Voice App

[JAM]

Hello everyone,
My PAL’s has reached the point where I’m about the only one who can understand him (and sometimes even I can’t). His hands work fine so don’t need eye gaze etc. wondering if there is a favorite easy to use voice assist device anyone loves? Hopefully one that speaks in relatively normal time??
TIA

 

[TFB]

I use the Speech Assistant app on my Android phone. It's very easy to use. I type; it speaks. That's the only one I've used. I have to max out my phone volume for it to be heard.

 

[Lori7]

Thanks for mentioning the Speech Assistant app. My speech is going too. I might also get a speech therapist to come in and give me some exercises or something.

 

[JAM]

Is it the $25 app?

 

[swalker]

I am using Talk Free on my android phone. It accepts various voice files. I have it configured to us a voice file I created with Model Talker quite awhile ago.

It sounds remarkably like me.

It is probably too late for your PALS to create a voice file, but Talk Free can use a variety of other files so you can pick what you sound like.

Steve

 

[lgelb]

If you have prerecorded files of his voice, you can use those for the ElevenLabs clone.

Otherwise, you could ask a relative who sounds like him, if you like, for either that or the Personal Voice (iOS) process.

If neither works, there are plenty of voices for use with iOS, Android, Mac, and Windows apps. Some have freeware versions or try before you buy. At this stage, with normal keyboarding, he can also just type into most regular apps like a word processor or messaging and have it read back to others using the built-in OS and voice of choice.

More here: Communicating | ALS Guidance

 

[JAM]

He voice banked. We just don’t know what we are doing.

 

[Nikki J]

Contact bridgingvoice dot org. They are the people who are helping with the eleven labs initiative in the US but they also help with other communication needs. They have extra services for NJ and I think MD but they say they help across country.

Your clinic should have resources as well but I would try bridgingvoice first

 

[TFB]

Speech Assistant is free on Google Play Store. Someone mentioned Talk Free for android, but I'm not seeing it in the Play Store. I banked my voice a couple of years ago with Acapela MOV paid for by Team Gleason, but I have to buy my file or seek out help from Gleason again. I would love to try Talk Free if it accepts my Acapela file. The SLP at my clinic keeps pushing Tobii Dynavox on me, but that seems like old technology now. I don't need eye gaze yet.

 

[TLARRI1]

We just got the Tobi Dynavox Eye Gaze, looks pretty cool, but having a hard time getting started. We are waiting on Rep. to come in a couple of weeks to help out.

 

[JohnnyMags]

TLARR11 - I am totally new to this but my wife's voice sounds like we are headed in this direction. Did you have to pay for the Tobi? If not who did you go through to get what you need. My questions may be about basic stuff but like I said I am new to this.

 

[swalker]

TLB,

I saw your message in my Profile area. I will respond here, as others may be interested in the answer.

The TalkFree app (that is the name associated with the icon, but I guess it is not the name of the program) I am using on Android is free and is still available on Google Play Store. It is ad supported, but I don't find the ads too intrusive.

To find it on Google Playstore, search for Talk: Text to Voice. On my phone, it comes up as the first search result. It is published by Abast Multimedia.

The voice file I created via ModelTalker is a .apk file.

I stored that file in the file system on my phone.

I then configured TalkFree to point at that file by going to Settings -> Text To Speech -> Preferred Engine

There might have been another step, but it was so long ago that I don't remember the details. I simply followed the instructions that came with TalkFree.

Steve

 

[lgelb]

Many people don't need the freestanding eye gaze hardware (Tobii) any more -- they use a smaller piece of hardware (an eye tracker) with their own device(s), which can be mounted to a wheelchair or stand for use in bed, etc. Or they skip the eye tracker entirely and just use the device (phone, tablet, laptop), though the capabilities for the latter are still evolving. You can find more information, Johnny, on the Tobii site and on this page:

Communicating | ALS Guidance

Communication in ALS when speech is impaired may entail

alsguidance.org

 

[JohnnyMags]

Thanks again Laurie

 

[lisa g]

Does your wife attend an ALS clinic? If so she should have a speech therapist to guide you. I went through the Gleason Foundation a couple of years ago, they provided the recording device to bank my voice and put me in touch with someone to walk me through the process.
One tip I will offer is that anyone that has a tobii and needs the eye gaze software to be activated do it before you go on hospice. Once on hospice insurance will not cover the activation.