A Prototype Portable Electronic Speaking Aid for the Nonvocal Handicapped

A new type of speaking aid for the vocally handicapped is described. The portable device has as key elements a speech synthesizer, a hand-worn touch-sensitive command device, and appropriate interfacing built around a microprocessor. The user, a nonvocal person with reasonable control of at least one hand, uses an augmented variation of finger spelling to command the synthesizer to output phonemes. A prototype is described and early testing is discussed.