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AMERICA’S CLASSROOMS: ERGONOMICS NOT SPOKEN HERE
(Reprinted from April '04 issue of ErgoSolutions Magazine.)

HIRING PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES: A HEALTHY CHOICE FOR BUSINESS

By Lynn Zawacki from Business Magazine, October 2003 with quotes from Office Organix

With the national unemployment rate climbing to more then six percent, landing a job in today’s market can be a daunting task for anyone, but it’s an especially difficult challenge for qualified individuals with disabilities. According to the 2000 U.S. Census, about one in five Americans has some form of disability. A survey conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment (ODEP), found that only 37 percent of those with a disability, ages 21 through 64, were employed. The Business Leadership Network (BLN) is trying to change all that.

Established in 1994, BLN is a business-led initiative of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce that raises employer awareness to promote career opportunities for qualified candidates with disabilities.

According to BLN, 82 percent of people with disabilities who are unemployed claim that they want to work. BLN believes they should have fulfillment of useful and meaningful employment in their lives and that, when given that opportunity, they contribute to the work environment and to society as a whole.

Endorsed by the ODEP, the initiative has a national business steering group and networks in 35 states -including New York - plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Canada. In each state network, lead companies initiate BLN activities and encourage other employers to participate.

This summer the initiative was launched on Long Island. A member of New York Sate BLN, Long Island BLN offers local businesses the educational, Legal, financial and technological resources they need to develop "healthy" diversity hiring practices. The coalition is co-chaired by Lisa Koop, director of assisted competitive employment services at Clubhouse of Suffolk, and Joseph Palumbo, President of Centricomm Inc., a direct marketing company.

Tutor Time Child Learning Center in Glen Cove has been named lead company for Long Island. Franchise owner Jonathan Turman, Who is visually Impaired, is "passionate" about hiring disabled workers, said Koop. "When employers like Mr. Turman discuss the success and benefits of hiring candidates with disabilities, other employers are likely to be inspired to do so.

Disabilities can span the gamut of physical or mental ailments. While hearing and visual impairment and the inability to walk are easy to observe, other "hidden disabilities," including arthritis, traumatic brain injury and mental illness often cannot be detected by looking at a person.

Millions of People with Disabilities in our country "are portrayed as not being equipped for the workforce," said Jeff Klare, President, New York State BLN, and CEO of Hire disability, which creates career expos for the disabled workforce. "We have to change the paradigm of thinking to make sure diversity hiring includes everybody."

Klare added that Employers do not have enough knowledge about hiring people with disabilities.

Michael Grossman, President of Office Organix, an internet catalog company that provides guidance on adaptive equipment for the disabled, agrees. "The perception on the part of the employees with disabilities is so expensive it would prohibit hiring. The fact is that the average accommodation costs $400," he said. "If prospective employers knew this fact, they would be less hesitant to hire applicants with disabilities."

What other factors can influence companies to hire the disable? Financial incentives, for one. In addition to federal and state tax credits offered to businesses, there is the multi-billion dollar purchasing power of the disabled. "Inclusive hiring practices of people with disabilities pays," said Koop. "We have to look at them as consumers," added Klare. Pitching products and services to the disabled can make good business sense and inspire customer loyalty.

Social responsibility also plays a role. "Companies want to be identified as caring-willing to hire those with disabilities," said Klare. A 1999 Cone-Roper Study revealed that 83 percent of consumers have a more positive image of a company that is doing something beneficial to make the world a better place and that 79 percent of influential Americans report that they would not only switch brands, but also retailers, to support a cause.

And when individuals with disabilities become employed, they contribute to the tax base. Suffolk County’s Office of Handicapped services employs 13 people with disabilities. "We made them into productive taxpayers now making $618,000 as productive employees," said Bruce G. Blower, Director.

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THE ERGONOMICS OF COPING WITH SNOW THIS WINTER, OR - HOW TO SHOVEL SAFELY!

With much of the nation experiencing an unusually cold winter, physical therapists have good advice on digging out the safe way.

Most important is to pay attention to body mechanics. That means, stretch before your shovel and when you shovel, avoid twisting. Use your legs rather than the back to move a full shovel. Take breaks ever 15 or so minutes.

Bend your knees not your back. When you want to throw snow, do not stand and throw it at the same time. Instead, turn and take a step in the direction you want to throw.

