Persons suffering from motor neuron disease throat cancer, cerebral palsy or Parkinson’s disease have impaired speech i.e they have difficulty in communicating. British Telecommunication has developed a portable voice communication device for such individuals, which makes communicating easier. The device, named Claudius I after the Roman emperor who had impaired speech, allows users to “speak” instantly either face to face or when connected to a telephone. The speech therapist records phrases and sentences onto a memory chip, which are then replayed through the loud speaker, as the user commands.
Article extracted from this publication >> December 2, 1994
