A wonderful way to use the Allora's detachable display.

Many of you will be aware of the launch of the all new Allora in May this year and we have had a really good response from people who are very keen to explore how the communication device can enhance the quality of communication for it's users. What makes the Allora so unique is that it has a partner display which allows the conversation partner to read what is being written by the user as well as listen to them. This technology is crucial for supporting that style of communication as it maintains eye contact between the partners whilst they converse with each other. We have been asking many people how they think that this display could be used especially as it can be detached from the device and held by conversation partners of placed in strategic positions that enhance the communication. In a recent competition our winner suggested a classroom application whereby the teacher could have the display placed in a strategic position at the front so that the user can make comments or ask questions without being lost in the sea of hands that would go up when a question is asked. More recently, one of our customers who is living with motor neurone disease purchased an Allora and did so because it meant that she could sit with her husband watching TV together side by side. The husband has the detachable display on the arm of his chair where he can see it and this meant that his wife could make comments on what they were watching without him needing to reach round to check what the display was saying. This technology allowed them to be able to do something together in a more relaxing way. If you can see other ways to use the detachable display then we would love to hear from you. If you would like to know more about the all new Allora then please take a look at out Allora web pages by clicking here.

 Keep in touch,

 The Team at Techcess

Communication Matters - The view from Techcess

It has almost been a whole week since we visited the Communication Matters National Conference.
The whole of the team from Techcess were present ( Bart, Ian, John, Martin and Neel) and for Techcess the meeting signalled a change for the company.

Many people know about Techess, but what they didn't know (until CM) was that Techcess was purchased some 3 years ago by the owners of Jabbla , Bart Noe and Jo Cremelie.
Whilst this has been a little known fact, slowly Techcess and Jabbla have effectively grown together to work as the same company which is great news for the customers of Techcess.  At CM 2013 this was a major message for our customers and is reflected in the change of branding for Techcess.

Why is this good news for customers of Techcess?

For starters, Techcess is no longer just a sales company for AAC equipment.  It is a crucial part of a larger organisation that is passionate about helping people with communication impairments.  Jabbla is always seeking to find innovative ways to use technology to support AAC needs.  Techcess feeds back everything they learn about what could be done better from their customers and this information goes back into the 'ideas melting-pot' with the aim to always make access to communication easier for Techcess customers.

What is also good for customers is that our technical support is backed up by the developer and support engineers at Jabbla too.  Techcess is not working with faceless suppliers who barely honour their warranties effectively.  They are working with a trusted partner whose agenda for business is totally aligned with that of Techcess' agenda for business.

New exciting technology

At CM this year, Techcess launched the all new Allora.  This communication aid is used by people who like to access communication via a keyboard, or a switch, or both at the same time!  Techess launched the product online in May, but CM 2013 was the first major meeting where therapists and AAC users alike could come along and take a look.
In an AAC world where it seems that consumable tablet computers are becoming very popular, it seemed to the team that there is a recognition that devices that have been designed to be dedicated communication aids are key solutions to supporting the communication of people with communication challenges.  Having a device that does communication well along with a great level of robustness seems to be something that consumable electronic devices do not necessarily provide.
Added to this the Allora gives the ability to detach the conversation partner's display which provides a whole range of interesting ways to support communication.


This novel use of display technology has important implications for using an AAC device in class at school or when sitting in a group of people.

The Team at Techcess had a really good time meeting with customers old and new and if you were there and came to visit the stand, thank you for your support.  If you didn't get to meet the team and find out more about Techcess then we are very happy to visit you to find out more about your interest. Just drop the team a line by clicking here.

Looking forward to enjoying CM with you again next year!

The Team at Techcess.

Techcess welcomes Neel Shearer, our new AAC Product Specialist.

The Team at Techcess are delighted to announce the appointment of Neel Shearer as the AAC Product Specialist.


Neel Shearer - AAC Product Specialist at Techcess

Neel has a long history of working in the world of AAC from working with famous AAC using physics professors through to working with people to understand their communication challenges, translating their needs into the designs of innovative communication technology.

We asked Neel to answer some questions about himself....

Tell us a bit about yourself?
 

'Well,I live on a farm with my wife and three young children who keep me busy!  Over the summer, I have helped my wife set up an 'Eco Campsite' which has been developed with sustainability in mind.  I also love walking, and I recently completed a 'Coast to Coast' challenge, walking from St. Bees, Cumbria to Robin Hood's Bay, North Yorkshire.
 

