There has recently been a dramatic reduction in the cost of Voice Activation/Recognition software, making it much more accessible to individuals. Complete software and hardware outfitting for your computer is now about $2,000.

DragonDictate 30K is voice recognition with a 30,000 word vocabulary. It is available for the IBM PC for $995. The user speaks into a headset, and DragonDictate transcribes from the verbal dictation. When you first begin to use it, you spend some time "training" the software to understand your particular pronunciation. When it transcribes something wrong, you correct it, and it learns. DragonDictate is excellent for people who have difficulty writing or typing. It can be used for editing or to control interactive software. Call Dragon Systems at 617-965-5200 or CompuCare Business Services, Inc., Box 578, Peterborough, NH 03458.

Similarly, Pre-Dict-ate for the Mac offers Voice Navigator, voice recognition, and word-prediction software which permit the user to control the Mac with voice commands. Call Apple Computer Aisle 17, 1-800-600-7808.

Options for Independence. For people with impaired mobility, and/or speech problems, a reference guide "The Best 25 Catalog Resources for Making Life Easier," by Shelley Peterman Schwarz, highlights 25 mail order companies offering hard-to-find products for people who would benefit from making their lives easier. These products are often not readily available in regular stores.

Ms. Schwarz writes a syndicated column, "Making Life Easier," which appears in more than 25 newspapers and magazines across the United States. Through her experiences Ms. Schwarz found that people with physical limitations were often frustrated because they didn't realize adaptive devices and products were available to help them, let alone where to find them. Categories of products available include cooking/preparing food; Making your home more accessible; Communicating; Enjoying leisure/recreational activities; Completing lawn/garden work. Most of the catalogs are available free of charge.

US $10.45 postpaid, Canada $11.95 from Shelley Peterman Schwarz, 933 Chapel Hill Road, Madison, Wisconsin 53711 (608) 274-4380. Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery.

Dialing the phone. The telephone company has a number of clever adaptive devices to assist people in dialing the telephone. For people who need more assistance, the telephone company offers "Dial Zero" service. Once you have registered with the telephone company as eligible for this service, you simply press zero, and the operator will connect you with any number for the direct-dial rate.

As published in the VHL Family Forum 2:3, September 1994. For permission to reprint, please contact the VHL Family Alliance at editor@vhl.org. Further information is available from the VHL Family Alliance, info@vhl.org.