Sensory Software's Powerful Screen Keyboard Speaks Acapela

Sensory Software, a UK-based company dedicated to the development of accessibility solutions, has selected Acapela text-to-speech for their software, known as The Grid.

The Grid is a combination of symbol- and text-based communication screens and a comprehensive on-screen keyboard that can be operated by any pointing device (mouse, trackball, touch screen, head pointer, joystick, etc.), as well as eye or head movement for people with very limited movement.

It is used both as an alternative to typing by people with a coordination or motor problems, and as an aid to literacy and learning. The system includes symbol-based applications for children and text-based ones for adults.

The screen displays a grid with a choice of symbols. Each grid can contain between two and 108 cells. Each cell can contain a picture symbol and/or a text prompt. The cell can type characters to the current application, run a program, speak a message or load a new grid. Text-to-speech can read aloud any text placed in a cell.

And that’s where Acapela comes in. Acapela text–to-speech reads aloud any text in the cell with a very natural-sounding voice. It provides real-time speech feedback, and content can be easily customized and updated. Users can choose from a wide choice of voices, picking the one most adapted to their own persona. By selecting symbols or typing text, users can use the Acapela voice to speak phrases, thus considerably easing communication within their environment.

“Because of the nature of our business, we need good quality speech in as many languages as possible. Acapela’s helpful policy of making their speech engines available through a single software interface has simplified this for us considerably,” stated Paul Hawes, managing director of Sensory Software.

Acapela Group, backed by 20 years of expertise, is committed to improving accessibility for everyone through multimedia, mobile and telecom solutions, delivering inclusive technologies and making daily life easier for thousands of people around the world.

Source: Acapela