Nathan is the Senior Communications Coordinator for the BC Wheelchair Sports Association (BCWSA) (new window). His job involves managing their websites and social media, planning and executing marketing campaigns around large sporting events, and working on fundraising and awareness campaigns. And the world of adaptive sports isn’t just a job for Nathan, he’s an active participant in a variety of sports himself.
Nathan has Cerebral Palsy, which affects his mobility and fine motor skills. “Typing for me has always been like mildly challenging, but it’s starting to get more difficult with age as I’ve started to develop more arthritis in my hand,” he shares.
Looking into voice-to-text options to help take the load off his hands, he decided to get in touch with the BCWSA’s BC Spinal Cord Injury Network partner, Neil Squire. He joined Neil Squire’s Distance Computer Comfort program, and he began learning how to use Dragon Naturally Speaking in lessons with Distance Training Coordinator Gordon Watt.
“We went through installing, setting up, and using Dragon, and it’s been very helpful,” Nathan says. “[Gordon] was super helpful, really easy to get along with. Really good at answering all my questions. I know he’s always available if I have another question, I could shoot an email if I need something. He’s been very, very accommodating.”
While Nathan still does like to do some of his own typing, being able to alternate and use Dragon has helped him manage his pain and fatigue throughout the day, and it has made him more productive.
“Whenever I’m having those high pain days or low mobility days, just to be able to still get work done, or if I have a day where I have a lot of writing and a really high volume, just to be able to keep up with the demand by going to that voice to text, taking a bit of the load off of my hands, off of my fingers, and letting me get more things done and be more productive with my day,” he shares.
“It’s funny. You don’t often associate office work and white-collar work with physical burden, but the reality is if you have any sort of fine motor challenges, it can be difficult to type all day or to sit in one spot all day and get things done.”
And being able to use Dragon instead of always needing to type has not only helped Nathan in the workplace, but it allows him to enjoy activities like adaptive sports after a day of work.