Speech recognition technology is important for anyone with arthritis. Arthritis affects all ages and occupations, but is especially devastating for anyone who types and communicates through using a keyboard on the internet or office network. There are few options for someone who works in an office if they cannot type information into a keyboard except for speech recognition devices. Even though claiming disability looks attractive, the reality of actually exploring the possibilities of expensive medical procedures including splints or other devices, painful injections of corticosteroids and NSAIDs or finally, surgery is painful.
The first approach an employer will want to take to avoid these painful conditions is to reassign an employee to different duties, but an employee who wants to keep working on a computer may explore other options like headsets that record what needs to be typed. There is legislation being passed that helps office workers with arthritis. For example, in West Virginia, the West Virginia Arthritis Prevention Education Act, which was introduced last February, was passed by both houses of the West Virginia Legislature on March 13. This legislation will establish an arthritis prevention and treatment education program within the WV Bureau of Public Health. An Interagency Council on Arthritis has included an allocation of $280,000. The bill will be delivered to the Governor’s office where hopefully it will be signed into law.
Affordable equipment and software is now more widely used for office workers with arthritis. Speech recognition devises are equipment which lets a person with arthritis speak the words they want to type or the commands they need to use into their computer instead of typing when they are in pain. This equipment used to be expensive and non-compatible with many computers. Now, they are accessible and inexpensive, even for small businesses. Small businesses can now employ and keep people with arthritis who need to use a keyboard without the expense or the inconvenience of using technology that originally was not within their reach.
Even individuals who have arthritis can purchase this equipment to take with them on interviews so that they can prove they are able to work in an office without their arthritis being a burden. This kind of equipment and software has come a long way in helping people with disabilities continue to work and become valuable assets to small businesses and larger offices everywhere. Many government agencies also benefit from speech recognition devices because they help long term employees with arthritis keep working in a productive way that benefits everyone, including taxpayers. Speech recognition devices now save money and jobs for everyone, and reduce the liability and disability payments that any company must pay if someone is no longer able to perform their duties.
Many employers and small businesses have realized that experienced office workers are hard to find. With this equipment, when an office worker has arthritis, there are affordable and convenient solutions to keep valued employees working. This equipment lets employees keep working and keep companies strong.
Robert Bibb has been a consumer advocate and entrepreneur for many
years. He lives in West Virginia where he is an avid kayaker and computer enthusiast who owns an SEO company.
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