MyVoice Announces Wheelchair-Friendly TalkRocket Go App

MyVoice earlier this week released TalkRocket Go, a wheelchair-friendly app for kids and adults with speech disabilities that lets users connect buttons and switches, including those on wheelchairs, to an iPad, iPhone, or iPod, and then use those controls to speak words and phrases out loud.

"As a parent of a child with special needs, I can tell you TalkRocket Go is going to make a huge difference for so many families, including mine," said Tony Gross, MyVoice's community director, in a statement. "There's nothing else quite like it."

TalkRocket Go uses voice synthesis technology to provide life-like verbal communication for people with disabilities such as autism, cerebral palsy, stroke, traumatic brain injury, Parkinson's disease, and many others. TalkRocket Go's predecessor is already used by 10,000 people in 30 countries, helping them participate in social life, access education, gain employment, and share the simple joy of speaking. 

TalkRocket Go builds upon MyVoice's technologies, including "Locabularies" that use GPS to offer useful phrases based on a user's location; Supporter Studio, an online tool that lets families, teachers, and therapists work together to customize users' pictures and vocabulary; Swipe Storytelling, a flip-book-style feature that makes it easy to tell stories and practice life skills; and Full-Screen Scanning, which turns the whole touchscreen into one big button for better use by those with physical impairments.

"Watching users learn and grow with MyVoice since our first product in April 2011 has been simply incredible," said Alex Levy, MyVoice's CEO, in the statement. "MyVoice was already more accessible than most communication aids, which can cost thousands of dollars, but we wanted to make TalkRocket Go even more effective and affordable."

"We're on a mission to empower families across America and around the world by offering them the best tools for success," said Aakash Sahney, MyVoice's chief technology officer. "TalkRocket Go is easy to use, family-friendly, and yet so life-changing."

TalkRocket Go is available for iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch in the App Store for $99 to new users, or as a free update for existing MyVoice customers.