A device for people with speech disabilities

Rohit Jain now studies Sociology at Loyola College in Chennai. What is so special about him? He was born with cerebral palsy. He cannot speak as his vocal muscles are weak and neither is he able to achieve perfect muscle coordination in his limbs.

Besides, his lack of fine motor control skills prevent him from writing or typing. Despite all these challenges, Jain graduated from high school last year and registered for further studies. Jain's determination would have taken him to his destination, but Ajit Narayanan's technology has come to aid him to mingle into mainstream more freely. He was one of the first users of Narayanan's invention, AVAZ.

There are an estimated 10 million people in India who suffer from speech impediments. They may not have speech but they have a lot to say. And they can benefit from Narayanan's device. Avaz is a communication device for people with speech disorders such as cerebral palsy, autism, mental retardation, and aphasia. It works by converting limited muscle movements, such as head or finger movements, into speech.

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His invention broadly falls under the category of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) technologies. Though speech generating devices are effective, most AAC devices aren't within the reach of the speech-impaired persons in the developing world and they mostly generate speech in English. This is another deterrent which has prevented these devices from becoming as popular in the developing world.

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To read the complete profile of Ajit  Narayanan, click here