Does anyone use kurzweil3000 professional?

Linda,
Go to the Kurzweil website. They list scanners that work with their program.
http://www.kurzweiledu.com/

The Kurzweil site has a great list of compatible scanners. We are using Kurzweil 3000 with an HP Professional Scanner and it works great.

We desperately need this for our daughter, but the school wasn’t willing to purchase it. When I looked into buying it ourselves, I recall it being more than $1,000. Is it possible that I came up with incorrect information (fingers crossed)?

Sandy

Sandella,

What is your daughter struggling with at school? How did you determine that she would benefit from software like the Kurzweil? There are other options so it does depend upon what her needs are.

Did you know that every student on an IEP MUST be considered for assistive technology as per IDEA 97? This consideration has not been altered in the latest version. Request an assistive technology evaluation and see what is recommended. AT should be considered at every IEP meeting.

Our daughter is using WYNN Wizard now, but her advocate and her instructors say she would benefit more from Kurz. We have an IEP review coming up soon; perhaps I’ll bring it up again.

Our daughter is 14 and has dysgraphia and Asperger’s. She has benefited somewhat from WYNN but not as much as we’d hoped.

Thanks for the response.

Sandy

You might want to look at the SETT framework (if you haven’t already) - http://www.ldonline.org/ld_indepth/technology/zabalaSETT2.html has a good explanation. It’s a good framework for figuring out and defending what kind of assistive technology to ask for - and also how to set things up so that the student can make best use of it. (Of course, you have to factor in the ‘price’ of figuring out new technology.

Thanks — this looks like just what we need! :)

That is an excellent article.

One thing that you could do is get a demo copy of Kurzweil (available for 30 days free) and have your dd compare them side by side. This would give a good view of what features each program has and would be the most helpful for your dd. While WYNN has some good features, it is not nearly as comprehensive as Kurzweil, especially if your child needs the word prediction for filling out forms.

How do you get a private college to be interested in purchasing a high speedscanner & Kurzweil 3000? Any suggestion?

You can ask … you can also look to other organizations for donations & grants (that’s how we got some of our technology here).

Thank you. I’m trying.

Are you sure there isn’t one already available? Many colleges have this type of technology to help them comply with federal law for the print disabled - blind, low vision, reading disabilities.

This website has a great video which demonstrates the power of Kurzweil software at a college campus (University of Wisconsin). You may want to check it out.
http://www.doit.wisc.edu/accessibility/video/listening.asp

My wish is to get a program like Kurzweil in the college. It’s a private college, very different from state schools. The best they could probably do is provide a volunteer reader if she doesn’t already have what she needs. (Sounds like the stone age) I did buy Texthelp Read & Write Gold & she gets most books in alternate format, but not all syllabi are online & not all workbooks are available in alternate text format from the publisher. That’s where the Kurzweil would come in! She cannot use any computers at school like everyone else . Only her laptop I bought has Read & Write Gold. You probably wonder why she wants to stay at this school? It is a dual curriculum. 1/2 religious studies, 1/2 secular studies. She switched from Econ & Poly Sci to Accounting because she said the Business School is a little more understanding. We are taking it day to day.

Thanks for the video, KTJ! It was so cool to be able to see how it can be used in a school setting, even if it is college. I’m going to forward it to the OT we are working with.

Great video!