Why choose a career in Augmentative and Alternative Communication?
 

I seem to have always worked in this or a related industry throughout my career.  I get a lot of satisfaction from helping people to gain access to the basic human right that is communication.
 

What do you hope to achieve in your role as AAC Product Specialist?
 

To help more people find ways to communicate more effectively through using our products. 

As you settle into your new role, who will you be wanting to talk to as you travel around the UK?
 

I will happily talk to anyone, however, in this role I would be really pleased to hear from anyone who would like to explore being able to communicate more effectively using AAC or from speech and language therapists who want to do the same for their clients.

Neel can be contacted by email at neel.shearer@techcess.co.uk .

Looking forward to the Communication Matters National Conference, Leeds, 15th to 17th September 2013

It is that time of the year again!  The kids are about to go back to school, the evenings are getting darker sooner and in a few weeks time one of our favourite events is going to happen, the Communication Matters National Conference.

This is a really good conference for us to attend as it is a real mix of speech and language therapists, users of augmentative and alternative communication and the vendors that sell this equipment.

This year the keynote lecture will be by Paul Maynard MP and we will be in the wonderful city of Leeds for the first time.

So what can you expect from Techcess if you attend?

To start with Techcess will have a competition set up which is asking for creative and practical ideas on how the detachable partner display on the all new Allora can be used to enhance the communication experience for the user.  At Techcess we welcome feedback and this is a fun way to get it as the person with the most creative and practical idea will win a box of sumptuous Belgian chocolates as well as a Fortnum and Mason food hamper!  The winner will be announced at the Tuesday morning coffee break.

We will also be demonstrating the all new Allora as well as our dynamic screen technology  which is controlled by the popular Mind Express software from Jabbla .

The all new Allora 

Eye gaze technology being used with the Tellus 4 and Mind Express software.

If you are going please do come and say hello to us on our exhibition stand and don't forget that we are doing a seminar on Tuesday 17th September at 10:35 in room LG.10 Michael Sadler.

We are all excited once again for meet with so many people in the world of AAC and to gain feedback, learn and have a bit of fun at the same time!

Hope to see you there!

The Team at Techcess

A technical first? Childs voices on a keyboard based communication aid!

At Techcess we love technology that makes a meaningful impact on the lives of the users of our equipment.
One of the things that can be a constant annoyance is when someone who needs a communication aid has to compromise on what voice they want to use because there is not an available voice that really reflects them appropriately.
Lee Ridley, aka Lost Voice Guy, makes jokes about how he is a Geordie but has to sound like a posh Englishman!  Often text to speech (TTS) technology is first introduced in a female voice as the wider market of automated phone systems or satellite navigation seems to dictate that a female voice is preferable leaving out the male voice in a particular accent such as Scottish or Irish.

We are delighted that Jabbla has made available child voices for the all new Allora in both male AND female versions.  We were even more delighted that they actually sound really good.  Yes they do sound a bit posh, but at least they are reflecting the playful and childlike nature of kids.

That's what we think, but to be honest we would love to get your thoughts.  Please take a look at the video below and see what you think?

We would love to get your comments, so if you would like to tell us what you think, then please click here to email John, our guy in marketing.

Lost Voice Guy reviews the all new Allora.

One of the most satisfying aspects of working in a company that supplies AAC devices, is when we get feedback about how the device helps people.
What you may not be aware of, however, is that we strive to get feedback before we release our devices so that we can start to think about how the device can be further developed to meet the needs of our users.
I was privileged to be given the chance to meet Lee Ridley the Newcastle based stand up comedian.
Lee has recently made a huge impact in the world of stand up comedy, as he has cerebral palsy and cannot talk (hence his stage name).  So he uses a communication aid to do so.  What is fascinating about Lee's use of AAC is the fact that he uses different bits of technology for different purposes.  So, we felt that he was the perfect person to be able to take a look at the all new Allora and give us his thoughts.

Lee's blog can be accessed by clicking on his picture below;

If you would like to know more about the all new Allora then please click here and subscribe and we will let you know when our all new Allora mini site will be available to view.

Meeting new people using a new AAC device!

I love meeting new people!  I particularly love meeting new people who have an interest in AAC devices and when they show me how these devices can literally change the lives of those that use them.