Keep the back in a neutral position, that is not in one direction or the other but straight on. Keep the chin tucked in a bit and keep a little curve in the back, which is normal for the back.

Here's a summary of key tips:

• If you have any key health issues, stay inside or hire someone to shovel for you
• Bend the knees and use the legs rather than letting arms and the upper back do the work
• Alternate from right hand to left hand so you avoid injury and tire less quickly.
• Push the snow rather than lift it
• Wear light, layered clothing to let your skin breath
• Don't overwork your heart and if you feel dizzy or feel chest pressure, stop immediately.

Sources: Duchess County Dept. of Health and Poughkeepsie Journal

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STUDY FINDS BACKPACKS NOT A KEY SOURCE OF KID'S BACK INJURY.

CHICAGO (Jan. 6, 2003) - Associated Press - Children are more likely to be hurt tripping over backpacks or being hit with them than they are using the bags to lug around heavy school supplies, a new study suggests.

While there has been growing concern about back trouble in children who carry loaded-down packs, researchers found the back was one of the least likely places where children were injured.

When kids did get hurt, about 23 percent of all injuries in the 247 children studied were caused by wearing, lifting or taking off a backpack, according to the study by researchers from the Cincinnati Children's Hospital.

"This result shows that the actual use of a backpack is not exceptionally dangerous, and efforts should be directed toward educating children on proper backpack safety habits rather than restricting loads and redesigning backpacks,'' concludes the study published in the January issue of the journal Pediatrics.

How much children carry to school and how they carry it has been the focus of some attention. California last year passed a law for standards on maximum textbook weights and some children around the country now use backpacks with wheels to roll - instead of carry - their books to school.

The study looked at backpack-related injuries resulting in emergency room visits that were reported to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission in 1999 and 2000.

The study acknowledges a limitation: By focusing on injuries that sent children to emergency departments, it misses those injuries diagnosed and treated in a physician's office.

For those years, the agency's data projected a national estimate of more than 12,000 injuries linked to bookbags or back carriers, excluding infant-carriers and camping backpacks.

In this study, researchers focused on a sample of 247 children between the ages of 6 and 18 with backpack injuries.

Tripping over a backpack accounted for 28 percent of the injuries, while wearing one or being hit with one each accounted for about 13 percent.

Properly stowing away backpacks at home and at school could have prevented many of these injuries, said researcher Dr. Eric Wall, a pediatric orthopedic surgeon.

"The floor is no place for a backpack,'' Wall said.

Backpack-related injuries that landed children in the emergency room ranged from cuts on the face and head to jammed fingers and fractures to shoulder strains and ankle sprains.

The combination of wearing a backpack and sustaining an injury to the back accounted for 6 percent of the injuries. However, 19 shoulder injuries were linked to wearing, lifting or taking off a back pack.

That's why the American Chiropractic Association's Jerome McAndrews said children still need to be careful about how they carry their backpacks and how much weight they put in them.

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MAYO CLINIC STUDY OF COMPUTER USERS RAISES DOUBTS ABOUT THE RELATIONSHIP OF HEAVY COMPUTER USE TO CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME

A recent study by the Mayo Clinic found heavy computer use alone is not a predictor of CTS. Two groups were studied surveying 257 clinic employees. Results suggested that heavy use of the computer even up to seven hours daily did not mean a user would develop CTS.

As reported in Safety + Health, the clinic expected but did not fine a much higher incidence of CTS in heavy computer users.

The study has its critics including a research group at Cornell University who noted the the Mayo study:

• did not look at difference between computer users and non-users

• focused solely on CTS when ergonomists have long maintained that incorrect computer use leads to a variety of musculoskeletal concerns.

For more, visit the OSHA site.

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EVERYONE TALKS ABOUT IT BUT JUST WHAT IS "CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME"

Excerpted from: Occupational Health and Safety

According to NIOSH, the it symptoms often first come on as painful tingling in one or both hands during at night. It is often painful enough to stop sleep. What is it - Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and it is defined as a nerve entrapment disorder, usually workplace associated.

