(Discover #Edteq) Access to reading and writing for all, without compromise!

Haylem Technologies makes accessibility to user-friendly and effective tools intended for people with reading and writing difficulties its hobbyhorse. Spotlight on a local company that takes the challenges of today's and tomorrow's learners to heart.

It is on the basis of mutual aid and sharing that Haylem Technologies has been built. In 2008, Francis Haynes, founder of the company, took the path of new technologies to help people living with learning difficulties. “My brother suffered from dyslexia-dysorthography,” says Francis Haynes, founder of the company. Seeing him go through his difficulties in school, when I finished my studies as an electronics engineer, I explored the idea of creating a tool for people with learning disabilities. Looking at what existed, I told myself that something was missing. "

Lexidox was the company's very first product to market. It was an electronic tablet offering, among other things, the function of word prediction as well as the recognition of handwriting. From this product was born the idea of the Lexibar: a software distinct from the electronic tablet, allowing to offer the powerful word prediction that the company had developed, integrating with almost all the software used to write on a computer.

Access to literacy: a fundamental right

“Do not try to spare your children the difficulties of life, teach them to overcome them. "
- Louis Pasteur

The challenges of people with a learning disability can be immense and can seem overwhelming. Technology today is a major ally in pushing back the limits and aspire to be bigger. It is with real empathy and the deep desire to help that the Haylem Technologies team, made up of 6 people, deploys so much energy to design and make accessible a high-performance product.

Indeed, the team believes that access to literacy is a fundamental right which, regardless of the limitations of the person, must be given to all and accompanied by all the necessary tools so that each person can learn at the same level. than the others.

Whether in customer service, research and development, and even sales, the core values of the company guide the way the team works. Having left a job in the financial field, Mélanie Halley, Sales and Marketing Manager, recounts how her vision focused on numbers had to adapt: “At the beginning I always wanted to see the numbers, to know how sales were going. I quickly understood that beyond the pecuniary gains, the important thing was that the software was used. How many people use our software each day? Are we always able to help more people? "

It is with this in mind that the company offers free of charge, at any time and for all, three help functions of the Lexibar. It is also in this sense that free licenses are offered to health and education professionals in order to help them in their practice.

Develop in partnership with specialists and taking into account their recommendations

Haylem Technologies has invested five years of research and development in collaboration with Quebec speech therapists to develop the Lexibar software. Ten years after the founding of the company, the software is present in nearly 80 % of Quebec school boards, used by several language specialists and private clinics as well as by many parents who would not do without it at home.

“We are very proud of the Lexibar's presence in schools across Canada, but also in France, Belgium and Switzerland,” explains Mélina Patry, member of the team. “Even if we have gained a lot of ground in recent years, the challenges will remain in making us better known and that language specialists continue to adopt our tool as part of their interventions. So we put a lot of energy into providing free training, documentation and fast and efficient technical support. Our software would also be a great tool for newcomers, for people with disabilities, for adult literacy and for anyone with reading and writing difficulties. So there is a great possibility to help even more people, to restore their self-confidence and to provide equal learning opportunities for all. "

So there is a great possibility to help even more people, to restore their self-confidence and to provide equal learning opportunities for all.

For Haylem Technologies, it is extremely important to continue its development in partnership with specialists, to take their recommendations into account, to adapt to their work and to always listen to the needs of learners. The team also asks all professionals who have received a license and all Lexibar users to report their comments, suggestions and impressions on its use.

And Mélina Patry concludes, on behalf of the team: “Whether you are a worker with people with learning disabilities, a teacher, a parent or a user, it is through you that our mission is accomplished. We are very grateful to you. It is not always easy to learn to use and integrate a new technological tool. We are aware of this and we will continue to work as a team with you to make it as easy and straightforward as possible to use Lexibar. Your testimonials and your kind words motivate us every day to continue our work. On behalf of the whole team, Thank you! "

To learn more about Haylem Technologies and the Lexibar:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/HaylemTech
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/lexibar/
Youtube channel : https://www.youtube.com/user/HaylemTechnologies/
Website : http://lexibar.ca/fr/lexibar
Email: info@haylem.ca