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RATE ENHANCEMENT FOR GRAPHIC-BASED COMMUNICATION AIDS

Award Information
Agency: Department of Health and Human Services
Branch: N/A
Contract: N/A
Agency Tracking Number: 16484
Amount: $49,965.00
Phase: Phase I
Program: SBIR
Solicitation Topic Code: N/A
Solicitation Number: N/A
Timeline
Solicitation Year: N/A
Award Year: 1991
Award Start Date (Proposal Award Date): N/A
Award End Date (Contract End Date): N/A
Small Business Information
8029 Danwood Drive
Little Rock, AR 72204
United States
DUNS: N/A
HUBZone Owned: No
Woman Owned: No
Socially and Economically Disadvantaged: No
Principal Investigator
 Vanbiervliet, Alan
 Principal Investigator
 (501) 565-8208
Business Contact
 1 R43 HD27764-01A1
Phone: () -
Research Institution
N/A
Abstract

FOR THE MAJORITY OF NON- VOCAL STUDENTS WITH COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENTS, THE MOST APPROPRIATE COMMUNICATION SYSTEM INVOLVES GRAPHICS (SIMPLE SYMBOLS OR PICTURE). UNFORTUNATELY, OTHER THAN MULTI-KEY OR MULTI-SYMBOL CODING WHICH ARE DIFFICULT TO LEARN AND RECALL, THERE ARE NO RATE ENHANCEMENT TECHNIQUES DEVELOPED FOR THESE SYSTEMS. THE GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO DEVELOP AND EVALUATE GRAPHIC BASED RATE ENHANCEMENT TECHNIQUES THAT INCORPORATE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCES AND HYPERMEDIA TECHNOLOGIES. THE TWO TECHNOLOGIES THAT WILL BE DEVELOPED AND EVALUATED ARE GRAPHIC SYMBOL PREDICTION AND A MODULE TO ANALYZE THE USE OF THE COMMUNICATION SYSTEM WHICH CAN MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE THERAPIST ON HOW TO RECOGNIZE THE LANGUAGE ITEMS TO FACILITATE COMMUNICATION. A PANEL OF EXPERTS WILL BE IDENTIFIED TO ASSIST IN DEVELOPING THE RULES AND PROTOCOLS FOR RATE ENHANCEMENT. THESE FEATURES WILL THEN BE INCORPORATED INTO COMMUNICATION PAGES, WHICH INCORPORATES DIGITAL SPEECH AND DYNAMIC VISUAL DISPLAYS IN AN EASY-TO-USE HYPERMEDIA FORMAT. THE GRAPHIC ENHANCEMENT FEATURES WILL THEN BE EVALUATED USING A MODIFIED CASE STUDY AND MULTIPLE BASELINE APPROACH INVOLVING FOUR STUDENTS. IN ADDITION, THE FEATURES WILL BE EVALUATED BY THERAPISTS, PARENTS, AND SIGNIFICANT OTHERS, AND BY EXPERTS IN THE FIELD. COMMUNICATION PAGES WILL BE MARKETED THROUGH EXISTING COMMERCIAL SOFTWARE DISTRIBUTORS.

* Information listed above is at the time of submission. *

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