Kurzweil Educational Systems
Customer Profile 
Dave Burns
General Manager, Ray Sands Glass and Kurzweil 3000 User

The Situation
Dave Burns is an entrepreneur and a successful businessman. He also
has a significant learning disability that has made reading,writing and
spelling extremely difficult. After struggling for many years, he
discovered Kurzweil 3000 reading and writing software, which has
given him a level of freedom and independence he had despaired of
ever achieving.

As a student, Dave had great difficulty with reading and writing. It was
obvious that something was wrong, but nobody knew how to fix it.
While he eventually learned to read and write, the process was slow,
painful and erratic.He managed by memorizing as much information as
he could, but always felt anxious about his disability.

After high school, Dave’s work as an auto mechanic led to a position as
an auto-adjuster for a major insurance company. He excelled at his new
job, but struggled with the paperwork, resorting again to memorizing
key words and abbreviating wherever possible. Despite his success at
work,Dave felt insecure and uncomfortable because of his disability.

In 1983, he and his brother bought Ray Sands Glass, an automotive
glass replacement and commercial/residential glass business located in
Rochester,NY. While his understanding of the business and his industry
connections were invaluable assets,Dave recalls the cumbersome
process he had to follow to handle the growing amounts of paperwork.
“Every piece had to be handwritten, dictated, transcribed, reviewed and
edited. Not only was I working extra hours to keep up, but the stress
was incredible.”

The Solution
Finally, in 1997, Dave got so fed up with his daily struggle with paperwork
that he decided to tackle his reading and writing difficulties, even if it meant starting from the very beginning. He began working intensively with
a tutor who suggested he try out two software programs that might make
things easier for him. The programs were Dragon Dictateand Kurzweil 3000.
“Not only did they help,”Dave reminisces,“but they literally changed my life.
Suddenly I could get through a pile of invoices that might have taken a full
morning in a little more than an hour. And with much less stress.Most days
now, I forget I even have a disability.”

Dave now dictates directly into Dragon Dictate, opens his documents in
Kurzweil 3000, then spell checks them, listens for content and fluency, and
makes any corrections. The fact that Kurzweil 3000 can read back text in any
format has taken the frustration out of handling the many types of business
forms he encounters daily. Dave now can spend part of every day dealing with
the strategic aspects of the business like staying on top of his industry. Once a
frustrated information hound, he can now easily browse the Internet, download
the articles he’s interested in as well as scan in trade-related papers and books.

Dave is proud to point out that as Ray Sands Glass has grown, he’s been able to
assist his brother by taking on more management responsibilities including
invoicing and ordering supplies. He believes his own reliance on technology
has made him more comfortable and proficient using a wide variety of software
programs. And as an added bonus,Dave is pleased to note, his sight vocabulary
and spelling have significantly improved. “The fact that Kurzweil 3000 highlights
text as it reads provides me with continuous reinforcement. Without
really trying, I’ve discovered that I’ve become a much more fluent and confident
reader.” Another plus for Dave is the joy of reading for pleasure. Now that he
can quickly scan and listen to books, he's become an avid reader of military
history, a topic he was once too timid to explore.

The Results
In looking back, Dave reflects,“Kurzweil 3000 not only saves me hours of time
every day, but it also enriches the quality of my life and my level of
independence.” Well aware of the impact Kurzweil 3000 has had in his own life,
he is always on the lookout for software products that will make other jobs at
Ray Sands quicker, more efficient and easier. Dave strives to make his company
a place where people can use whatever means necessary to enhance their
productivity and personal well being.

About Ray Sands Glass
Ray Sands Glass (www.raysandsglass.com) is an automotive replacement and commercial/residential glass business with retail centers in Rochester and Canandaigua,NY.
Started in 1946 by Ray Sands, the company was sold to Frank and David Burns in 1983. Since then the business has continued to flourish. Currently the company boasts 7000 square feet of glass shop area enabling Ray Sands to handle jobs of all sizes.

Quotes and Captions
“The fact that Kurzweil 3000 highlights text as it reads provides me with continuous reinforcement. Without really trying, I’ve discovered that I’ve become a much more fluent and confident reader.“

“Not only did they [Dragon Dictate and Kurzweil 3000] help, but they literally changed my life. Suddenly I could get through a pile of invoices that might have taken a full morning in a little more than an hour. And with much less stress.”

“Kurzweil 3000 not only saves me hours of time every day, but it also enriches the quality of my life and my level of independence.”
Dave Burns Ray Sands Glass,Rochester,NY