Case Studies
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A Day at the Beach
We had lunch at our favourite restaurant. Then we went to the beach to throw rocks into the lake. When we were at the beach we saw an amazing surfer with a massive kite. We saw him flying in the air. Wow!
The above passage was written by 14-year-old Aviva, who like many teens loves to journal about her day. Yet before using a groundbreaking assistive writing software developed at the Bloorview Research Institute, Aviva – who has Down’s Syndrome and scoliosis – found the act of writing difficult and even painful.
“Writing ten sentences by hand is challenging for Aviva,” says her mom, Janine. “Typing is easier because your hand shape is physiologically different than when holding a pencil. The software takes that ease of use one step further by helping Aviva take her thoughts and put them into written form.”
That software is WordQ, developed by Dr. Fraser Shein, CEO of Quillsoft and former engineer and scientist at Holland Bloorview for 30 years. WordQ is designed for accessibility, and supports the unique needs of disabled and neurodivergent people to read, write, and type on a screen using word prediction and speech feedback, as well as other strategies to help improve writing and reading.
Five years ago, Aviva and her mom were introduced to WordQ by Holland Bloorview’s Communication and Writing Aids (CWAS) team, who sourced the technology for her.
“The team did an amazing job, and it was the only time in Aviva’s life that this skill has been properly assessed,” says Janine. She worked with the CWAS team to apply for government funding through the Assistive Devices Program to cover a portion of the cost of the system, and was able to obtain an accessible computer with WordQ software.
“WordQ is great for its predictive technology,” says Janine. “It offers a list of words that Aviva has used before that she can start to recognize and choose from. A child who is given genuine choice feels empowered – they gain confidence, which is huge for kids with unique needs. And that confidence is a massive step forward in learning how to write.”
WordQ is one of many cutting-edge technologies developed at Holland Bloorview and the Bloorview Research Institute (BRI) in the last few decades. In fact, BRI-led work has fuelled dozens of seminal innovations that have improved the quality of life for children and adults alike. Today, Holland Bloorview is among the top three research hospitals in Canada (small-tier) for both researcher and hospital intensity.
Dr. Shein founded Quillsoft in collaboration with Holland Bloorview in 2000 with the goal of levelling the educational playing field and ensuring equity and inclusion when it comes to students’ reading, writing and communication.
“We want to improve literacy rates to give people a leg up in society,” says Dr. Shein. “This includes everyone from people with physical disabilities and learning disabilities to those learning English as a second language. People need to read and make sense of what they’re reading in order to improve their outcomes in life – and that’s what our software does, customized for each person’s abilities.”
Importantly, Quillsoft has always been rooted in the desire to help people, a passion forged by founding team members who spent years at Holland Bloorview.
“The families who we met, and our experience there, has really driven our focus,” says Dr. Shein. “I was fortunate to be given consistent opportunities to try to innovate – and seeing the kids, their smiles, their personalities… I decided that if I can help them, then I will.”
Dr. Shein remains in touch with many early users of his software as they have grown older, and he considers them friends. Some have used Quillsoft software to get their PhDs. Today, there are more than 2 million users of the WordQ software. That includes Janine’s daughter, Aviva.
“Like most of us, Aviva is most engaged when things are meaningful to her,” says Janine. “Penmanship doesn’t equal intelligence – and WordQ has helped her express herself through her writing in a truly meaningful way.”
A Walk with Friends
We saw wild flowers. We also saw a Great Blue Heron. We saw a Red-winged blackbird so close to us that we could almost touch it. My friend also likes bird watching.
Reposted from Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital
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It was a harsh twist of fate for Tim Seefeldt; being a former journalist suddenly unable to share his creativity due to a stroke.
“I don’t know if it was bitter irony or if it was just a cruel joke from God. When I had the stroke, the two things that were taken most dramatically from me were my ability to read and my ability to write.”
Prior to his stroke, Tim had left his position as a journalist to begin his career in sales business development. Despite his creative aspirations, he focused his attention toward what was financially best for his growing family. His focus was forever altered the day he suffered a stroke.
Tim had his stroke early one May morning while at home with his family. Unable to grasp what was happening to him, Tim’s severe disorientation was instantly noticed by his wife and daughter. Due to the disturbing nature of his symptoms, his wife made an immediate decision to rush him to a nearby hospital for help.
Regarding the posters on his hospital room walls, he was startled to discover a difficulty with understanding the words. “I kind of gave a double peek at them because as I looked at them, they didn’t make sense.” he remembers, “It was kind of like a horror movie. I just kept seeing letters and numbers that didn’t make any sense.”
