription of the word you say and what appears on the screen and
> > begin the error correction process, a list of alternatives will pop
> > up. You might say, "choose five" to select the fifth alternative and
> > you would be on your way to continue dictating. If the correct word
> > was not on the list, however, then you must begin spelling the word
> > until the software "guesses" the correct word. In older systems, you
> > must spell using the military/radio alphabet with "alpha," "beta," and
> > "charlie," replacing "a," "b," and "c." The newest programs allow you
> > to spell using the natural alphabet.
> >
> > With all voice recognition systems, mixing keyboard strokes, mouse
> > pointing and clicking with dictation dramatically increases the
> > efficiency of the program. For example, if you have some hand function
> > and can use the keyboard to make corrections, or can click on correct
> > selections, or can open files, you will speed up your use of the
> > program a great deal. Remember to always consider alternatives to
> > voice recognition. For example, someone who is really good at using
> > Morse code by sip-and-puff input can achieve up to 40 wpm and use a
> > slower computer, and "blowing" the Morse code does not compete
> > cognitively in the same way as dictation for many people.
> >
> > OK - let's look at the major systems that are available and summarize
> > the advantages and disadvantages of each. Remember to add in the price
> > of the required computer system when thinking about the economics.
> >
> > Naturally Speaking from Dragon Systems
> > PROS: This system allows you to speak "naturally" without using
> > discrete speech. Reports state that it is able to achieve up to 95%
> > accuracy after initial 20 minutes of training. They have eliminated
> > the usage of the military alphabet, and allow correction spelling to
> > be done with the regular alphabet.
> >
> > CONS: Macro capabilities extremely limited (allows up to 128 Printed
> > characters, however does not allow non-print, i.e., enter keyin
> > macros). Has no mouse functions. Must use Dragon word processor open
> > simultaneously with word, and to transfer text must say: "copy to
> > clipboard; switch to previous window; paste that." Their proprietary
> > word processor is very basic, only allowing for bold, italics, and
> > very basic editing features. You can not run Office 97 apps with it,
> > and you must cut and paste into all programs. You can run Windows 95
> > through voice commands. but you also have to have an alternate mouse
> > input system. There are no mouse controls at all. In the future,
> > Dragon Systems hopes to allow an integrated use of Speaking Naturally
> > and Dragon 3.0 (see below) which hopefully will allow a more flexible
> > product that can be integrated into, for example, Office 97, or Word
> > Perfect for Windows.
> >
> > Requires: 133 mhz Pentium; 32 MB ram Minimum; 60 MB hard drive space
> >
> > Price: $199
> >
> > DRAGON Version 3.0
> > PROS: Can be used to operate off-the-shelf word processors such as
> > Word for Windows/Office 97, and operating systems, such as Windows 95.
> > It is also compatible with Naturally Speaking (e.g., can open and
> > manipulate files created in the proprietary word processor required in
> > Naturally Speaking). In addition to providing "speech to text" input,
> > it allows "text to speech output," ("reads the screen with voice
> > output), has a mouse grid permitting voice input mouse function, and
> > has a large capacity for macros. This system can "learn" to understand
> > many kinds of dysarthric speech, or the speech of people for whom
> > English is a second language.
> >
> > CONS: Requires discrete speech and requires military alphabet for
> > correction.
> >
> > Requires: 36 MB hard drive space 16 MB of RAM
> >
> > Price: $149
> >
> > IBM VIA VOICE:
> > This is a continuous speech system from IBM. We do not find it very
> > useful for many of the people with whom we work because you are unable
> > to correct written text using voice commands - you must be able to use
> > the keyboard.
> >
> > KURZWEIL VOICEPAD:
> > This is a discrete speech system. It functions much like Dragon
> > Dictate but can be especially useful to people who will be doing a lot
> > of numerical entry. It is relatively inexpensive - $50. VOICEPAD does
> > not seem to "learn" dysarthric speech as readily as the Dragon System
> > 3.0.
> >
> > POWER SECRETARY:
> > Discrete Speech System for the Macintosh from Dragon Systems. Much
> > like Dragon Dictate.
> >
> > Requires: 32 MB RAM
> >
> > Price: $695
> >
> > Conclusion
> >
> > Voice recognition is not for everyone. It requires a heavy cognitive
> > load, including memorization of multiple commands; ability to
> > differentiate when to use each command; ability to track multiple
> > sequences of events; ability to complete multiple step commands;
> > ability to generate spontaneous text; and strong respiratory support.
> >
> > It can be adapted to work with people who use ventilators by
> > programming out the vent sounds. Other consistent noises can be
> > programmed out as well (e.g., door shutting, phone ringing, dog
> > barking etc.)
> >
> > People should have a trial of a voice recognition system before
> > purchasing. This can help dispel the idea that you just put on a
> > headphone and speak to the computer. A trial, and appropirate AT
> > evaluation can help to identify whether speech recognition is, in
> > fact, the most appropriate access method for an individual. One should
> > also be aware that speech recognition software requires at minimum a
> > 486/66 with 16MB RAM. Also, not all soundcards are compatible with the
> > various software programs. Special microphones must also be purchased
> > for use.
> >
> > USEFUL WEBsites:
> >
> > Dragon Dictate, Naturally Speaking, and Power Secretary:
> > www.dragonsys.com
> >
> > Kurzweil - www.lhs.com/kurzweil - company recently merged with Lernout
> > Hauspie
> >
> > IBM ViaVoice: www.software.ibm.com/is/voicetype
> >
> >
> >VICUG-L is the Visually Impaired Computer User Group List.
> >To join or leave the list, send a message to
> >[log in to unmask] In the body of the message, simply type
> >"subscribe vicug-l" or "unsubscribe vicug-l" without the quotations.
> > VICUG-L is archived on the World Wide Web at
> >http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/vicug-l.html
> >
> >
>
>
> VICUG-L is the Visually Impaired Computer User Group List.
> To join or leave the list, send a message to
> [log in to unmask] In the body of the message, simply type
> "subscribe vicug-l" or "unsubscribe vicug-l" without the quotations.
> VICUG-L is archived on the World Wide Web at
> http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/vicug-l.html
>
>
VICUG-L is the Visually Impaired Computer User Group List.
To join or leave the list, send a message to
[log in to unmask] In the body of the message, simply type
"subscribe vicug-l" or "unsubscribe vicug-l" without the quotations.
VICUG-L is archived on the World Wide Web at
http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/vicug-l.html
|
