Using assistive technology (new window) doesn’t have to be expensive. “It can be as simple as putting your monitor on a couple of phone books” according the Neil Squire Society (new window)’s e-Learning Manager, Chad Leaman. And he should know. He recently injured his right shoulder, for the third time, playing softball. But he was using assistive technology (new window) and ergonomic (new window) techniques even before this recent injury to help him deal with neck pain he suffers from a car accident several years ago.

Prior to his injury, Chad used a vertical mouse (new window) to keep his wrist at a 45 degree angle in order to avoid strain. He also has always made sure that his monitor sits high enough so that he doesn’t have to look up or down to use it. While recovering from his shoulder injury, Chad was reduced to one working arm. During that time, he went from using the vertical mouse with his left hand to using a trackball (new window) mouse with his left. He also used the free Dragon Naturally Speaking app (new window) on his iPhone (new window). This allowed him to verbally dictate documents to his phone then easily copy and paste them to his email and send it to his computer. (This app is also available on BlackBerry (new window) and Android (new window)) Though Chad is “by no means an expert” with this program, he has sat in on a couple of Dragon teaching workshops and was able to learn to use the dictation feature fairly easily.

Chad optimistically sees this experience as “a chance to learn some of the tools our clients are learning.” He jokes: “My family thinks this is part of my ongoing empathy training, a sort of ‘walk a mile in someone else’s shoes’ thing.”