Poems anyone?

[benevolent-ucjuhdr]

Hello everyone,

I am a assistive technology design student and Ive set myself a project to explore how people with MND find games to play and express emotions.

I would like to design something which allows AAC users to find fulfilment, express their personalities and find alternative ways of communicating what they are feeling.

I am curious if anyone had any word play activities or poetry that they enjoyed doing?

Why I am doing this: I am interested in creating a speech to text transcribing interface which would facilitate word play. The tool would allow users to archive conversations into notes, arrange text in different ways via eye tracking and also produce poetry or play lexical word games.

I understand this is a very sensitive area and my intentions are only to find something beneficial for people with MND and would love to hear feedback.

I would also like to say I am so inspired and touched by the enthusiasm and support I have come across on this forum.

Harry

[Mary C]

Hi Harry, I wish you well and hope that any useful tools you create become accessible to MND users maybe somehow via the MND Association.
I still have speech though very interested in what’s available when/ if I can no longer talk.
Great you have an interest in this area.
I am sure you will get responses from other forum members to enable you to progress this.
Best wishes
Mary C

[benevolent-ucjuhdr]

Thanks Mary!

[Bowler]

This sounds like worthwhile work Harry.

I don’t have MND myself so can’t offer anything constructive but I wish you well.

[Ellie]

I am interested in creating a speech to text transcribing interface which would facilitate word play.

Hello Harry, admirable of you to use your software development skills in an altruistic way, but I wonder if you're aware that upwards of 80% of us with an MND will lose the ability to speak - something for you to bear in mind.

Best of luck in your endeavours.

Love Ellie.

[benevolent-ucjuhdr]

Hello Ellie,

Thank you for getting back to me!

The transcriber's function was thought up as a way of visualising recorded sounds from other people either in live conversations or over recorded media such as listening to a lecture on YouTube, television ect. This would provide text material to either archive and playback, make notes with or manipulate to create own formats such as poems. I am hoping to provide something of use to MND patients after they have lost their voice and facilitate day to day life.

I noticed that a lot of AAC tech allows users to express themselves with text to speech functions. However I was wondering if there were room for advances in speech to text applications which improve MND patients lives even when they don’t wish to speak and just interact with their thoughts and memory

I have been reading poems written by people with MND and have been very touched and want to find more ways to allow people to more easily express their experience over text.

All the best,


H

[Ellie]

... and want to find more ways to allow people to more easily express their experience over text.

Well H, not your project, but the enormously fundamental function absent from text-to-speech applications is... expression itself. Replicate intonation and you're on to a winner 😆

[Banned]

Hi Harry,

Where are you based?

I am working on a care app. I have been working on it for nearly 3 years now.

Very interested in what you are trying to achieve. Basic text writing is very difficult and tedious, even for those of us who are clued up.

[Mary C]

Hi Ellie, just read that statistic you mentioned of 80% of people with MND lose the ability to speak.It’s so scary to think about.Thank goodness there are communication aids however imperfect.For today I can still speak so feeling blessed.
Best wishes
Mary

[benevolent-ucjuhdr]

Graham Hi!
I am a student based at UCL in London! What sort of features does your care app include, is it also AAC oriented?
all the best,
H