For sometime now we have been telling people that a new device is on its way.  A simple to use, multi accessible text to speech communication aid called the all new Allora.  A preview video of the device can be seen below;

So far I have been in touch with a number of people that have been working with Techcess to trial the device and give feedback so that when it becomes available on the 15th May, it is ready to meet the needs of those that use it!

One of our trialists has been busy with this device since the early part of this year.  Our trialist is someone who has a progressive condition that presents in a similar way to Cerebral Palsy.  In her case, she wants to use the keyboard AND switch access simultaneously.
Initially, she found a number of software bugs that we were able to fix and now she is using the device and will continue to give us feedback whilst testing new updates for the device as and when they arrive.

Below is a photograph of our trialist using the device.

I believe that there is a need for a device like this that uses the literacy skills of the user and allows the user to be able to choose whether to use the keyboard, the switch (one or two) or both!

What do you think?

If you would like more information then please go to www.techcess.co.uk/allora and subscribe.  On the 15th May there will be an Allora mini site with loads of useful information about the device.

Word prediction when using web forms or when using web based emails.

I had a question today regarding using any web based program that requires text to be entered.   The question was about how the spelling of the text could be predicted.   There are many programs that have predictive text capabilities within their own program environment, however as soon as you start using a web browser to write text (for blogging or emailing) the ability to predict text does not transfer to the web browser.   As the dependency on cloud based applications becomes ever greater, it is really important that the tools are available to help people who live with dyslexia to be able to use tools that assist them.

One way of dealing with this is to use Skippy.   Skippy is part of the SprintPlus program that predicts text for ANY program that requires text to be entered.

It looks like this;

It is simply a box which presents the user with a number of words that can be selected using the Function Keys of the keyboard.  Each word option is predicted based upon the frequency of use for any particularly word specifically used by the user.
In the picture above you can see that the box is floating on the screen and is being used with an online blogging page.  Skippy can be used on ANY program where there is a requirement to write text.
The Skippy box can also be made to 'track' the text by being next to the sentence that is being written thus removing the need to constantly be staring at different parts of the screen all the time.

To turn Skippy on simply open SprintPlus and then click on the Skippy icon (see picture below);

I hope that this is useful and if you would like any further information then please do leave a comment. If you would like to try Skippy or SprintPlus then by subscribing below, you will be sent a link to a 60 day demo of the software.

Sign up to receive useful information on using text with Dyslexia and to get a free 60 Day Demo of the SprintPlus software.

Motor Neurone Disease - An inspirational story.

In our line of work we are so privileged to meet incredible people who live their lives with huge physical, mental and social challenges and somehow manage to show the world how those challenges will not stop them from getting the most from their lives.

This week in the Guardian, I came across a story about a journalist in the US who has been recently diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease.  Susan Spencer-Wendel decided that despite the diagnosis she was going to move from an 'autopilot life' to one where she was going to get as many life affirming experiences as possible before she lost her life to this incurable condition.

I don't know what technology she uses to support her busy lifestyle, but she is an example to all and I hope that in some way the Team at Techcess can help other people in similar situations with our products.

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you would like to know more.

All the best,

The Team at Techcess.

Positive feed back from The British Dyslexia Association

We had some good news today!  What lies at the heart of what we do at Techcess is the determination to help our customers achieve whatever they want, using technology that is right for them.
Most people know Techcess to be a supplier of devices that help people to communication, but we are not just that!
Our partner, Jabbla, an assistive technology company in Ghent, Belgium, have also developed software tools for people that have challenges with their reading, writing and spelling.  Commonly this is considered to be a result of living with Dyslexia.

In the UK there are many software tools available that assist people with Dyslexia, and since February there is now one other called SprintPlus which we launched at The BETT Show.

Whilst we were at the show, running at the same time was a review of SprintPlus by The British Dyslexia Association (BDA) and in particular their New Technologies Committee.  We are pleased to announce that the review has been completed and whilst we are waiting for official word on their findings, it was really good to see that they are already posting information on SprintPlus on their website .

We would like to stress that the BDA do not endorse products, but have an open attitude to software and products that will help people with dyslexia. For all of us at Techcess we are grateful that the BDA clearly considers SprintPlus to be a valid software tool that will help people.

If you would like to try out SprintPlus on a free 60 day demo, please subscribe to our mailing list and we will send you a link for download. Thanks for taking a look!

Communication Aids - Your feedback on what you would like to see in a keyboard based AAC device.

