FedDev Ontario’s ARC Initiatives OCAD University
Project # 4 – Tecla for MyVoice
Tecla for MyVoice involved designing a successful adaptation of Tecla Bluetooth
technology to the iOS mobile platform for wheelchair users in Ontario.
MyVoice Inc. was the project collaborator for Tecla
for MyVoice - an Alternative and Augmentative
Communication (AAC) aid. MyVoice makes communication possible for children and adults with speech
and language disabilities.
MyVoice is the developer of MyVoice Communication Aid (now TalkRocket Go), a smart assistive app designed for mobile devices.
Tecla Access is an open-source technology that
was developed at the Inclusive Design Research
Centre (IDRC) at OCAD University. It enables control of smartphones and tablets with switches, sensors, and joysticks commonly used by people with
mobility impairments. With Tecla Access, mobile
devices are accessible to switch users and powered
wheelchair users who can control such devices with
hardward used for mobility and/or computer access.
Tecla for MyVoice - June 2012
Tecla for MyVoice’s challenging undertaking required a deep understanding of the
signals produced by alternative input devices.
Blackberry smartphones and tablets and Android
smartphones and tablets.
Further exploration found that with the introduction of iOS 5, Apple announced AssitiveTouch. AssitiveTouch allows the use of iOS
devices to users who have difficulty touching
the screen or require an adaptive accessory.
In Tecla for MyVoice research, the project team
concluded that the existing hardware was not compatible with iOS devices as RFCOMM and/or SPP
are not supported on iOS 5. After researching the
documentation on the Apple developer site, it was
evident that there were only two methods for transmitting switch input to the iOS.
One way was through the Apple Accessory Profile,
which would require signing up to the Made for
iPhone (MFi) program and using proprietary hardware (thus compromising the open-source nature
The original Tecla Access Shield is compatible with of the project), and the second, through the use of
Bluetooth devices supporting the Serial Port Prostandard Human Interface Device protocols in orfile (SPP/RFCOMM). These include all major desk- der to emulate a keyboard, mouse or joystick. The
top operating systems (Windows, Mac and Linux), team determined the latter method to be the best
Symbian smartphones and feature-phones,
approach.
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The Tecla for MyVoice team decided to utilize the Bluetooth keyboard HID standard to
allow access and control of interface elements.
How It Works
Headsets and switches are mentioned as some of
the adaptive input devices supported by AssitiveTouch; however, no documentation on switch support
was found.
This system is capable of navigating the iOS interface; however, their navigation is complex, as users
are required to control 3 switches with 3 different
functions selected by different timings.
Research of VoiceOver revealed that this
gesture-based screen reader allows users to
interact with items in the screen with simple
gestures and that it also supports Bluetooth
keyboard (HID) navigation. iPortal Accessibility is another system and is designed by New
Zealand-based wheelchair manufacturer Dynamic Controls.
They do not provide single switch access and work
exclusively with electronics from wheelchairs of
their own brand.
There is a Bluetooth switch interface available in the
market; however, this device only works in certain
apps as it requires developers to incorporate a hidden text box and monitor it for recognized strings of
text to execute actions.
Tecla for MyVoice - June 2012
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Research involved examination of The Ontario’s Ministry of Health and Long-Term
Care’s Assistive Devices Program.
The Ontario’s Ministry of Health and Long-Term
Care’s Assistive Devices Program (ADP) provides
consumer centered support and funding to Ontario
residents who have long-term physical disabilities
and provides access to personalized assistive devices appropriate for the individual’s basic needs.
Devices covered by the program are intended to
enable people with physical disabilities to increase
their independence through access to assistive
devices responsive to their individual needs.
ADP seeks evaluation of ACC aids to protect
consumers and ensure that devices meet ADP
objectives and the Communication Aids category.
Devices Program (ADP) is communication aids.
Device eligibility evaluations are performed at AAC
centres that are ADP-designated (two clinical and
technical evaluations per device).
For a device to be included in the list of approved
communication devices for ADP funding, the device has to be identified by and ADP-designated
AAC clinic as a device that may fill an unique contribution for the clients’ need and submit it for approval to the ADP Communication Aids EEG. One
of the equipment categories funded by Ontario’s
Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care’s Assistive
Devices Program.
