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Childhood brain injury caused aphasia, making literacy and communication difficult.
Read&Write helped to boost confidence, enable academic success, and inspire Peter’s career in disability inclusion.
Peter Dempsey, Disability Consultant, Advocate for Assistive Technology
Background: With the support of his family, mentors, and the Read&Write toolbar, Peter discovered new ways to access learning and thrive. Now, he works with organisations to shape disability inclusion strategies and ensure that everyone has equal access to education and employment opportunities.
Getting Read&Write helped to speed up my learning considerably. It was the first time I could achieve anything academic, so that was huge for me."
Meet Peter
Aged 4, he suffered a stroke that led to a diagnosis of aphasia. Aphasia impairs a person's ability to recall information and express understanding. At school, Peter struggled to keep up with his peers as writing, reading comprehension, recalling information and articulating his thoughts all presented barriers to accessing learning.
But thanks to a supportive family, mentors and assistive technology, Peter today uses his skills and experience to consult organisations on their disability inclusion strategies. Read on to hear his story.
Discovering tools that would support learning
It wasn’t until Peter had left school that his dad – who was an engineer and always on the lookout for emerging technology – came across Read&Write.
That year, Peter returned to education with adult re-entry into Year 11. With the help of a mentor, he started using the Read&Write toolbar.
'That's when everything changed'
Peter now had access to a suite of tools that could help him to read, write and understand. He could hear text read aloud using the text-to-speech feature and see each word highlighted as it was read, helping him to follow along. The highlighter and dictionary tools also helped him solidify his comprehension.
How Read&Write helped
Read&Write acts as a literacy support partner, helping users to understand texts, process information and verbalise thoughts. Below, hear how Read&Write opened up new learning possibilities for Peter.
First impressions
Being introduced to Read&Write was a pivotal moment. It opened up new learning possibilities for Peter.
Reading and processing information can demand a heavy cognitive load, but Read&Write reduces that strain by providing alternative ways to engage with reading and writing. This support was a game-changer, enabling Peter to access learning like never before. Most importantly, being able to access information in ways he could understand unlocked something else in Peter: a curiosity and love of learning.
In this video, he shares his first impressions of the toolbar.
Equipped with this toolbar, Peter now had a range of supports at his fingertips. Below, check out a few standout features which supported Peter's learning. "I now had the tools and the eagerness to learn. It was a lifeline"
Barriers at university
When he started university, Peter faced a roadblock. At the time, his university didn't provide access to Read&Write or any other assistive software, and without that crucial support, Peter struggled.
'It was a very frustrating time', says Peter. 'To know that there are tools out there that can help but aren't being implemented. If I'd had Read&Write, it would have been a very good support for me.'
Peter made the difficult decision to drop out of university. However, he was still determined to continue his education. So he opted instead to pursue Technical and Further Education (TAFE). His parents bought a private licence of Read&Write, and with the dedicated support from teachers, Peter was able to complete an 18 month course in just 8 months.
'Getting Read&Write sped up my learning considerably. It was the first time I could achieve anything academic, so that was huge for me' Having experienced education with and without access to Read&Write, Peter feels strongly that assistive tools should be made as widely available as possible.
