A USER-FRIENDLY VOICE INTERACTIVE LEARNING AID FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH HANDICAPS (VILAH)

MANY INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES WOULD BENEFIT FROM IMPROVED METHODS FOR VOICE INPUT INTO, AND VOICE OUTPUT FROM, MICROCOMPUTERS. THE ADVANTAGES OF COMPUTERIZED VOICE OUTPUT FROM PRINTED MATERIAL FOR BLIND OR VISUALLY IMPAIRED INDIVIDUALS IS OBVIOUS. VERY OFTEN, INDIVIDUALS WITH LANGUAGE-LEARNING DISABILITIES FALL INTO THIS CATEGORY. THEADVANTAGES OF SYNTHESIZED SPEECH IS OBVIOUS FOR INDIVIDUALS WHO, FOR A VARIETY OF REASONS, CANNOT SPEAK THEMSELVES. THEADVANTAGES OF BEING ABLE TO SPEAK TO AND LISTEN TO THE TEACHING SOURCE IS ALSO OBVIOUS FOR VERY YOUNG CHILDREN, WITH OR WITHOUT HANDICAPS, WHO CAN NEITHER READ NOR WRITE. FURTHERMORE, PERSONS WHO HAVE MODERATE TO SEVERE MENTAL RETARDATION ARE, BY DEFINITION, NORMALLY UNABLE TO READ OR WRITE. THEREFORE, THE TYPICAL PRINTED SCREEN OR PRINTOUT OUTPUT MODE OR THE KEYBOARD TYPING INPUT MODE ARE, FOR ALL PRACTICAL PURPOSES, INACCESSIBLE FOR THEM. OTHER INDIVIDUALS WHO CANNOT EASILY UTILIZE THE TYPING INPUT MODE ARE THOSE WITH PHYSICAL HANDICAPS. HENCE, TII PROPOSES HEREA VOICE INTERACTIVE LEARNING AID FOR PERSONS WITH HANDICAPS (VILAH) UTILIZING FEATURES OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND VOICE ANALYSIS TO ACCOMODATE FOR VARIABILITY IN INPUT.