Speech Recognition and Digital Dictation Allows RSI sufferer to Rebuild Career

In April 2000, Jenny York was put on 3 months sick leave with RSI (repetitive strain injury) from keyboard use and thought she might never work again. However, as an IT literate worker, Jenny knew there was a chance technology could help her. Today, Jenny is back at work, as the Resource Management Officer in Africa Command for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), working normally. Jenny puts her recovery down to two things: an SRC speech recognition solution and the employment practices of the FCO who have invested in the system which allows Jenny to carry on working.

"I see speech recognition technology as a tool to make me more efficient and to keep me working - at one stage I just couldn't work" Jenny recalls. Jenny is keen for others to reap the same benefits from technology as she has: "More and more work involves using a keyboard these days and as a society we are likely to have more and more RSI related issues. Really, everyone should use speech recognition technology!"

Jenny manages the resources (human and financial) for all of the FCO's 33 missions overseas under Africa Command. Managing budgets and people according to need, resolving problems and reporting to the FCO while communicating with sub Saharan missions means Jenny's work is predominantly spreadsheet and email based - both keyboard intensive activities. Jenny's RSI symptoms started in December 1999 when she was in Nairobi working as a management officer for Africa Command (a post from which she has since been promoted). After a variety of medical examinations, Jenny was sent home from Africa in April 2000, put on sick leave and told not to use a keyboard for 3 months.

Jenny is keen to point out the help she got from the FCO: "I returned to work on condition that I'd either have technology or secretarial support to help me. The FCO never baulked at supplying whatever was needed to make it possible for me to work - not only the speech recognition system but also a chair with neck support, mousepen and phone headset which she uses in conjunction with the speech recognition system. They even emailed a picture of my office in Nairobi back to the physiotherapist, Jeff Boyling, of Hammersmith Physiotherapy, so that he could tell them how to organise the ergonomics!"

The system SRC built for Jenny uses Dragon NaturallySpeaking for office use and is also loaded onto Jenny's laptop to use when she is abroad, a key feature of her role. "SRC makes considerable efforts to understand the individual requirements of each speech recognition user," said Colin Howman, SRC managing director, desktop solutions. "When designing a solution for Jenny we paid great attention to her repetitive strain injury and the type of work she creates every day. SRC then delivered a solution that would enable her to use speech recognition more effectively from day one, including one-on-one training sessions and materials. It's these considerations and services that make the difference between success and failure of speech recognition solutions."

Jenny also uses digital dictation for work when she's on the move - with hidden benefits. "Part of the problem with RSI stems from sitting staring at a screen all day long which I therefore like to avoid and a remote solution is ideal for this. It also helps when I'm writing a "think piece" - a document advising some sort of policy change for example, as it means I can get out of the office and sit pretty much anywhere dictating my piece. It's also useful when I am working on something sensitive and don't want others in the office to hear me dictating. I expect they'd say it's useful when they have to concentrate and don't want to hear me talking away!"

Jenny sees several other benefits from using speech recognition, not all of them to do with resolving RSI. "There's no doubt my symptoms have been alleviated using the SRC solution. I no longer see a physiotherapist although I do a lot of exercises. What is refreshing is that it allows you to do things quicker than you would using a PC the conventional way. My work involves a lot of country names and initials such as RMU or Resource Management Unit for example. The system is trained to recognise my bespoke vocabulary and it's much quicker than typing it manually."

It is clear that many at the FCO can see the potential of speech recognition in their profession. Other users include staff at our mission in Brussels which is effectively our Embassy at the EU, 10 people with disabilities (some of whom have RSI) use voice activated software and this includes 3 officers serving abroad. "The most interesting outcome is that non-disabled people have started to use it now, and the department has also started using it for people with dyslexia - so we really are beginning to see very widespread benefits."

"RSI costs UK organisations and businesses around £1 billion each year, so it's no surprise that more and more organisations are finding speech recognition technology is the perfect solution," said Colin Howman.

"The key with any successful implementation of speech recognition is delivering a customised solution that perfectly fits the requirements of the user, not least when he or she suffers from RSI. SRC provides a thorough assessment of each user's requirements, then designs and delivers a unique speech solution, including systems integration, project management and training to ensure that each customer achieves success and benefits from speech recognition."

But the last word must go to Jenny York, "I feel very lucky because without speech recognition technology I might not be doing the job I enjoy. At one time you might have thought it could only be used in very extreme circumstances, but it's now as much a part of my daily working life as a PC and keyboard is to most others and I'm very grateful that I can still work".