Assistive technology that actually fits

Assistive technology can be genuinely life-changing when it is explained, set up and trained properly.

A lot of the time, though, I find myself wondering how the tool someone has been given was ever supposed to fit their actual life. People can end up frustrated, overwhelmed and barely using software that was meant to help them.

The thing is, tools only help if they fit your life. There is no point giving someone a trowel if they are not into gardening.

That is where I come in. I help you make sense of what you have been given, how to use it and, most importantly, when and where it is actually useful. Software alone is not support.

The tool is not the goal.

The goal is helping you read, write, plan, remember, communicate or get things done with less friction.

What assistive technology can help with

Reading and processing

Text-to-speech, screen reading, reading support, reducing visual load and making long or dense information easier to work through.

Writing and dictation

Voice dictation, spelling and writing support, drafting, editing and reducing the physical or cognitive effort involved in getting words onto the page.

Planning and remembering

Calendars, reminders, task management, Microsoft To Do, note-taking and ways of keeping information somewhere you can actually find it again.

Workflows and organisation

Connecting tools, reducing duplication, making digital systems less chaotic and building a workflow around the way you actually work.

Communication and access

Accessibility features, screen-reading tools, software that supports different communication or access needs, and practical setup around real tasks.

AI and everyday technology

Using AI tools, built-in workplace features and ordinary software more effectively rather than assuming specialist software is always the answer.

My experience with technology

20+ years working in IT

AuDHD lived experience

Practical training without jargon or judgement

Real systems work, study and everyday life

I have been in this game for over 20 years. In that time I have done training, documentation, troubleshooting and pretty much everything in between.

The biggest thing I noticed was that people were often given software without being shown how it was supposed to work in the context of their actual job or life. I once taught someone a few keyboard shortcuts and they looked at me like I had decoded the Rosetta Stone while brushing my teeth at the same time.

Point being: I have worked with all levels of technical confidence, and I have found that being calm and patient gets much more done than being the Roy from The IT Crowd stereotype.

After redundancy, I decided to use that experience more directly to help people make technology work for them.

How I work

I take people as they come. If you need a gentler hand, you will get it. If you have a sarcastic sense of humour, I can work with that too.

You do not need to know the terminology. If something is relevant, I will explain it as we go.

Walk through a tool step by step
Set it up around your actual tasks
Practise using it in realistic situations
Troubleshoot what is not working
Work out how different tools fit together
Decide what is useful and what you can safely ignore

My aim is to get you from “I’ve been given this tool” to “I understand how this can actually work for me.”

Who this is for

This may be useful if you already have access to assistive technology but are not sure how to use it, do not know how it fits into your work or studies, or feel overwhelmed by the number of tools available.

It can also help if software or digital tools have been provided through Access to Work, your employer, your university, a workplace assessment or another support route, but you need practical help turning them into something usable.

I often work with ADHD, autistic, dyslexic and otherwise neurodivergent people, but assistive technology can support many different access needs. I can also work with Deaf, deaf, blind and visually impaired people.

I am not an ADHD coach. My work focuses on assistive technology training, digital systems support and helping people use tools more confidently.