COURTESY
COURTESY YOUTUBE: THE BEST OF STEPHEN HAWKING "MY NAME IS STEPHEN HAWKING." STEPHEN
HAWKING USED A DEVICE TO
COMMUNICATE 4@WITH A SOMEWHAT
ROBOTIC VOICE. THE 4@FAMOUS
THEORETICAL PHYSICIST 4@HAD A
TYPE OF A-L-S, OR LOU GEHRIG'S
DISEASE, WHICH SLOWLY
PARALYZED HIM OVER 4@DECADES. I
TOOK AWAY HIS VOICE - BUT NOT
HIS BRILLIANCE. 4@
THE VOICE SYSTEMS HAVE GOTTEN
A LOT BETTER. EMILY 4@STROUD
SHOWS US HOW A NEW PROGRAM
MAKES THAT SYNTHETIC SPEECH
SOUND LIKE A PATIENT'S
ORIGINAL VOICE.
"I WAS DIAGNOSED WITH ALS
JANUARY 21, 2011." THAT IS
BAYARD ERSKINE'S VOICE FOUR
AND A HALF YEAR AGO.THIS IS
HIS VOICE NOW. "GO VOLS!"THIS
IS HIS VOICE NOW. YEAR AGO.
VOICE FOUR AND A HALF THAT IS
BAYARD ERSKINE'S ALS JANUARY
21, 2011." "I WAS DIAGNOSED
WITH "I WAS DIAGNOSED
WITH ALS JANUARY 21, 2011."
THAT IS BAYARD ERSKINE'S VOICE
FOUR AND A HALF YEAR AGO.THIS
IS HIS VOICE NOW. "GO VOLS!"4@
INSTEAD OF A GENERIC VOICE,
IT'S A DIGITAL VERSION OF HIS
OWN VOICE.BAYARD ERSKINE / ALS
PATIENT "THIS IS A NEW PROGRAM
DESIGNED IN EUROPE TO
INCORPORATE 4@MY REAL VOICE INT
TOBII WHICH REPLACES THE 4@
STANDARD VOICE." 4@KATHY ERSKIN
/ BAYARD'S 4@WIFE "IT'S SUCH A
BRIGHT LIGHT FOR ALS PATIENTS
BECAUSE THEY LIVE 4@IN KIND OF
DIM WORLD BECAUSE THEY ARE
CONSTANTLY LOSING, LOSING,
LOSING AND THIS 4@IS A WIN." 4@
DISEASE HAS TAKEN AWAY A LOT
OF HIS ABILITY TO MOVE. SO HE
USES HIS EYES TO SELECT
LETTERS AND SYMBOLS ON A
COMPUTER SCREEN. THEN A
PROGRAM CALLED TOBII CONVERTS
THE TEXT TO SPEECH THAT 4@SOUND
LIKE THIS OWN SPEECH.BAYARD
ERSKINE / ALS PATIENT "MAKES
IT MORE PERSONAL AND NOT AS 4@
FRUSTRATING." AMANDA SIMMONS
IS A SPEECH-LANGUAGE
PATHOLOGIST. SHE STARTED
WORKING WITH BAYARD A FEW
YEARS AGO. SHE SAYS CREATING
THE PERSONAL VOICE REQUIRES
HOURS 4@OF 4@RECORDINGS.AMANDA
SIMMONS /SPEECH-LANGUAGE 4@
PATHOLOGIST "HE HAS 4@SOME
ACTUAL RECORDINGS WHEN I FIRST
STARTE4@D MEETING WITH HIM THAT
ARE HIS VOICE, 4@THAT AREN'T TH
SYNTHESIZED VOICE. AND THEY'RE
ALL KINDS OF SASSY, LOTS OF GO
VOLS." 4@SOME OF THOSE SNIPPETS
OF HIS RECORDED VOICE SAME
FROM INTERVIEWS CHANNEL 10 DID
DURING 4@AN ALS WALK AND THE IC
BUCKET CHALLENGE IN 2014.
AMANDA SIMMONS
/SPEECH-LANGUAGE 4@PATHOLOGIST
"IT HELPS TO ENCOURAGE THEM TO
COMMUNICATE MORE BECAUSE THEY
FEEL LIKE THIS IS THEIR VOICE.
THEY HAVE OWNERSHIP OF IT."
BAYARD ERSKINE / ALS PATIENT
"AMANDA MADE THIS ALL HAPPEN.
SHE DID 4@THIS ALL AS A
VOLUNTEER. SHE IS A SPECIAL
PERSON."HE PRACTICES WITH
AMANDA AND ON HIS OWN NOT SO
MUCH FOR 4@HIMSELF AS FOR HIS
CHILDREN, GRANDCHILDREN, AND
HIS 4@WIFE OF 35 YEARS, KATHY.
BAYARD ERSKINE / ALS 4@PATIENT
"YES, IT MAKES IT EASIER FOR
THEM TO FEEL CLOSE TO ME."
KATHY ERSKINE / BAYARD'S WIFE
"AS SOON AS WE GOT
4@
IT 4@
IT AND 4@
IT AND WE 4@
IT AND WE KNEW 4@
IT AND WE KNEW IT 4@
IT AND WE KNEW IT WAS GOING TO WORK ON HIS COMPUTER I SAID, SAY I LOVE YOU, SAY I LOVE
YOU, SAY I LOVE YOU AND SO HE
PLAYED I LOVE YOU AND THE
TEARS JUST RAN DOWN MY FACE."
AMANDA
AMANDA SIMMONS /SPEECH-LANGUAGE 4@PATHOLOGIST "I REALLY JUST LOVE ALL THESE
PATIENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES.
IT'S SUCH AN 4@HONOR TO GET TO
HANG OUT WITH THEM AND LOVE ON
THEM AND TRAIN AND WALK
THROUGH THIS REALLY HARD STAGE
OF 4@LIFE TOGETHER." BAYARD
ERSKINE / ALS PATIENT "I HAVE
NO COMPLAINTS WITH THIS
ILLNESS. I DO NOT FEAR DEATH
BASED ON MY FAITH."HIS FAITH
HELPS HIM AND SO DOES HIS
4@
BASED ON MY FAITH."HIS FAITH HELPS HIM AND SO DOES HIS SENSE OF 4@HUMOR.AMANDA SIMMONS
BASED ON MY FAITH."HIS FAITH HELPS HIM AND SO DOES HIS SENSE OF 4@HUMOR.AMANDA SIMMONS@
/SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGIST
"THE GREAT THING ABOUT THE
TECHNOLOGY IS HE CAN TYPE IN
WHATEVER HE WANTS. SO IF HE'S
FEELING PARTICULARLY SASSY ONE
DAY OR HAS A GOOD JOKE OR A
GOOD SNIDE REMARK 4@HE CAN
ALWAYS TYPE IT IN AND THROW IT
RIGHT AT YOU." KATHY ERSKINE /
BAYARD'S WIFE " IT'S GREAT TO
HEAR THAT VOICE AGAIN. IT'S
LIKE HIS SPIRIT WAS REBORN
ALMOST." BAYARD ERSKINE / ALS
PATIENT "I HOPE THIS
PRESENTATION WILL GIVE
PERSONAL HOPE FOR OTHER ALS
PATIENTS." IT'S A MESSAGE HE
SHARES IN HIS OWN VOICE. I'M
EMILY STROUD LIVE AT 4@FIVE AT
FOUR.