An Alternative

and Augmentative

Communication Device

Aiding inclusion for children

with cerebral palsy

V

VVζ

What is Cerebral Palsy?

One of the most common congenital disorders

Affects muscle tone, movement and motor skills

Large proportion of children with CP also have

speech impairment

Children with Cerebral Palsy find it

difficult to communicate

Cerebral Palsy affects a child in many ways

Hinders a child’s ability to integrate with the community

Affects their education

Affects their relationships with loved ones

Limits their options for gainful employment

Cerebral Palsy has the second highest economic cost

among all birth defects*

* A study conducted by Center for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) estimates the total average lifetime costs per person to be $921,000 (2003 dollars)

Children with Cerebral Palsy need assistive aids to overcome barriers in communication

Existing solutions in the market

Manual methods Flip charts with alphabet/pictures

PC-based software solutions

Purpose-built software (Dasher, BoardMaker, Slate)

Voice Output Communication Aids

Portable device with recorded messages (Kathamala)

Existing solutions have many disadvantages

Manual methods Excruciatingly slow

Concentration of child and interlocutor is on flip

chart rather than on each other

PC-based software solution

Limited mobility

Difficult to operate independently

Voice Output Communication Aids

Limited number of messages can be recorded

Suitable in only a few situations

What should be the features of the ideal solution?

Enable freedom of expression Children should be able to convey virtually any thought in

their mind

Independent operation

Usable by children with poor motor control skills and/or

multiple disabilities

Inter-operable with other assistive aids

Enable incorporation of future improvements in assistive

software as well as hardware

Portable and easy to handle

AVAZ – aiding inclusion of CP children

Dynamic message generation and speech synthesis

Easy-to-read font sizes on large 7” display

Audio prompts for the visually impaired

Supports different methods of interaction like

contact and non-contact switches

Battery operated

Wheelchair mountable

Developed in collaboration with IIT Madras

Tested & used by Vidya Sagar (formerly the Spastics

Society of India, Chennai)

Testimonial by an AVAZ user

“

”

good morning everyone. using

avaz, i can now speak anything i

want. i can go out on my own

and talk to people. having avaz

makes me happy and confident.

hope to see many more children

like me use these

-Rohit Parek Jain, AVAZ user,

Class XII, Vidya Sagar

We need your help and support!

AVAZ will help non-verbal children communicate with their parents, caregivers, teachers and community

Through this, they can be independent and contribute positively to society

Help us donate these devices to NGOs and schools working with spastic children

Contribute to give voice to many more people.

MAKE EVERY VOICE HEARD.

Thank You

If all my possessions were taken from me

with one exception, I would choose to keep

the power of communication, for by it I

would soon regain all the rest.

- Daniel Webster

Appendix 1: Organizations helping CP persons

The National Trust

A GoI body under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment for the

Welfare of Persons with autism, cerebral palsy, mental retardation and

multiple disabilities (http://www.thenationaltrust.in/)

Vidya Sagar

A Chennai-based institution that help in increasing inclusion into society of

children with developmental disabilities (http://www.vidyasagar.co.in/)

Appendix 1: Organizations helping CP persons

Indian Institute of Cerebral Palsy

A Kolkata-based organization assisting children with cerebral palsy

(http://www.iicpindia.com/)

International Society of AAC (ISAAC)

ISAAC is an NGO in special consultative status with the Economic and Social

Council of the United Nations (http://www.isaac-online.org/)

Appendix 2: About Invention Labs

Invention Labs is a venture promoted by alumni of IIT Madras

Invention Labs develops products that provide people with multiple

disabilities the ability to communicate with family, educators, caregivers and

peers in an independent manner.

Invention Labs is committed to building and supporting different kinds of

assistive software that can run on AVAZ to cater to the communication needs

of persons with speech impairment.