Carpal tunnel takes it name from the wrist's carpal bones which tunnel from hands through the wrists to the arms. Through this tunnel passes the felxor tendons which connect muscles in the fingers to make movement possible. Also in the tunnel is the median nerve transmitting motor impulses from the hands to the central nervous system.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, CTS, are the symptoms associated when the nerve is disturbed. Symptoms include a prickling or tingling sensation or dulled sensitivity - especially when this is experienced at night. With this often comes a feeling of uselessness in the fingers. They feel swollen though no swelling appears. As symptoms increase the tingling comes in the day, usually to the thumb, index and ring fingers. The ability to squeeze things is inhibited. Symptoms arise from a compression of the median nerve.

What causes CTS? These are among the key conclusions:

• exposure to a combination of stress factors, for example force and repetition or force and pressure

• highly repetitive work

• forceful work

• work involving hand/wrist vibration

• work in awkward or extreme postures

Occupational Health and Safety lists among treatment options resting the hand and wrist in a neutral position; omit the activities that caused the syndrome (not always possible of course); use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; use of night splints and during the day also; steroid injections into the area; redesigning tools, workstations.

Who gets carpal tunnel?

According to the BLS Bureau of Labor Statistics most recent 1998 report, manufacturing had the highest per worker rate of 6.2 cases per 10,000 workers. Then comes transportation and public utilities with 2.4 cases per 10,000 workers. Private industries came in with 3.0 per 10,000. In 1993 there were 26.3000 reported cases of CTS. Of 10 types of injury and illness that were work related, CTS ranked 6th. The medium number of days off work from CTS was 24 days, though this number is on the decline.

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EDITORIAL
"FEEL GOOD ERGONOMICS"

I'm a sponge. Always have been. And as one relatively new to ergonomics, I soak up every article, study, or textbook on the subject I can get my hands on.

Doing so you quickly realize ergonomics, like most disciplines, is awash with contradictory advice. Ask the experts for the proper keyboarding posture, monitor height, mouse device or keyboarding forearm angle, you get contradictory "definitive" answers.

The few official guidelines  - ANSI or ISO9241standards - provide little with which to evaluate the usefulness of a plethora of new products on the market.

Terms like "Voodoo Ergonomics" or "Feel Good Ergonomics" conjure up visions of unsupported claims and snake oil medicines whose benefits are chiefly cosmetic.

To make decisions harder, those seeking a rock solid standard for evaluating new products are reminded of the "Hawthorne Effect" that initially makes many products look that in time will fall by the wayside.

Corporations with Health and Safety professionals, Facilities Experts or full time Ergonomists have the benefit of staff and expertise to analyze new products and test benefits. But the burgeoning SOHO audience  is largely without guidelines or experts to help separate beneficial ergonomic tools from "miracle cure" inventions.

The result is that all companies tend to mimic each other's office setups, furniture and ergonomic solutions. In usually is a case of the blind leading the blind. Why else is the old fashioned, ill-designed, non-height adjustable square desk, for example, still the standard in most offices? Why is it that we reinvent and replace computer hardware with the warp speed of chip changes, but office furniture design is mired in year 1900 solutions?

Without meaningful ergonomic guides for choosing ergonomic products, we suggest three "real world" strategies for those charged with training employees, setting up computer offices and buying computer furniture and accessories. These are suggested "survival tactics in a world of imperfect ergonomics."

Look at office ergonomics comprehensively: Recognize that any attempt to set up an office ergonomically must collectively consider at a minimum three work surfaces: a) the monitor surface, angle and height, b) the keyboard surface, angle and height) the surface angle and height of your chair surfaces. Office layouts which do not consider all three collectively are token ergonomic solutions that do minimal good. Example: why buy a good keyboard tray if a poor chair makes proper arm positioning impossible?

Mix postures and use more than one product. 2) Act with the complete confidence of assured uncertainty. Since there is no certain standard, alternate between several solutions qualified experts propose. Let the user's own logic and sense of comfort impact on choices. It makes sense, for example, to alternate between sitting reclined and sitting forward to keep the body out of static positions. It makes sense to use alternative mouse devices to dissipate stress over more area. It is useful to keyboard in both sit and stand positions.

Rise you body consciousness: 3) Make efforts to focus more and more on how you feel while you keyboard. Increasing your consciousness of how various devices (mouses, keyboard trays, chairs, copy holders, etc.) increase or decrease your stress provide valuable feedback. Intentionally shift conscious from the computer work task to your body stresses from time to time to further access ergonomic products and postural habits.