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MyVoice demonstrated a unique contribution for clients’ needs in order to meet
device eligibility evaluations.
product mix and warranty will be considered. ADPdesignated AAC Clinics in the Greater Toronto Area
were visited by project team to showcase MyVoice
and Tecla and gather feedback for ADP application
submission.
After learning about MyVoice, clinicians compared it
to the closest product currently in the list, and identified the following features to be highlighted in the
approval process: location awareness, wireless customization, automatic backup. Clinicians did not see
the need to bundle Tecla for MyVoice with the app
and device for ADP purposes.
ADP does not evaluate pre-production models
of devices or demonstration packages. Items
must be commercially available at the time the
request for evaluation is made. Any clinic requesting an evaluation of new equipment will
Instead, they recommended submitting the technolmost likely be required to evaluate the product. ogy as a wireless switch interface and to increase
the chances for approval, they recommended inA device which has ‘passed’ evaluation is not guar- creasing compatibility with more devices such as
anteed coverage under ADP, since other factors
desktop computers, speech generating devices
such as price, budgetary constraints, available
(SGD) and other software.
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Clinics identified MyVoice’s initial revenue model as a potential issue to be included
in the list of ADP eligible devices.
Clinics expressed the need for MyVoice to be bundled with a device. MyVoice’s closest competitor, is
currently bundled with the iPod Touch and iPad, as
ADP do not provide funding for phones, a similar
strategy can be followed with MyVoice. A distributor in Ontario is required to be approved.
After a careful assessment of MyVoice and Tecla
for MyVoice, the Assistive Technology Clinic at
Sunnybrook Hospital has agreed to evaluate both
products and submit them for evaluation by the
EEG for the next review cycle. Submission of
an application to the Ontario ADP for Tecla and
MyVoice is also planned.
Tecla for MyVoice focused on ensuring full compatibility between the MyVoice AAC and the Tecla
Access system with the goal of expanding the
potential market for both products.
Being the first communication aid to offer such
broad compatibility with alternative input devices, Tecla for MyVoice helped to penetrate a large
part of the assistive communication aid market
very rapidly.
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If the ADP device application for MyVoice and the Tecla Access Shield is successful,
MyVoice and Tecla will become available to thousands of switch and potential wheelchair users in Ontario at a fraction of the cost of fully-proprietary alternatives.
For developers, providing switch-access is also simplified as they just need to ensure that their application is prepared for keyboard interaction through the
compatible with VoiceOver screen reader.
Tecla for MyVoice was developed following
standards and leveraging built-in accessibility
of the iOS platform. The benefits of this approach are three-fold:
1. Users can access and control most of the
functions of the device, not just apps specifically designed for switch access.
2. Compatibility with iOS applications that follow accessibility principles, not just single
app
3. Ensuring compatibility with future iterations
of the iOS.
Tecla for MyVoice can also provide a variety of
switch-access alternatives: single-switch, dualswitch and multi-switch, allowing them to accommodate users with different levels of ability. In its
current state, the Tecla Access technology is only
compatible with Android-powered devices.
The integration of MyVoice with Tecla to provide
switch access to consumer mobile devices is likely
to contribute to approved subsidies for people with
communication disorders. End-users and funding
agencies will be able to take advantage of access
to low-cost assistive tools for users with disabilities
representing savings to public institutions.
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FedDev Ontario’s ARC Initiatives OCAD University
Project # 4 – Tecla for MyVoice
Project Team
Jutta Treviranus, Principle Investigator, Director,
Inclusive Design Research Centre, OCAD University
Jan Richards, MSc, Project Manager, OCAD University
Jorge Silva, PhD, Project Lead, OCAD University
Mauricio Meza, MBA, Research Assistant OCAD
University
Inclusive Design Research Centre
http://idrc.ocad.ca/
http://mobile-accessibility.idrc.ocad.ca/projects/tekla
Aakash Sahney, CTO, MyVoice Inc.
MyVoice Inc.
http://myvoiceaac.com/
OCAD University
http://www.ocadu.ca/
OCAD University Research
http://www.ocadu.ca/research.htm
OCAD University Research Projects
http://research.ocadu.ca
Credits:
Komodo OpenLab, photos and video images pg 1-4, 7
Christopher Hills, video image pg 5
Jill Careless, Illustration pg 6
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