Recently, the Team at Techcess sent out an email to many people, with an interest in keyboard based AAC devices, in order to ask them to give feedback on what they feel should be included in such a device.

It is a really interesting question as the selection of an AAC device is very much governed by a range of subjective needs.  It is difficult to have one device that meets all the needs of everyone.  However, companies such as Techcess strive to provide the best possible range that will meet as many communication needs as possible.

This blog  post intends to just summarise some of the feedback that we received to our email and we hope that you will find this interesting.

We received a number of emails to my mailing with some great ideas and also some very important reminders of what devices should always have too.

So here goes......

Reliability and durability.

The comments we received reminded us that no matter how many features could be available, a communication aid is a device that should always be reliable in it's use without software bugs or hangups so that the ability to communicate is always possible.  We were reminded that the device should be durable.  If switches or USB sticks get plugged in then the risk of damaging those sockets should be averted by great design.  Equally, a communication aid is with you most of the time, if by chance a drink is knocked over the keyboard then there needs to be confidence that after the cleanup, the device will work perfectly without the need to send off for repair.

Battery life

How many times have you been caught short by your mobile phone because the battery has been run down?  For someone using a communication aid, this is a disaster.  A user of a device should get into the regime of charging overnight, everynight, but manufacturers need to extend the battery life for as long as possible.  We were reminded that good battery life is essential and should at least last for a whole working day before the need to recharge.

SMS/Phone capabilities

This is a feature set that in recent years has become more favourable, particularly with sending SMS text messages that are not time dependent, thus not requiring an immediate response.  Being able to make calls is useful for some people using their device.  Some of the replies received mentioned that they would like to see more keyboard based AAC devices have this capability.

Access to words and phrases.

Typing can be slow enough, but for someone using a communication aid it is essential to be able to have words and phrases predicted in order to reduce key strokes and speed up communication.

Modern Design

If someone uses a communication device, this might be unusual enough for some people, so the device needs to look modern and not look like technology that has originated in the 1980's.

There were many other comments sent to us but these were the main highlights.  If you have any comments, please do send them to us as these will help us to inform our development partners at Jabbla.

Thanks to all those that took part and please keep in touch as we continue to provide products that change the lives of many people living with communication challenges.

All the best,

The Team at Techcess.

Dyslexic? One size doesn't fit all!

Last week the Team at Techcess were widely spread as they attended ATIA Orlando and The BETT Show in London.

The focus on The BETT Show, an education based exhibition, meant that we could really only show one product. SprintPlus.

Some of you will know that SprintPlus is a piece of software that enables people that find reading, writing and spelling challenging to be able to do those activities more accurately, saving time and often requiring less face to face support from a teacher or parents etc.
The software can be used by a wide variety of ages and can even record the text as MP3 so that you are able to listen to it should reading not be a strong point.

On our exhibition booth, we were amazed at how many people were looking for alternatives in technology to help either their pupils, their kids or adults and students.  It is clear that as more technology tools become available, the more people will have their needs met as often the use of a technology tool is very subjective.

So we were very happy to be able to introduce a new technology tool and for people to try it out.

In fact, we would love you to try it out and if you would then please do subscribe to our SprintPlus mailing list below and we will be happy to send you a link so that you can download SprintPlus.

Please subscribe to our mailing list and we will send you a link to the 30 Day Demo for SprintPlus

Dyslexia Misunderstood!

I noticed on Twitter that there is a growing campaign to ensure that aspects of Dyslexia are accurately represented on television.  What has started the discussion was a recent episode of The Jeremy Kyle Show where a man was accused of not being a good father for being drunk all the time.  During the conversation Jeremy Kyle challenged the man to reveal the birth dates of his children and he said that he couldn't remember because he was dyslexic.  Jeremy Kyle then went onto berating the man and made some very general comments regarding dyslexia along the lines of it being a condition that just affects reading and writing.

The video can be viewed below.




So what do you think?

This episode has caused quite a stir in Dyslexia circles, I saw a recent blog by Dyslexia Action that is an interesting and justified piece.  Click here to read their blog.
For those that know more about Dyslexia, it is known that Dyslexia is more than just condition that affects reading and writing.  It also affects memory and has some behavioural aspects.  Often these are merged with other conditions which may result in the person living with the conditions putting strategies in place to deal with them either appropriately (through professional help) or inappropriately (many self destructive ways including binge drinking).