Perfect solutions? Definitely not. But we think these tactics make sense when limited product research is available and when experts disagree.

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THE ERGONOMIC OFFICE
(Reprinted from October '05 issue of Priority Magazine.)

By Nate Hardcastle

Creating safe, comfortable workspaces can boost your bottom line.

You and your staff have been working overtime to get a presentation ready for an important potential client. Heading into the home stretch, your assistant, who has been doing the lion's share of the work, develops extremely painful cramps in her right hand- her mousing hand- making it impossible for her continue. With no backup, you are forced to call the potential client and delay delivery of your presentation, creating a bad impression before you've even had an opportunity to make your pitch. Such scenarios are far more common than one might think, especially at small firms, who don't have the deep benches of their larger competitors-so they tend to suffer more when an employee misses time due to injury. Ergonomics- the practice of designing workplaces and jobs to fit individuals' bodies- offers a great way to eliminate such snags.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics recently reported that 5 % of workers endured a work-related injury or illness in 2003, missing work for a median of eight days. Liberty Mutual's annual "Workplace Safety Index" found that disabling workplace injuries in 2002 (the latest year for which numbers were available) cost U.S. employers a total of $49.6 billion in direct costs­expenses like wage replacement and medical payments.

What's more, direct costs are just the tip of the iceberg. Liberty Mutual estimates that for every dollar of direct costs companies pay three to five dollars in indirect costs such as lost productivity and hiring and training of replacement workers. All told, the firm figures that employers in 2002 lost between $200 billion and $300 billion due to injuries­ many of them preventable.

Clearly, finding ways to minimize injuries can give companies a big leg up on their competitors. "It's easy for small companies to get stuck in reactive mode, always putting out fires," says Dr. Peter Budnick, President of ergonomics consulting and publishing firm Ergoweb. "Heading off injuries before they happen can give them a real competitive advantage."

Better workplace ergonomics also improves work quality and productivity, even among workers who aren't at high risk for injury. "Awkward postures, excessive burdens and other sources of pain and fatigue have huge negative impacts on quality and efficiency," says James East, an ergonomics expert with consulting firm Humantech in Ann Arbor, Michigan. "Designing a workspace with people in mind can produce major productivity gains."

East points to Ligon Brothers, a family-run manufacturing firm in Michigan. The company, which has  which has 160 employees, began implementing an ergonomics program in 1998 to cut down on high injury rates. Ligon Brothers reduced workplace injuries from 10 in 1997 to zero in 2002, they may not feel comfortable asking for beverage. Your arms should be by your and also got an unexpected bonus: a 25% boost in productivity.

Many small business do little ergonomic planning because they fear the initial cost of buying new equipment or hiring a consultant. Such worries may be overblown. "Most small companies don't need to spend a ton of money to make big ergonomic improvements," says East.

Here are some steps you can take to identify problems and start to fix them, without over-taxing your budget.

Send a Message. Let your workers know that eliminating discomfort and reducing workplace risks are priorities. Create and monitor an ergonomics workgroup comprised of employees from various parts of the firm. Meanwhile, encourage all members of your firm to share ideas that can improve the company's bushiness processes. "Employees often know what they could use to make their jobs easier and more comfortable," said Dr. Budnick. "But they may not feel comfortable asking for those things unless you encourage them to do so."

Identify risks: Ask employees to walk you (or a member of the ergonomics work group) through their work process. Keep an eye out for unnecessary movements, particularly reaching, lifting, bending and twisting. "Most sprain or strain injuries like back strains or carpal tunnel syndrome, result from a series of seemingly innocent stresses over time," says Dennis Downing, President of Santa Barbara, California ergonomics consulting firm Future Industrial Technologies. "It you reduce those daily stresses, you'll reduce discomfort and injury to workers."

One simple way to reduce physical stress is to encourage staff members to take breaks  to rest their eyes, hands and back's You may want to invest in inexpensive software such a Break Reminder which periodically generates an onscreen pop-up to encourage computer users to take a break.

Simple things like posture and positioning can make a big difference. "The body likes certain positions and doesn't like others," says Downing. For example, he suggests putting a mouse where you'd hold a beverage. Your arms should be by your side, with your wrists straight.

