I've been recently diagnosed with RA and it is mostly affecting my fingers. I also seem to have osteo-arthritis in my dominant typing finger (joy!). I have had an occupational health report done at work but they say it is up to me to say what I need in terms of keyboards, voice software etc etc. I have no idea where to begin.
Might anyone have any recommendations or things you have used which help?
I usually spend about 8 hours a day on the computer, sometimes longer. I really need to be able to type!!!
Thanks in advance
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Bright_side_of_life
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hello, Bright-side. can you offer a bit more information about what kind of work you do on your computer? Do you usually use a PC or a laptop? Does it use Windows, Apple OS, or Linux? What industry are you working in? It might be helpful to know these things in trying to offer some suggestions. Cheers
Thank you. I'm an academic so spend a LOT of time researchinhand a lot of time onemails. I use a surface pro which can connect to a 'normal' keyboard but it hurts to press the keys down. Thanks.
Hi. When I was working (aeons ago) I went throughOH initially and then HR referred me to a department in DWP -disability access to work - (I think - not sure of the exact name now) who come and do an assessment for your needs for things like keyboards, specialist chairs and desks and other necessary equipment and will recommend what you need so you don’t have to go hunting about. They sorted out the Dragon system of voice recognition as I couldn’t type on the PC well enough by then. That shows that it was nearly ten years ago but it’s worth asking and finding out from HR who should provide you with the information. Hope you get what you need and good luck! I’m sure others on here will be more up to date than I am now as I’ve forgotten a lot but I got absolutely five star treatment and everything I needed.
Thanks. I was told my line manager would have to sort the equipment but obviously neither of us know what to get!!! I'll go back to occupational health and see what else i can find out. Thank you for these recommendations
I have a vertical mouse which is good, and a small lightweight keyboard. Outlook has a pretty good dictation option, and quite intuitive so it doesn't take ages to adjust to. There is also an accessibility voice control option on Windows but I've found it a bit less easy to use.
If you don't use office, Google documents also has a good dictation option and is free to use.
Taking breaks has been really useful for me. I haven't really thought of typing as work as it used to be easy for me to type all the time but it really does take a toll on arthritic hands and you need to pace like any other activity.
A course of CBT really helped me get used to having RA and helped me to feel more positive, I really recommend it.
I wonder if you might be able to request an ergonomic workstation assessment through your work, to look at your desk set up in detail and provide the recommendations you need? When I was diagnosed last year I was struggling in a very similar way but didn't have a clue what was out there that could help! An ergonomic assessment is more detailed than the kind of checklist your line manager might go through, and includes measurements of your chair, desk height, workstation etc. Personally I found it really helpful, and in my case the assessment recommended an external monitor and keyboard for my laptop, adjustable desk chair, vertical mouse, wrist rest and possible need for an ergonomic keyboard. I also used wrist supports from a physiotherapist for a while to support my hands and wrists when typing; although it was quite cumbersome the support did help to reduce strain and the jarring effect it was having. The voice recognition software Dragon Naturally Speaking has also been recommended to me but I haven't been able to get hold of that yet - you may have more luck with an academic institution. Good luck, I hope you find some useful solutions for you.
I work as a writer and had to switch over to dictation a few years ago because of RA. There's definitely a learning curve - basically learning to send the words to your mouth rather than your fingertips, if you know what I mean, but now I get on with it fine.
I use Dragon Professional Anywhere dictation software, either with an external microphone (I use the Blue Snowball), or I dictate into a digital voice recoder, which means I can dictate anywhere I want, then have Dragon transcribe the file.
And I find wearing compression gloves while working at the computer also give my finger joints extra support.
One more thing, dictation software has come a long way since I started using it, and so you might be able to use the built in Microsoft Word dictation tool just fine - it seems pretty accurate to me. But I stick to Dragon because I love that I can use a digital voice recorder and move around the room while dictating rather than be hunched over my desk all the time - much better for the joints.
Wow, this is so helpful. Thank you so much. Work can definitely get me the dragon software but I don't want to relinquish typing altogether (I do a lot of editing documents for work) so I will look at that keyboard too. Thank you.
I had two occupational health appointments for work as I needed adjustments, even though I was working from home.
