Speak for Yourself is a iPad app that can help Aphasia

19
Jun

Okay  can you think that iPad can help a person to talk? I think you guys might be shocked but here we go.Four-year-old Maya Nieder is an adorable little girl who can smile, walk, and play with her toys.  But she cannot speak. An iPad app called Speak for Yourself (SfY), created by speech pathologists Heidi LoStracco and Renee Collender.  The app includes core vocabulary words as well as the ability to add custom words. This app was a perfect match for Maya, and allowed her to communicate with the world around her.

Unfortunately, SfY has been involved in a legal battle with Prentke Romich Company (PRC) and Semantic Compaction Systems (SCS), which produce augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices. PRC/SCS claim that LoStracco and Collender infringed upon patented technology in an app that directly competes with their AAC devices.

Maya still has a functional copy of the app on her iPad, but with the removal of the app from the App Store, there is no way for SfY to be updated.  Maya’s parents live in fear that the app will stop working with one of Apple’s system updates, or worse, that the app could be removed from their device remotely. This would take away Maya’s primary mode of communication with her parents and those around her.

Apps are relatively cheap, accessible, and intuitive to use.  In fact, the SfY app cost only $299.99, while AAC devices can cost several thousand dollars. AAC systems are also bulkier than the slim iPad tablet, making an app the more convenient and economical choice.  From a business standpoint, it’s no wonder that PRC/SCS wants to protect their share of the market and the intellectual property that they claim to be theirs.
Shubhro
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