After a week in the hospital, Tim was transferred to a rehabilitation facility to begin his recovery. Mapping his cognitive inconsistencies helped his therapists adjust his rehab program to him.
Tim recalls, “I literally had to learn to read again. Strangely I could write OK, but I couldn’t read it five minutes after I wrote it.” Unfortunately, the speed of his reading and the clarity of his writing continued to be an issue.
Driven to succeed for himself and his family, Tim searched for tools to help him transition back into his career. Paramount for Tim was being able to effectively communicate with his clients. “In my line of work, the trust people have in you is based so much on your intelligence and how they perceive you.”
Tim attributes his successful recovery to a combination of three things: accepting the intangible “I just can’t do anything about it”, receiving immediate care after his stroke and working hard to combine his efforts with the expertise of his rehabilitation therapists.
WordQ helped Tim improve the clarity of his thoughts and composition of his writing. “It is very powerful that way. More powerful than anything is that I know with confidence what I’m sending looks intelligent and professional.”
With a renewed respect for his writing abilities, Tim is currently penning a memoir chronicling his recovery from stroke.
He hopes it will inspire and assist therapists treating those living with disabilities, and foster greater respect and understanding from others.
“It’s a humbling thing and it’s scary but if you actually reflect on it later, it’s a fairly powerful experience to go through. The journey that I’m on is the same as before, but the path and the steps I am taking are completely different.”
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When his son, Luis, was born three years ago, Orlando Cotto felt he could no longer ignore the disability that had been breaking down his self-esteem for over 35 years.
“I had been battling with dyslexia all my life but I never knew I had it until recently,” Orlando said. “Maybe I was avoiding it.”
“As a father I wanted to be able to help my son learn to read and write,” Orlando said, “and the thought of that scared the hell of me.”
It was about that same time that Orlando experienced his “ah ha” moment when his wife, Yvonne Hu-Cotto, suggested that he might have dyslexia.
“So I read ‘The Gift of Dyslexia: Why Some of the Smartest People Can't Read... and How They Can Learn’ (by Ronald D. Davis and Eldon M. Braun),” he said. “I was in tears. I was seeing myself in the mirror.” “It’s me,” he thought after reading the book, “it was all so crystal clear.”
Growing up in Puerto Rico in the 1970s and ‘80s, Orlando struggled in school. Completing homework assignments was next to impossible.
Despite asking for help, Orlando’s teachers didn’t understand why he couldn’t complete his schoolwork. They often forced him to write sentences over and over, as punishment for his late or incomplete assignments.
One of the lowest points of his life was when he failed the fifth grade. He struggled in every grade thereafter, never finding academic success.
A professional marimbist and percussionist since the eighth grade, Orlando was able to make his way through school, channeling his frustration and anger through music.
“Music was a release for me. It came more naturally,” he said. “I was terrified to read in front of a group of people but I could play music in front of them.”
After graduation from high school he was accepted into the Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico. While there, Orlando finally achieved academic success, and was recognized as the most outstanding student of his graduating year.
“In college I gave it 110 percent but it was still very hard,” he said
From there Orlando attended the Peabody Conservatory of Music at Johns Hopkins University having the dual distinction as the first marimbist to receive the Artist Diploma and to win the Yale Gordon Concerto Competition.
In the midst of all his musical successes, it took Orlando 35 years to unlock the mystery of what was causing his challenges with reading and writing. His next steps were to learn to adapt. "I knew I had address it and get help so I could turn this around," he said.
Looking for a solution, he found WordQ, assistive technology software.
“Oh my god, this is incredible!" Orlando said after using wordQ. "I am bad with spelling in English and Spanish and this helps with both!"
WordQ word prediction, text to speech, and voice recognition features, allow writers with dyslexia to develop sentences, expand their vocabulary, and hear misspelled words and punctuation errors as they write. Writers also have the ability to choose between speaking and typing as they write. The program supports millions of individuals, students, teachers, and parents alike, who are working to improve and develop their ability to write.
"I’m an aural person and with WordQ I can hear all of my mistakes," Orlando added. "It’s very helpful."
Having used WordQ for several months Orlando’s confidence is growing. On a scale from 1 to 10, he says his confidence with writing is now at an 8.
“When you are dyslexic and you see words, it’s intimidating,” Orlando said. “I know there are a lot of adults out there with dyslexia who just don’t know--they just cope."
