We are fortunate to have a wide range of expertise and experience on the iRead project team. In a series of blog posts we will introduce each of our partners and find out what motivated them to get involved in the iRead project. Next up is Dolphin Computer Access (introduced by Markets and Products Analyst Simon Kitchen).

Introducing Dolphin Computer Access

Dolphin Computer Access is a world leading provider of assistive technology for blind, partially sighted and dyslexic people. Our mission is to enable blind, low vision and dyslexic people to succeed in the digital world. For more than 30 years, we’ve been at the forefront of the assistive technology industry. Our products enable people with varying levels of technology experience to do everyday things easily, on computers and tablets: SuperNova is the world’s best screen magnifier and screen reader for Windows; whilst EasyReader is a free accessible reading app for blind, partially sighted and dyslexic readers. Here are a few examples of our products in action:

  

Our iRead team

Simon Kitchen | Markets and Products Analyst

I am responsible for delivering market insights to inform the strategic direction for our products and services and to communicate differentiated propositions and exploitation plans per segment. I have an MSc in Advanced Marketing Management with 8 years’ experience in Product Management and market research at Dolphin.

Noel Duffy | Managing Director

Noel has been involved with Dolphin since 1993 and has been Managing Director since August 2007. Prior to that he oversaw the group’s finance function. His professional interests include giving everyone with a special need a better shot at life – this can range from improving everyone’s reading experience to looking at ways of improving accessibility in the classroom and the workplace.

Mattias Karlsson | Development Lead

Mattias was involved in making the first DAISY (Digital Accessible Information System) eBook specification and is experienced in supporting all content formats. Mattias leads our development team in Sweden and has a degree in computer science. He is responsible for executing our strategy into accessible on-line books by developing the underlying architecture to support access to multiple online libraries across the world from within all our products.

Rachel Willetts | Project Coordinator

Rachel has been with the company since May 2009. Rachel is a certified Prince2 practitioner with a BA Honors degree in Business Management and an executive MBA in Leadership and Management. Rachel is responsible for the successful execution and alignment of Dolphin strategic initiatives through projects.

Why iRead?

We want continue to be at the forefront of our industry and the iRead project brings with it a number of opportunities to keep our business moving in the right direction.

Developing meaningful partnerships:

The 15 partners who make up the iRead project bring with them a diverse range of skills and expertise. One of Dolphin’s key roles in the project is leading the exploitation planning activities. This involves working closely with all project partners to create exploitable opportunities for both the platform to grow and for the project partners use it to add value to their offering. Our involvement in the project provides opportunities to work with world leading experts throughout the project and beyond.

User-centred design:

As well as leading exploitation planning, Dolphin is also delivering the Reader application for the iRead project. By working closely with schools, the project is providing excellent opportunities for Dolphin to understand how its reading applications are embedded in a real life learning environment, providing invaluable insights for our team to work with going forward.

Adding value through personalisation:

When it comes to assistive technology, we know that one size does not fit all, so we focus on creating the perfect software for each of our users. The iRead project takes this concept to the next level by supporting young readers with tailored strategies to help each individual improve their reading skills. These elements of personalisation in the iRead infrastructure bring opportunities to transform our reading applications and enable students to learn to read and read to learn.

We’re extremely excited to be a part of the iRead project, both to contribute our expertise in the field of assistive technology and to enable our business to work toward enabling more blind, partially sighted and dyslexic people to succeed in the digital world.