When mature student Assya Berkoun returned to university to complete her undergraduate degree, she faced new challenges. Recently diagnosed with ADHD and fibromyalgia, Assya experiences both cognitive difficulties and physical pain during flare-ups. These made studying, especially writing, much harder for her.

“I think some of the biggest challenges were procrastination and writer’s block,” she shared with us. With ADHD, she often found herself overwhelmed by too many thoughts at once, unsure where to start or what to write down first.

While exploring support options through the Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA), Assya was introduced to TalkType.

TalkType unlocks a new way of writing

Before receiving DSA support, Assya often relied on workarounds, such as recording verbal notes on her phone and emailing them to herself. But this was time-consuming and fragmented. She needed something quicker and more reliable.

With TalkType, everything changed.

Through her DSA assessment, TalkType was recommended as a tool to help with writing during flare-ups and moments of cognitive fatigue. After a few training sessions with a specialist, Assya quickly found TalkType easy to use and even easier to integrate into her daily study routine.

She particularly liked being able to choose where the dictation went, whether directly into TalkType or copied across into another document. For her, TalkType is “really handy when you’ve got a thought in your head and just want to quickly say it.”

“If I’m trying to formulate a point, I’ll just speak the whole thing and then copy it over to edit. Or I’ll use it to quickly capture a thought before I lose it. Suddenly, I’ve got a couple of paragraphs I can work with.”

From writer’s block to flow

One of the first times Assya used TalkType was during a difficult study session when she couldn’t get words onto the page. Remembering the software was installed on her desktop, she gave it a try.

Instead of staring at a blank page, she spoke her ideas out loud. TalkType instantly transcribed them into text. From there, she could edit, add citations, and keep writing.

She found that when she was trying to formulate a point, she could simply speak it out in full and then copy it over to edit. Other times, she’d use TalkType just to capture a quick thought before losing it. Soon, she realised she could generate whole paragraphs this way, breaking through the barriers of procrastination and writer’s block.

For Assya, TalkType not only eased the burden of writing but also improved her confidence and independence in her studies.

Looking ahead: taking TalkType into the workplace

While TalkType was introduced to support her studies, Assya sees it becoming a long-term tool she’ll carry into her professional life.

She shared that once she’s finished with her degree, she can easily imagine taking TalkType into the workplace. Having it on her desktop in any scenario would be invaluable, especially on the days when typing feels overwhelming. As someone who naturally uses voice notes, TalkType felt familiar, but with the added benefit of having everything written out and ready to use.

Whether used for academic writing, brainstorming, or handling long, complex tasks, TalkType has become essential for. As she put it, she would recommend TalkType to all people who struggle with writing as a great starting point.

“I would recommend TalkType to all people who struggle with writing as a great starting point.”

At Edinburgh College, Assistive Technologist Anna Dawidowicz supports students who receive the Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA), many of whom face barriers that make traditional study tasks more difficult. For some, typing can be slow, tiring, or physically painful. Others struggle to get their thoughts down quickly enough to match the pace of their ideas.

Anna’s goal is to remove those barriers and give every student the tools to express themselves confidently. TalkType, our dictation tool, has become one of her favourite ways to do that.

Removing typing challenges with TalkType

TalkType converts speech into text with accuracy and ease, giving students an alternative to typing. For those who find written tasks challenging, it offers a quick, simple, and reliable way to produce work using just their voice.

In her training sessions, Anna has seen firsthand how TalkType can transform the way students work. Once they start dictating, they quickly see the benefits: faster writing, fewer barriers, and a stronger sense of independence.

“TalkType is responsive and accurate”, says Anna. “It provides reliable speech-to-text support.” This means students don’t have to spend time fixing mistakes or worrying about missed words. That reliability builds trust and encourages them to use their voice more freely in assignments, note-taking, and communication.

Students quickly see the benefits and gain confidence using TalkType for assignments, note-taking, and communication.

Simple, accurate, and empowering

For Anna, the real impact of TalkType lies in how it empowers students to work in ways that suit them best. By reducing the effort and frustration of typing, students can focus on expressing their ideas and engaging more deeply with their studies.

TalkType has become a valued part of Anna’s assistive technology toolkit — one that supports confidence, independence, and inclusion.

TalkType empowers students to work more independently, reduces stress, and improves academic outcomes.