“To have these tools is a great help.”
Orlando Cotto is a successful performing and recording artist. He is also a faculty member at the University of Delaware and Nathan Carter School of Music in Baltimore, MD. Orlando lives in Baltimore with his wife Yvonne Hu-Cotto and their son Luis Matthew Cotto. More information is available online at orlandocotto.com
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"It breaks your heart as a parent to see your child struggle." Carol Sue Burdock recalls. Currently homeschooling three children diagnosed with dyslexia, Carol recounts her family's long battle with the crippling insecurities, social stigmas and constant frustrations stemming from this widely misunderstood disorder.
This battle started soon after her 6 year old son, John, entered public kindergarten. After about a month, the pressure of trying to keep up with fellow classmates when not being able to grasp common lessons caused John to develop severe anxiety and stress. Carol remembers that “it escalated to the point where he started having nervous ticks.”
The many days when he would come home crying, confused and discouraged led Carol to seek alternate education methods. “We decided then to pull him out because this was just not healthy.”
With careful consideration, Carol decided the best course of action was to homeschool John. Though the plan had always been to send John to public school, Carol felt it necessary to “pull him out and try to get him back to the child that he was before he started school.”
After a short adjustment period, John began using a multi-sensory learning system at home. Though this type of program helped him with his reading, his writing and spelling mistakes still plagued him, leading to distraction and frustration. This struggle lead Carol to wonder if the symptoms he displayed while struggling with his work could stem from dyslexia, a developmental reading disorder resulting in problems with the brain's ability to recognize and process symbols.
Desperate for a solution, Carol continued her search for the tools to help unleash all of her son's hidden potential. She came across a website promoting a computer program designed for children with developmental reading disorders. Focusing on word prediction and voice recognition, WordQ would help John not only translate his thoughts into a cohesive manner but would also help him learn the correct spelling and pronunciation of words despite his dyslexia. With no risk and little to lose, Carol decided to try WordQ.
Immediately after beginning the program, John showed notable improvement in his reading comprehension and creative writing. "The first thing I was just amazed at was the simplicity of getting the computer to recognize his voice." explains Carol. Having the software programmed with sentences he could easily read and understand helped him progress with the voice recognition. John's first assignment from Carol, using the WordQ+SpeakQ software, was to produce a creative narrative. Though it might have been a small piece, the success of John being able to work independently brought tears to his mother's eyes. "It was the first time he could actually be like 'Mom, I can't believe I wrote that'." Carol reminisces fondly. This significant achievement prompted Carol to implement the entire WordQ+SpeakQ program into her son's curriculum.
With three children now using the WordQ+SpeakQ program full time, Carol feels their success is due in large part to each child being able to learn at their own pace. In conjunction with the extra time and flexibility that homeschooling provides, the WordQ+SpeakQ program allows her children to develop reading and writing skills with no unnecessary pressure. “It takes away that feeling of ‘I’m dumb’.“ Carol explains, “They may learn in a different way but they are far from stupid.” Adaptable to each child's specific level and need, the children has been able to pursue their personal and academic interests with more enthusiasm and capability.
Though a common and often discussed learning disorder, the stigma of dyslexia is still widely seen throughout our society. Feelings of inadequacy and misconceptions of a lazy or unintelligent mind have created walls that sometimes keep those living with the disorder from reaching their full potential. The acceptance, education and positive reinforcement derived from these programs has help Carol push her children past these barriers toward rewarding, meaningful goals. "WordQ really just saved us from a really dark place." Carol maintains, "We just needed the tools and that was just the answer.
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Christine, from Naramata, British Columbia, was referred to the Distance Computer Comfort Program by our partner site, Footprints to Technology, in Penticton. Christine has been working with an online tutor for the past few months.
Christine was looking to be able to enjoy her computer and everything it has to offer. Initially, she set her goals on learning basic, every-day computer skills, and familiarizing herself with the different programs available. With her training, Christine was able to send pictures back and forth to friends, find topics of interest online, and even learned a bit about how to find employment ads. The distance learning aspect of the program was a great fit for her as she was able to work from home and therefore didn’t have to worry about transit.
Christine was born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and sometimes literacy presents a bit of a struggle for her. WordQ, a computer program provided through Computer Comfort, was installed on her computer and it helped her to read and write independently. It reads sentences aloud and predicts text based on Christine’s writing.
