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An adaptive communication system has been developed for individuals with mobility disorders. It uses specialized computer software and hardware that compensate for this disability. For an individual with a motor-control impairment who is not able to use a keyboard effectively, a computer voice-recognition technology now removes this communication barrier. Speech-recognition systems consist of three basic components: speech processing, speech recognition, and speech understanding. The new Dragon Dictate (Dragon Systems, Inc., Newton, Mass.) is the first large-vocabulary speech recognition system in the personal computer industry that interactively learns a user's vocabulary and mode of speaking and responds to natural language rather than to limited sets of words. This speech-recognition system requires a microprocessor, a display monitor, a printer, and specific software packages, including word-processing and enhanced memory-management software. Important considerations in the use of this speech-recognition system include microphone positioning and training of the system. With the advent of this new voice-recognition computer system, another communication barrier between the disabled and society has been overcome.
Communication Devices for People with Disabilities↗