I was told about Access for Work. Sorry, I can't seem to paste the link here for some reason.
It's a gov.uk website. It will be near the top of the results in a Google search.
You apply for a grant on the website and they c
pay for the equipment and your employer also makes a contribution depending on the size of the organisation. You will receive an assessment in the work place. Mine was online due to Covid and me working from home.
I have an adjustable desk, made to measure chair, Dragon Software, another software for taking breaks and doing short exercises, foot stool and a mouse. I didn't need the keyboard as I already had one. They will recommend furniture/equipment based on your needs. You receive 1:1 training to be able to use the software too.
You can even get help towards travelling to work if that is an issue for you.
Now I'm doing hybrid working, I will be contacting them again to get equipment for the workplace too.
I also have Otter.ai on my phone and an account on my laptop. It's a note taking app and good for transcribing meetings etc. It's free to download.
Gmail also has a voice function that you can use and I use voice notes instead of texting a lot of the time.
I hope this helps. Please feel free to ask me any questions.
Thank you, I work for a university so they should be a large enough organization to get the equipment. However, I also am doing hybrid working and there was a rule that we could only have one chair, one laptop etc so I may have to fight for another chair and another keyboard etc. I know about Access to Work so thank you for that.
There was a session run by NRAS about aids which included a keyboard suggestion. I bought the one suggested. It's a bit bulky but has made typing much easier for me. It's a Logitech keyboard with a wavy edge...K350...I don't seem to have any other details, but NRAS would be able to help with advice.
I do a lot of typing, researching and writing. I did try a dictation package (twice) but I found that ambient noises intruded and were recorded as words etc and I spent more time correcting, even after trying it out for several weeks to get it used to me. And I do prefer to write rather than speak aloud as it seems to help with my thinking.
The replies have given you some really helpful tips, but i just thought i'd mention the Working with IA group we have. It's a group that meets on Zoom with the aim to share tips on how to navigate the working world with IA. You can get in touch with the group on workingwithia@nras.org we also have a few other groups that might be of interest nras.org.uk/jointogether/
Its horses for courses, what will work for some won't work for others. I am an academic researcher and use a Mac. I have always found their low profile keyboard easiest to use. I have it set up so that my forearms rest on the desk in front of the keyboard and it works well for me. I tried Dragon years ago when I had a Windows computer, but it was difficult to 'train' in those days. But once I got a Mac I realised that their built in accessibility features including dictation work pretty well.
But I agree with Mjrminor, it is very different speaking than typing when expressing thoughts. I found that really slowing down my speech to the same speed as my typing helped.
I don't use a mouse, I use the Apple magic trackpad set to hyper sensitive. This means I just have to barely touch it to get a response. 'clicking' doesn't require a clicking motion from a single finger the was a mouse does.
As I say, if you are using Windows this won't help, but I thought it might help for anyone with a Mac or thinking of buying one.
Thank you. I'm open to anything! I do a LOT of typing and editing and copying / pasting etc. I'm going to explore the dragon software and an ergonomic keyboard as others have recommended. You never know, you might convert me to a MAC user!! Thanks again
Hello again, Bright_side, well I'm glad to see you've had lots of helpful suggestions and pointers and I hope you'll be able to make use of them. I was trying to remember the words "Dragon Naturally Speaking", and also "Livescribe" although I believe the latter is more suitable for recording meetings,lectures ,notes, rather than generally using a computer. Anyways, best of luck. Let us know how you get on if you have the time to do so. Cheers
Great, thank you. I've collected all the suggestions and will take them to my employer (a University). It does seem the onus is very much on me, yet how on earth am I supposed to know what I need!!! Thanks again.
I'm really pleased you got lots of potentially helpful responses. Good luck with it all.
Hi. I would go to Disability Services within your university. They are set up to help students, but won’t mind chatting with you I am sure. They will be ‘up’ on the latest software, and will already have licences with different ones. They will also have other tips. I used to work for a University and had my own heater. Very useful as I need to be ’cosy’. Your Occupational Health people also have a duty to help you.
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Hi all, good news at last !!!!! :))
Feeling a bit lost and apprehensive
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