Part way through her participation in the Distance Computer Comfort Program, Christine landed a job with her local A&W restaurant(new window). The pre-employment training required for the job was available online, so Christine was able, with the assistance of her tutor and WordQ, to exercise her knowledge of a computer and she successfully completed the training. Together, her and her tutor learned everything from safety regulations to how to build a Mama Burger!
Christine has been working at A&W for a couple months now, and recently, e-Learning Manager Chad Leaman, was able to have a delicious breakfast with her during his recent trip to the Okanagan.
Way to go Christine!
Sourced from the Neil Squire society.
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Karen started a part-time job as an administrator at her church in Vancouver. She oversees office duties, like replying to emails, answering the phones, organizing weekly worship services, and coordinating the weekly newsletter. She also deals with the different rental users of the building.
Karen using her setup while working. However, her workday is made harder by her disability. Since birth, Karen has lived with spastic diplegia, a form of cerebral palsy, which affects her speech, coordination, muscle dexterity, balance, and mobility.
“I also live with scoliosis which has created more curvature in my back over the years. For mobility, I use a walker just to maintain my energy and alleviate the stiffness and spasticity in my legs. Due to this, it has affected my functional limitations for me to fulfill the tasks of work,” she explains.
She also does independent consultant work within the accessibility and inclusion field, and through this work, she learned about WorkBC Assistive Technology Services. She applied and was pleased with the results.
“The assistive technology program assisted with several accommodations for me to fulfill my tasks at work. It provided me with a customized seat to assist me to sit up straighter to alleviate the pain in my back. Having cerebral palsy causes more stress on my body as we age, thus I also experience chronic pain throughout my legs and back,” she says.
Karen also received a computer tray, a specialized computer mouse to minimize shakiness, a keyboard with spaced out keys, and a word prediction software, WordQ
With the new accommodations, Karen finds that she has much more energy to focus on her job.
“I spend less concentration to try to control my lack of dexterity level, and more energy doing my job to the highest performance,” she explains. “My customized chair has made so much difference in my life. Without the proper supports on the sides, I was so tired at the end of the day and my back suffered. Now, I am sitting up straighter and I feel so much more supported.”
She recommends the WorkBC Assistive Technology Services program to others in need.
“The assistive technology program really worked with me to ensure that I was well-supported to do my job well,” Karen shares.
“Living with a disability, I feel like I am always trying to keep up with everything, because I am used to putting in double the effort to do the same tasks as everyone else. With these supports, it makes work more equitable so that people with disabilities can participate in the workforce.”
Sourced from the Neil Squire Society.
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In 2007, Min had a stroke, affecting the left side of his body — he has no function in his left arm and hand.
Min, who lives in Coquitlam, is currently looking for work, participating in the WorkBC Employment Services program.
However, being able to use a computer plays a big part in the modern job search — from searching for opportunities to typing out resumes and cover letters — and typing was difficult for Min with the use of only one hand.
After an assessment, Min received WordQ word prediction software, along with orientation and training. Min finds this software “really helpful,” as it speeds up the typing process, which can be tedious using one hand.
He also received an electronic stapler which allows him to organize papers with one hand.
Min recommends the Assistive Technology Services program to others in need, as it has greatly improved his ability to use a computer, and has helped him on his path to employment.
Sourced from the Neil Squire Society
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When Somayeh first came to Neil Squire several years ago, she was a new immigrant studying at Douglas College(new window). She is currently completing her undergraduate degree in biochemistry at UBC(new window).
“This is my second experience with Neil Squire Society,” she explains. “[The first time,] I received technical support, a laptop, and a desk. It was really good for me because I didn’t have anything. It helped me improve my study. This time, my laptop was not working properly. I was really worried I couldn’t concentrate on my studies.”
“I have difficulty in walking and speaking, and one of my hands is affected,” she says. “I use a power chair sometimes, usually for outside activity.”
Through the Digital Jumpstart program, Somayeh received a laptop to help with her school. She also received one-on-one virtual tutoring in computer programs such as Word, Excel(opens in a new window), and WordQ(new window). In particular, she mentions how WordQ’s word prediction feature has helped with her schoolwork.
“Microsoft Office was really good for me,” she notes. “Most of our work uses Word and Excel, especially when we are in the lab and we need to collect data in Excel. It was really helpful for me. And WordQ is awesome for disabled people. I have to write two or three reports for my lab, [and] each lab report is almost 20-25 pages. It’s very difficult for me to type in. But fortunately, the WordQ really helps me.”
Somayeh is working towards graduating next year. After that, she is planning to reach out to the Working Together program for employment support.
Sourced from the Neil Squire Society.