FreeSpeech- Assistive Technology Tool for Augmentative and Alternative Communication in Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorder

The quality of life of people can be greatly enhanced by using appropriate Assistive technology (AT). Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) is a specific type of AT that can help people with language difficulties communicate better using technology. Currently, many such tools exist on the market, but most of them were created specifically for English- speaking people. It has been observed that the number of people diagnosed with such disorders has increased both in urban and rural areas. It may not be possible for all such people to be able to use English; hence, support for tools in their native language is needed. In this work, we studied the requirements of an AAC tool and proposed a generalized design ‘Free Speech’ that can be customized to support any language. The design is evaluated by building a proof of concept tool to support Hindi.