Global AutoCorrect is a liberating piece of software, which allows people with Dyslexia to achieve their full potential. No matter what programme you are typing in, the software corrects your spelling as you type.
This is a crucial piece of time saving assistive technology. Countless times I have found myself staring at the list of spelling suggestions by standard autocorrect in a document, and they haven't been remotely close to what I wanted to say. Not only does Global AutoCorrect, make use of an extensive database and intelligent algorithms, (providing millions of accurate corrections as soon as it is installed) it also acts as a learning tool. The Software identifies your most common mistakes so that you can work on them in your own time.
AbilityNet talks to Neil Cottrell, Director of LexAble:
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| LexAble Team at T4G Awards ( Neil, centre) |
When I was 10 my teacher noticed that I was having difficulties with reading and writing, so I was referred to an educational psychologist who diagnosed me with dyslexia. I had experienced problems before then, but managed to hide them quite well by developing coping strategies without really realising it. This is something that a lot of people with dyslexia find themselves doing, which is why diagnosis often comes later than it should. So I'm thankful that my teacher was so observant and keen to help!
During the time you were in full time education, what sort of assistive tech or aids (such as colour overlays or audio dictator, computer etc.) did you have, if any?
I used lots of different coping strategies at school, some of which were technology-based and some not. Working with my teachers and my parents we first identified my issues, worked out what I needed then found suitable solutions. Personally I think this approach is much more effective than simply choosing the products that are well known or popular. Visually I found large blocks of text quite distracting and difficult to read, so I got a reading ruler with a coloured overlay that also blocked out the text above and below, helping me to focus. Text to speech, which so many people use these days, was also a great help.
I also consider myself extremely lucky; I had a laptop funded by the Local Education Authority and a statement of Special Educational Need from the age of 12, which even today is far too rare. Another problem that children with dyslexia face is people thinking you're 'different' when you've got a laptop and headphones in lessons. I managed to overcome this, though - at break times my friends and I would write rude sentences on my laptop and use text to speech to read them out! I thought I was just making my assistive tech funny, but I think that doing this helped to break down the barriers and challenge negative stereotypes.
When did you first start coming up with the idea for Global AutoCorrect?
Global AutoCorrect was initially developed as a crude personal coping strategy when I was 15 - I found red underlines to be very distracting, and even if I ignored them the process of spell checking all those words at the end was disheartening. I first created Global AutoCorrect as a simple tool to automatically correct my spelling in any application, with a simple process for adding new corrections. As my personal list of corrections grew I was able to expand my vocabulary far beyond the words I knew how to spell, and I was also able to track the words I was misspelling most frequently.
When I started at university I realised that other people could benefit from Global AutoCorrect, so in my spare time I started developing it into a commercial product. In 2009 Global AutoCorrect was released to the public and the rest, as they say, is history!
You have received several awards for Global AutoCorrect, how has this recognition for your work made you feel?
Actually, this has changed quite significantly over time, as the business has developed. I was named the British Dyslexia Association's Young Achiever of the Year in 2010, which was a big source of personal validation for me. A well-respected organisation was recognising the work that I'd done. This in turn helped me to recognise that my product was helping others and that I was genuinely making a difference.
In 2011 I was named Cardiff University's Graduate Entrepreneur of the Year. Of course I was absolutely thrilled to receive this title, but it also demonstrated to me that what had began as my own personal project was turning into something that was really going places!
Our latest award was AbilityNet's own Technology4Good Accessibility Award. This was the first award that had been given to the company as a whole, and it's served as brilliant motivation for the team. The awards ceremony was also a fantastic opportunity to explore bringing Global AutoCorrect into the workplace; we have made so many useful contacts at the event which are evolving into long term relationships in the corporate environment. Overall, we're really grateful to AbilityNet for the fantastic exposure that has made such a big difference to our company.
So where is LexAble now?
The company has changed so much in the past year or so - originally it was just me doing everything but we've now got a fantastic team of people working to develop the software and to bring it to a wider audience. Although we're quite a small company, we're growing all the time and it's amazing how quickly things are changing! We're also working with some of the world's leading experts to continually improve Global AutoCorrect's ability to make accurate corrections, and conducting research with Cardiff University to look at some of the additional benefits of our software for people with dyslexia.
Technology moves so quickly, what’s in store for LexAble in the future? e.g: App for tablets/phones?
The key thing we're working on right now is the development of Global AutoCorrect for Mac - this is the most frequent request we receive and we will be releasing it in 2013! We're also developing some fantastic improvements to our existing software that will benefit all of our users - watch this space! From a wider perspective, tablets and smartphones are rapidly changing how people interact with technology and the world around them, and we're exploring some interesting ways to harness these changes.
Useful Links:
Lexable's Website: http://www.lexable.com
Follow LexAble on Twitter: @LexAbleSoftware
Technology4Good Awards: www.technology4goodawards.org.uk
AbilityNet Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AbilityNet
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