Improving opportunities for neurodiverse learners, especially those with learning disabilities such as dyslexia, is a passion of mine. I first learned of dyslexia when I was thirteen, and my then eleven-year-old brother was finally given a reason he struggled in many subjects at school. As a mom with a son who is also dyslexic and a leader who has worked with employees with undisclosed learning disabilities, understanding how voice-to-text can both help and frustrate users is something I feel the need to know.

The following is my “story.” Eventually, with much editing, it will become the next posting on my blog – TheGirlintheRedHat.blog.

“You may know Britney Spears oops I did it again it’s been a while. Oh exactly to year they did it again. Third time. Something happened in your life Corvettes record memories. Or you know something that people say before part of my life for it people think of weddings they think of the birth of their child, or the death of a parent or a loved one things that happen at work can also be considered a big event, and I’m somebody who needs to sit and reflect upon what happens to me. Sometimes I rush to judgement state think I shouldn’t and other times I need to sit back and really reflect and understand how I’m going to do forward one of those times when I start at the top seem to be block, it was clear that I was taking over the narrative of my life. I was going to make changes I was going to be at that’s it, a problem with being a centage and starting to really come in here. Owner is coming to your own in the way that you feel good about is that you’re not person that people want you to believe are people think you’re going to be you start challenging decisions you point out mom or alternative ways of thinking And when you think differently and others you’re not part of the group the group thing if you will, it can be challenging particularly if somebody has a narrative that they expect everybody to follow. If I am too, so I walked away from my job. There’s more to it than that but unless you sign and not just closure agreement, I really can’t go into it. Suffice it to say I’m doing well, I mean I’m happy I’m happy here than I’ve been in a long time. I’ve proven to myself that I can be resilient that I can take something that for me was crushing walking away from an 18 year career job that I can’t even club people that I love to work with right when you start to change and things don’t, don’t feel the things they don’t. They don’t match how you are internally and you have that internal struggle of trying to be one of the boys or really stand up for things that you think are wrong. You need to make that decision and so I’ve learned and there’s lots of things that I have to talk about it in and how I am I can teach or share my journey just like I did when I started this block a year and a half or three years ago there’s a lot of things that can happen in your life. I roll my job. I’ve hit the bottom a couple times and you know what sometimes you need to do that if you’re an alcoholic, sometimes hitting the bottom is what you need to do in order to understand that you should do a longer drink for me hitting the bottom is that I had to acknowledge that I have anxiety, and under the understand the fact that I a lot of what I did was trying to prove that I could fit in, so I was good enough that I was enough I am enough I don’t need to prove that I don’t need to try to fit in what I need to do to find people that like me, for who I am that accept me for who I am, but I understand that I bring and contribute not just to a friendship but to a world a community a company whoever it is in a way that unique and different from other and you don’t all need to be the same. I’m happy that I took the time to step away. I’ve gone back to school. I’m almost done a master I’m looking at what I want my life to be for the next 10 years And I wanted to be something I’m proud of I know when I look back I can say I did that I did it in a way that I’m proud of and I did it for me not for somebody else when something happens and you get told well just thought you’re one of the boys You realize that you played a role he played it well he start to challenge that and recognize that sure I might be one of the boys for some of the conversation but I’m still an individual and when you get treated with disrespect and you haven’t done anything to deserve it That’s not being one of the boys that’s being told understanding but it doesn’t matter what you do they want you around for certain day but you’re just there you’re just putting somebody else there that there’s somebody else’s story and that’s what I was trying to get away from the first place But anxiety brings fear and sometimes you’re scared to make a move scared of that cheat. What could it do? How would I move forward? What type of job would I have? How will I pay the bills? How do I help my husband pay the bill, and that fear of paralyzing, but when you’re paralyzed from fear and it’s also negatively impacting your mental health, you really need to contemplate what you need to do for yourself because you’re sabotaging your life you’re making yourself sick it has an impact you know you can feel you understand that things are happening as an intuitive and hot. You can start seeing pieces of the puzzle coming together you know somethings going to happen you know the other shoe is going to drop relax, it was at work great And it was time for Dr. eyes out. I’m excited to continue the story of the girl in the red hot it’s me it’s Nicole I am the girl in the red hat. This is my story something I want to share and I hope that maybe I can offer some titbits with them and you can learn not just from my mistakes.”

I used the Notes app on my phone to dictate. Let’s say my spell and grammar checkers are NOT happy. The underlines and red marks are a bit nauseating for someone who is a perfectionist, and my anxiety is ratcheting at the thought of submitting, considering this is a graduate course.

What strikes me the most is how poorly the voice-to-text worked. There is some punctuation to indicate the end of a sentence or thought, but it appears that they have been randomly added when I paused or took a breath. The concept of commas and semi-colons, which I have worked so hard to master, are non-existent. In reading the transcript, I am not sure I can even follow my own train of thought based on the “substitutions” for what was captured versus what I am pretty sure I said. For example, “Something happened in your life Corvettes record memories” should read “when something happens in your life that creates core memories.”

In attempting to read and understand what I was saying, I wondered if I was mumbling or talking too fast or if the technology we utilize requires a microphone to ensure that the program can effectively pick up what is being said. If there is an issue with the technology, then I question how those with learning disabilities are able to utilize them effectively. If scripting is required to improve accuracy, how does that support learning? Perhaps the learning for educators is that when we are teaching, coaching, or mentoring others, we must learn to slow down and be more deliberate in our delivery of subject material.

What this exercise has highlighted to me is how visual I am when writing and developing a story. I need to see the words on paper or screen to watch a story unfold. It helps to slow down my thought process, allow me time to reflect on my thoughts and find the perfect succinct way to share my story. It better explains why people tell me to “wrap it up” when I share a story for the first time…

This begs the question of how effective oral storytelling is, or perhaps the focus instead needs to be who the oral storytellers are. What makes them effective? As I attempt to read and make sense of my oral story, I bet they do not have ADHD like me!