Assistive Technologies What would you do?

SCENARIO 2 – ACCIDENT WITH A BANDSAW On Monday morning, the AT team received a call from a member of the EY Talent Team with an emergency request. A customer had been involved in an accident the past weekend with a bandsaw and severed the tips of three fingers. Since the standard method of typing could not be accomplished, the individual was very concerned for their productivity. The goal was to incorporate technology to maintain their high productivity level and not fall behind their peers. The team met with the individual on Tuesday and the following topics were discussed: • Dictation software – Since EY uses the Microsoft suite of products, the team brought up "Microsoft Dictate", which was available in Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, and OneNote. This was a tool the individual could enact “at that moment” and test its use. The team also mentioned Dragon Naturally Speaking dictation software to extend dictation to Microsoft Edge and to help with voice commands to substitute for mouse movements. • Sticky Keys – The team discussed this feature (built into Windows) that eliminates the need to hold down multiple keys at a time to enact keyboard commands. The customer made use of each function and was satisfied with the productivity gains achieved through their use. SCENARIO 3 – DIAGNOSIS OF PROGRESSIVE EYE DISEASE The customer reported increasing difficulties focusing on their screen. They were diagnosed with a progressive eye disease and wished to test various methods to make their screen easier to view throughout their day. The team focused on a few different areas: • Larger monitor – The customer preferred a single large monitor (42 inches) versus multiple smaller screens (32 inches). The AT team worked with the in-country Talent/HR team to procure a 42-inch model. • Changing Text Size - The team helped to change the overall text size of Windows icons and system programs. Also, the team enabled a slider bar for text size in the lower- right corner of Word & Outlook. The team also made sure the customer knew how to adjust the settings for the future. • Audio playback of screen text – The team guided the customer through use of the "ReadAloud" feature in Word and Outlook. This enabled the customer to hear their emails and Word documents. They also worked through the audio playback features within PDF programs. • Dictation of emails via the Outlook mobile app – The customer was not interested in using dictation software on their work laptop. Instead, the team focused on the dictation feature in the Outlook mobile app. This allowed the customer to dictate their messages and briefly scan for

completeness before sending.

SCENARIO 4 – CUSTOMER RECEIVED NEW HEARING AIDS AND ENCOUNTERED DIFFICULTIES USING THEM IN VIRTUAL MEETINGS The customer had previously used a single hearing aid (in- the-ear) and recently switched to dual over-the-ear hearing aids. While the new Bluetooth connectivity was great, the customer reported significant discomfort with their on-the-ear headset (pressing against the hearing aids). The customer was seeking an alternative headset. • A few alternative form factors were proposed – earbuds and/ or bone conduction headset (with built in microphone). • The team was curious if the customer would prefer a direct connection from their EY laptop to their hearing aids. • The customer wanted to try a bone conduction headset, and the results were fantastic! The customer was appreciative and has used this model since. SCENARIO 5 – RECENT DIAGNOSIS OF ADHD The customer reached out to the AT team after a recent diagnosis of ADHD and was seeking ways to better maintain pace during virtual meetings where information is always exchanged quickly. • Current method of notetaking – The AT team asked the customer about their current notetaking methods and where they felt it was lacking in the fast-paced work environment. The team asked for specific examples of when the pace became too much. This helped the team check for patterns and were there specific occurrences within a meeting where troubles were most apparent. • Connections between OneNote and Microsoft To-Do – The customer made heavy use of OneNote and reported their To-Do list was scattered with items from multiple OneNote pages. The team demonstrated the connections between OneNote and Microsoft To-Do (both programs are available to everyone at EY), specifically the "Outlook Tasks flag in OneNote. By placing a flag on a line of text (a To-Do item) in OneNote, the task is automatically synchronized in Microsoft To-Do. All To-Do items are available on one screen in Microsoft To-Do, versus multiple OneNote pages. This made it much easier for the individual to keep up with their To-Do items. • During the meeting – The team mentioned "Teams Captioning", a feature built into Microsoft Teams and available to everyone at EY. For the customer, the process of “seeing” the words in addition to hearing them made a significant positive difference in their initial level of understanding.

BACK TO CONTENTS

Made with FlippingBook Ebook Creator