For us at Techcess, it is clear that the video is a good example of how much society as a whole does not understand enough about Dyslexia and the way that it affects those people who live with it.

We would like to do our bit to help make people more aware about Dyslexia.  What would you like to see on our blog that would do this?
Is there any information that you would like to give us?

We would love to hear from you and if you would like to place a comment below then that would be great or perhaps you would like to subscribe to our mailing list and we can send you information about products and services that we have that could help someone who is Dyslexic?

Thanks for reading this and if you would like to subscribe please do so below.

All the best,

The Team at Techcess

Subscribe to our mailing list

Find out more about Dyslexia through this simple but effective video.

We at Techcess are always on the look out for useful information that you can use.  On Monday the 8th January 2013, the BBC showed a program on CBBC which specifically focused on dyslexia and those children who go to school living with that condition.
I use the term condition with hesitance as it really is just another way of processing sensory information and many many people find having dyslexia to be an enriching experience eventually leading to opportunities that perhaps they would not have encountered without having dyslexia.
It is well understood that dyslexia is not a sign of lack of intelligence and often people with dyslexia are extremely creative.
It was a joy to watch this film and we would like to share the link with you so that you may understand more about a condition that affects approximately 1 in 10 school children.

Enjoy! Click here to see the video.

Great News From Communication Matters

Great news for those that are looking to find information and resources regarding AAC

Techcess has for many years worked with individuals that live with complex communication difficulties that have occurred either at birth or through an acquired condition such as having a stroke or a progressive condition such as motor neurone disease.

For anyone that is new to the world of AAC, it can be a difficult time trying to find information that is relevant to the situation that they are in, and stressful when it comes to getting a correct communication strategy in place, along with the required funding to support it.

It therefore came as a real breath of fresh air to see the following announcement from the UK charity, Communication Matters.

We would like to share this with you now;

New website launches to empower AAC community

• First of its kind website will empower AAC (communication aid) users, parents, carers and professionals to use cutting edge evidence andinformation to improve support and services for people with speech difficulties.
• www.AACknowledge.org.uk brings together current knowledge, information, research and case studies on AAC in a variety of formats to make itclear and accessible to all.

Communication Matters, the lead UK organisation dedicated to supporting children and adults who need augmentative and alternative communication(AAC), has this month launched their AACknowledge website bringing AAC information and evidence together in one place for the first time. Commissioned as part of its threeyear AAC Evidence Base Research Project, the ground-breaking website has been funded by the National Lottery through the Big Lottery Fund and been developed byManchester Metropolitan University in association with Communication Matters.

The AACknowledge website will increase awareness of relevant evidence through a bibliography of published research into AAC. Shaped by the AAC community, the websitepresents case studies, frequently asked questions, factsheets, glossaries, summaries of articles in plain English and links to other sources of information helping people whouse AAC and the people supporting them to make informed and independent choices about support needed.

David Morgan, Communication Matters' Research Lead, says: "Every person has the right to a voice, yet many people are not being empowered to access the equipment,information and support services they need to enable them to communicate. AAC makes a monumental difference to the lives of children, young people and adults giving thema means to communicate and the ability to make effective choices in their lives. For too long, people who use AAC, professionals and family members have not had easyaccess to AAC information and evidence and this had to change. The AACknowledge website will make a tangible difference to users of AAC and their families, professionalsincluding speech and language therapists and GPs, AAC suppliers, the research community and voluntary organisations. More content is being added to the website in theNew Year and we welcome feedback as the website will be regularly updated."

Dr. Janice Murray, Head of Speech Pathology and Therapy at Manchester Metropolitan University, says: "The AACknowledge website is a welcome addition. Thewebsite infrastructure and content was developed through consultation and collaboration with AAC stakeholder groups. This makes the content relevant and of immensebenefit, filling a void that has existed around access to AAC information and knowledge. Manchester Metropolitan University is delighted to have been the key collaborator withCommunication Matters in this development. This initial content will be regularly updated and continue to be responsive to the needs of the visitors to the site. The case storiesand academic research information has been very positively received thus far."

AAC is a specialist service, however traditionally there has been a lack of information, evidence and funding to support the complex needs of people who use AAC. In the UKtoday, it is estimated that 305,000 children and adults will need AAC at some point in their lives. 10% of them (30,500) have the most complex needs, which demand access tospecialised AAC services and equipment.