Be Flexible: Some ergonomic improvements may be obvious - for example moving a computer closer, or storing tools on a shelf instead of the floor. Other improvements may require more thought. "It's critical to change the mindset that a job is done a certain way just because this is how we've always done it," says James East.

Dowing worked with a pipe- manufacturing company that stored cast-iron pipes on the floor, where employees had to bend over to lift them, while keeping lightweight plastic pipes at waist level. "They had been in business 40 years, and had just always done it that way," he says.

Beware of RSIs: Office workers often run the risk of repetitive strain injuries (RSIs) such as carpal tunnel syndrome, tendonitis and bursitis. It's easy to underestimate the costs of RSI - until you or an employee develops them.  Carpal tunnel is now the number-one injury reported to insurance companies, and in 2003 the typical sufferer missed 32 days - more than for any other type of injury, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics..

The following basic guidelines can dramatically reduce the frequency and severity fo RSIs and other injuries in office settings:

• Set the keyboard slightly lower than the level of the employee's elbows.

•  Keep the mouse close to the keyboard and on the same level

• Position the top of the computer monitor at roughly eyebrow height.

• Make sure office chairs offer sufficient lumbar support and allow feet to rest comfortably on the ground (the same chair probably won't suit every employee)

• Provide ample lighting

• Use telephone headsets

Don't be pennywise and pound-foolish. Some changes require an investment in new, user-friendly equipment such as chairs, armrests and computer components. For example, employees with relatively broad chests and shoulders might benefit from split keyboards, which allow their hands to rest in a natural position. That said, "don't assume that you have to spend a fortune. "You don't have to spend $2,000 on a chair," says East. "There are a number of good chairs available for under $500."

One caution: Do your homework before you buy, since there are no official ergonomic guidelines. Any manufacturer can apply the adjuective "ergonomic" to its product.

Invest in training too. Liberty Mutual's 2004 Workplace Safety Index found that simple training can dramatically reduce the likelihood of work-related injury, especially in industrial settings. "The key in a small shop is to encourage your employees' awareness and training," says East. "Empowering employees usually does more to reduce workplace risks than, say, spending $20 million to design and build a new assembly line."

Industrial firms typically can track productive more easily than office-based companies. That allows them to do careful cost-benefit analysis about their ergonomic investments. For example, a manufacturing firm might budget $10,000 for an ergonomics program, with a goal of saving $20,000 by reducing injury costs and boosting productivity. It can then track the return on the ergonomic investment over time, and use that information to target future projects in ways that add maximum value.

Ergonomics offers a valuable way to do wil (cutting costs and boosting productivity) by doing good (improving worker's comfort and safety). Small business competing in today's marketplace shouldn't pass on that opportunity - after all, your competitor's probably won't.

You don't have to go it alone. Check out these ergonomic resources for small businesses:

The Public Sector: State governments provide free information for small businesses looking to improve the ergonomics of their workplaces. James East suggests calling your state's worker's compensation board to inquire about grants and other programs designed to help small businesses improve their workplace set-ups.

The Internet: You'll find lots of free information, some of it very useful, on the web: 
Ergoweb.com  Dr. Peter Budnick's site-offers free Web-based forums on ergonomics. 
Ergoworld.com provides an encyclopedia's worth of links to all things ergonomic, including research and tips for various kinds of businesses. 
Officeorganix.com In addition to selling many leading ergonomic products, also has valuable links to information on the subject. Websites for government agencies OSHA (osha.gov) and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (cdc.gov/niosh) provide valuable information, too. NIOSH also offers an information hotline, at 1-800-35-NIOSH (1-800356-4674)
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NATIONAL STUDY FINDS COMPUTER WORKERS AT RISK FOR STRESS INJURIES

Poor Workstation Setup, Postural Habits, Equipment Are Leading Factors

Warwick, Rhode Island --- December  5, 2004 -- The Office Organix national study shows a computer work force of 18 million Americans at significant risk from repetitive stress injuries (RSIs) including carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) and lower back injuries. Four common workplace risk categories were identified: poor workstation layout; inadequate office equipment; unhealthy postural habits; and low worker expectations about office comfort.

