ADSHE has collected some resources on using assistive technology with students with dyslexia. The emphasis is on free or open source software.
Notes
Evernote software lets you coordinate notes across different devices.
Text-to-speech
Balabolka is free software that reads text aloud in synthetic speech. The Open University have produced a useful guide to Balabolka.
Commercial products for text-to-speech include Claro and TextHelp Read & Write They have other features to help people with dyslexia, such as support with words that sound the same but are spelled differently. Phone apps are also available. Free trial downloads are usually available.
Speech recognition
Newer versions of Vista software include speech recognition software.
Dragon Naturally Speaking software is the leading commercial product. A version for Macs is also available, Dragon Dictate.
Mindmapping
Mindmapping software helps with planning, by presenting information visually. There are several free packages, including X-mind.
Commercial products include Sparkspace. Mind View gives the option of converting maps to GANTT charts for project management.
Visual impairment
More specialist commercial software is available for people with a visual impairment which provides magnification and reads text aloud. It is possible to use a computer with no sight at all. Examples are Supernova and JAWS. Demonstration copies are available at ARACU.
Mobile phone apps
New apps are constantly being developed that disabled people may find useful, so we are unable to maintain a list.
Training
Assistive software generally comes with good instructions, often using short video clips to explain features. If you are getting support through Access to Work they recommend training too , which is carried out at your workplace by a visiting trainer.