Giving voice to people with speech disabilities

Verbally, an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) aid for people with speech disabilities is an iPad application/ Photo credit: iPadnews

Launched on May 18, 2011, Verbally, an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) aid for people with speech disabilities, might just be the iPad solution that will change the way speech-disabled people communicate.

Added to the iTunes app store in March, this application is free, can be used globally and does not require Internet connectivity.

Losing their mother to Lou Gehrig's disease in February this year taught Anil and Gautam Godhwani some important lessons. Along with cousin Ajay Godhwani, they had been searching for various solutions to help Nirmala Godhwani, a singer, communicate after she lost her voice to Lou Gherig's disease.

In their search, the trio discovered that the existing solutions cost a bomb and required a waiting period of at least one month because the product had to be ordered. Nirmala could not afford to wait.

In addition, when they arrived, these products were frustrating to learn, heavy, and unreliable. Then, they began investigating their own solutions, and Verbally was the result. “Verbally enables text to be spoken through iPad, so those suffering from speech disabilities can express themselves verbally and easily be part of conversations with friends and loved ones,” explains Ajay Godhwani, founder of Intuary, the company that launched Verbally.

Verbally is a text-to-speech application that works best for literate children and adults. Users simply download Verbally from the iTunes app store. “Then use a finger or stylus to tap a sentence into the textbox and tap speak. It's that easy,” says Ajay.

The goal was that the user should be able to keep up with a real-time conversation. The challenge was in designing the solution to meet the motor challenges that often accompany speech disorders. The early prototypes were fairly weak; after extensive research on computational linguistics and best practices for the design of complex mobile apps, an application was ready by the mid-2010 that would benefit those with speech and motor skills impairments.

They built in speed, ease of use and convenience in ordering/downloading, and kept it free.

Now it is available in English, and languages are next, says Ajay. “Also, primary user feedback has been to improve the voices in the app,” he says. “There is currently one female and one male voice. In the next versions, we will offer more voices to choose from, and the ability to customise.”

For more information, visit www.verballyapp.com.