Conducted over a 24-month period, the Office Organix study sampled computer office workers across the country. Completed questionnaires were either returned by mail or filed electronically. Respondents came from every state, age group, office size (SOHO offices with 1-9 workers to major corporate work centers of 500 and up employees) and included many job titles.

"Despite press given to OSHA proposed requirements, the work force is ill equipped and at risk. Stress injuries cost real dollars; the personal pain is real and lost productivity is real," Grossman said.

Poor workstation setup heads the list of safety problems discovered. 51.2% place keyboards too high, contributing to neck, shoulder and wrist stress, leading Carpal Tunnel Syndrome causes. The monitor is placed too high in 65% of workers, contributing to neck and shoulder stress. 26.6% place monitors off at an angle instead of the straight ahead preferred position. 39.2% place the monitor too close, a factor helping to explain why 68.0% experience blurred vision and frequent monitor headaches (42%), blurred vision, dry burning eyes, delayed focus, or altered color perceptions, a collective condition known as CVS ( Computer Vision Syndrome). 47.8% cradle the phone between the head and shoulder during phone calls instead of using a headset.

Excessively bright, high-glare offices were another frequent finding. 53% experience monitor glare from office lights, sunlight or window glare. The tendency here is to unconsciously shift body position to avoid monitor glare which also contributes to neck, shoulder and back stress.

Especially dangerous over time, 51.2% of respondents report when keyboarding they support the upper body by resting on their wrists. This places dangerous strain on the vulnerable carpal tunnel area. 34.4% continue to tightly clutch the mouse when it is not in use.

In addition there are also hidden costs, for example, when a valuable employee must be moved to a less keyboard intensive job and a new employee found and trained to replace him or her. "The key issue is that much of the costs absolutely could be avoided with simple changes in equipment placement and employee involvement in ergonomics," Grossman said. "This is a classic case of an ounce of prevention."

Even in the new millennium, the computer office is more machine than human friendly. Most have minimally adjustable furniture despite the fact that 20.4% of workers report they share a desk with others. 56.1% work in chairs with no height adjustment ability and 45.8% have non-height adjustable chair arms. Predictably, of 49.2% reporting frequent back pain, most had minimally adjustable office chairs. Height adjustable desks are rare, too (86%).

Almost half of workers polled (49.7%) ignore recommendations to take computer stress prevention breaks. Over 60% describe themselves as sitting for hours at a stretch immersed in the monitor. Postural attitudes are frequently archaic. 89.8% were taught that up sitting straight and rigid exemplifies good posture. Ergonomists teach that a more fluid posture is healthier and promotes circulation.

Finally, workplace attitudes and passivity contribute to unhealthy computer office environments. 30.6% of workers believe an office is uncomfortable inherently. 10.7% think adjustable desks and chairs should go only to top executives.

As a public service, Office Organix provides free interactive office setup and posture tips at its web site. Keyboarders can obtain this by answering 27 questions about their keyboarding habits and office setup. The site instantly returns tailored tips, specific to each respondents needs. If a participants answers evidence the early warning signs of an RSI injury, they are warned seek professional medical advice.

The Office Organix site, http://www.officeorganix.com, includes a Directory of Ergonomic Professionals organized regionally. The list is non-biased, a public service only, and no payment is taken for professional listings. A free pamphlet recommended by OSHA and published by Office Organix, The User Friendly Office, covers many aspects of the healthy office from lighting to posture to exercise to keyboarding habits to equipment layout and more. It may be requested at the web site. The Office Organix catalog offers ergonomic equipment, accessories, solutions, and workstations. It is offered without cost at the web site or with a call to 800-569-9236. Office Organix is located at 24 Quaker Lane Unit 10, Warwick Rhode Island 02886.

Editor's Note: Office Organix staff have tried several of the major speech recognition programs and while the future of keyboard input will dim someday, today's programs are not effective enough for the casual user - not yet. The fact that current TV commercials feature Bill Gates talking about Microsoft's future tied to software and hardware speech recognition  underscores its importance. The demand is there. The voice is faster and puts less strain on the body than hands and wrists at a keyboard. But Software training time - getting the software to know the user's unique speech patterns - take too long. Even when training is accomplished, the accuracy, in our opinion, just isn't there yet. Too much time has to be spent correcting and reworking pages, so users often gravitate back to the keyboard. Speech recognition's day is coming though and when it is, we'll be the first to switch!

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