Speech technology help

[NobbyNobbs]

Today it was slammed home to me that my speech has gotten to the point where people who don't know me very well (and even some who do) are having trouble understanding me over the phone. At this, point, there are two solutions.

1) I use a text-to-speech machine, type what I want, and have the phone on speakerphone.

Pros: it's portable, so it'll work with my cellphone. It is only limited by the speed at which I type.

Cons: It sounds extremely mechanical (it's the same voice Stephen Hawking has). It has the potential to mispronounce a word. It would be audible to my officemate and/or anyone else around.

2) I use TTY.

Pros: It sounds human. It's more private, as far as my officemate is concerned.

Cons: Locations are limited: I wouldn't be able to use it other than at home or at the office. There is a longer delay, as the operator relays the messages.

What I'm wondering is if there's anyone here who has had experiences with either system, and who would be willing to share/recommend/discourage.

Thanks.

 

[Ripley Twenty-Nine]

I'm shocked that a text-to-speech machine would sound robotic in this day and age. The text-to-speech built in to Vista is fantastic; it almost sounds human.

Have you looked into add-ons for Skype? You can get a real phone number for a Skype account, and call out to real phones as well. Couple that with a pair of headphones and a text-to-speech add-on, and not only would it be a completely private conversation to those around you, but it should also be a totally seemless process to the person you are speaking with.

I currently have Skype on a USB key that automatically launches when I insert the key into any computer, and automatically logs in to my account. Oh, and it's free!

 

[borealys]

How long have you been using the text-to-speech device? IIRC, the particular text-to-speech engine you're using (DecTalk Paul????) is an older one, and there are some new algorithms that sound more natural.

I presume that you are seeing or have seen a speech pathologist or other AAC specialist; if you've got a good AAC clinic or resource group in your area, you could probably get good advice from them. One woman I spoke with when I was in school had a text-to-speech device that could be connected directly to a phone.

 

[NobbyNobbs]

I'm using the Lightwriter, and I've had it for about 2 weeks now. Haven't used it much, and haven't tried it with the phone. It seems to be more primitive than I expected, but it's what the clinic had available, and as my insurance covers just about everything except communication devices, I had to make do with what they could provide.

Yes, it seems to be DECTalk Paul. There are other voices I can choose already programmed in, but they are really no better.

Maybe I could get James Earl Jones to do some recording for me.....

ETA: On the link I gave, it is subtitled "A dedicated augmentative communication/conversation aid." But that's not what I read. What I saw was "A dedicated argumentative communication/conversation aid." Maybe it's more advanced than I thought...

 

[borealys]

I'm using the Lightwriter, and I've had it for about 2 weeks now. Haven't used it much, and haven't tried it with the phone. It seems to be more primitive than I expected, but it's what the clinic had available, and as my insurance covers just about everything except communication devices, I had to make do with what they could provide.

Bummer. As far as I know, the Lightwriter is one of the most popular machines, but you're right, it isn't exactly impressive to look at (or listen to). Looking through the accessories list, I didn't see anything about telephone adaptors, but a Google search turned up this bit of info: A fast and easy way to determine if the AAC item is telephone adaptable is the presence of an external speaker jack. If you can plug in an external speaker, then you can plug in a phone adapter.

Might give you a bit more privacy than using speakerphone in places where you don't have access to TTY.

ETA: On the link I gave, it is subtitled "A dedicated augmentative communication/conversation aid." But that's not what I read. What I saw was "A dedicated argumentative communication/conversation aid." Maybe it's more advanced than I thought...

Heh.