Note: after you give the above command your microphone will not be available to issue further voice commands as the microphone itself is being checked.  Simply press the “Enter” key on your keyboard to step through the procedure or click the appropriate buttons with your mouse.

If you want to go directly to Facebook/Twitter to dictate your post, you can use the following commands: “Post To Facebook,” “Update My Facebook Page,” “Update My Facebook Wall,” “Post To My Facebook Wall,” “Post To My Facebook Page,” “Post To Twitter,” “Post To My Twitter Page,” and “Update My Twitter Page”

acknowledgement to Voices of Dragon http://voicesofdragon.com/2011/12/01/dragon-thursday-tip-facebook-and-twitter/

If the goal is to hire the people with valuable skills and knowledge, why not employ people with disabilities? Part of tapping into different talent pools is providing tools that enable flexibility in how work is done.

“I have some vision so all I need to do my job is Zoom Text, a program that increases the size of text and images on a computer screen and a hand-held magnifying device for printed material,” says Matt Breen, an Edmonton-based financial advisor at TD who is legally blind. “This technology makes the difference between having a job that allows me to use only a few skills and having a meaningful career where I use my full range of business and communication skills.”

Often, assistive technology is cost effective and simple to use, although it does depend on the complexity of your company’s technology systems. For example, VRI (video remote interpretation) is a technology that lets deaf employees use an off-the-shelf webcam and messenger software such as Microsoft’s Office Communicator to tap into the services of a sign-language interpreter who may not be in the same location. This allows deaf employees to have better conversations with their managers and colleagues, and greater flexibility around when and where those conversations take place.

Assistive technologies can also help people with learning disabilities. Speech recognition software, such as Dragon Naturally Speaking, helps people who have difficulties in writing or reading to dictate emails or reports, rather than struggling to type them using a keyboard.

However, making assistive technology work takes commitment. Employers need to create an environment where employees feel safe and comfortable asking for support and tools to help them do their job. Employees also have a role to play by being open and willing to help their employers understand their goals, aspirations and challenges and giving the manager permission to seek support from their colleagues.

Investing in assistive technologies not only removes barriers to a fulfilling career for employees, but also allows employers to draw on the skills and experience of a wider talent pool.

Acknowledgement: Mary O’Hara, Financial Post · Apr. 27, 2011. Mary is senior vice president of corporate people strategies and TD Bank group human resource.

Several months ago Nuance, the makers of Dragon software, announced the release
of Dragon NaturallySpeaking version 11.5. This announcement was for what is
referred to as a “service pack” release, not a “new version”. A
“service pack” release is typically a free upgrade that addresses
problems with the software and minor enhancements applying to the current
software version, in this case version 11. If you have an older version of
Dragon NaturallySpeaking, version 9 or version 10, there is a cost associated
with upgrading to version 11.5. Additionally, just two weeks ago Nuance
announced a “new version” of Dragon Medical. There is always a cost associated
with a new version. The purpose of a new version is to significantly improve
the features and functionality of the existing product. Word of caution, just
because the new version looks significantly different does not necessarily mean
there has been improvements or enhancements. Sometimes you are forced to
upgrade to assure compatibility with other applications and sometimes a new
version is optional.

For those who have never purchased Dragon software or are in a position where
they need to upgrade their current software, it can be confusing. So I thought
I’d offer some information that will make it easier for you to navigate your
options.

Nuance, the makers of Dragon software, have three primary Dragon software
categories; Dragon Medical, Dragon for the PC and Dragon for the Mac. Internally at
Nuance these three categories are managed by separate business groups, hence
the potential confusion.

The Dragon Medical category consists of two products; Dragon Medical Practice Edition
designed for healthcare groups with less than 24 medical providers. And, Dragon Medical
Enterprise Network Edition designed for
healthcare organizations with greater than 24 medical providers. That
decision does not get much easier.

The Dragon for the PC
(Non-Medical) category consists of five products; Dragon NaturallySpeaking Home, Dragon
NaturallySpeaking Premium, Dragon
NaturallySpeaking Premium Student/Teacher, Dragon NaturallySpeaking Professional and Dragon NaturallySpeaking Legal. If your primary purpose for
purchasing Dragon software is to reduce your typing time, every product in this
category has that capability. The differences between the products would be
additional features and capabilities beyond dictation. For example; a broader
range of third party application compatibility, the ability to create macros,
third-party editing, remote installation of the software. In the case of Dragon
NaturallySpeaking Legal it provides automatic formatting for legal citations.

The Dragon for the Mac
category consists of three products; Dragon
Dictate, MacSpeech Dictate Legal, MacSpeech Dictate
Medical. This category of
products is fairly new to the Nuance offering. They were recently purchased by
Nuance from a third-party company, MacSpeech Dictate. The market demand for the
Mac category of products is considerably low. Because of this the training and
support available for this category is limited.

Acknowledgement: extracte from a post by
Dana Abramson on DragonUserGroup.com 4/9/11