Overcoming communication barriers with Project Relate

FSH muscular dystrophy often affects the muscles of the face, including the mouth. This can affect the ability to smile and can impair speech. Many people with FSHD experience the frustration of not being able to communicate easily. So we were excited to learn about Google’s Project Relate, which is an Android app that aims to help people with speech impairments. The project is currently recruiting English-speaking testers in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States to try out the app and provide feedback to help the Google research team improve it. Volunteers will be asked to record a set of phrases. The app will use these phrases to automatically learn how to better understand each person’s unique speech patterns, and give the tester access to the app’s three main features: Listen, Repeat and Assistant.

We were excited to learn that FSHD Society member Aubrie Lee, a brand manager with Google, was involved in developing and naming the app! She is featured in the video above.

If you would like to volunteer, you can sign up here.