Not Everyone Needs a Device Like Stephen Hawking: Looking Beyond Prominent Tech for Speech

In this talk, I will be overviewing the key findings of my PhD research. Primarily, a shift in AAC form-factors to support people’s everyday communication more opportunistically and discreetly. Stigma is a very real problem for assistive technology and can completely deter public usage – especially if the technology is designed to support your voice and everyday communication. Through extensive collaboration and co-design with communities living with aphasia we have collaboratively built a portfolio of devices that are more personal and enriching – providing confidence in people’s embodied abilities.

About the speaker:

Final year PhD student at King’s College supervised by Dr Timothy Neate within the Human Centered Computing Group. My research focuses upon wearable, discreet augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices. I have primarily focused on the development of communication devices with communities living with aphasia based at the City University, Roberta Williams Speech and Language Therapy Clinic. Lastly, I have just finished a brief summer internship in the Microsoft Ability Team based in Redmond.