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Module 5 Progress Report

This week I accomplished reading several articles on the various types of AAC devices.  Fun facts I learned this week include the discovery that Val Kilmer’s underwent a tracheostomy as part of his throat cancer treatment (Warner, 2021), that permanently damaged his voice box.  Since then he has collaborated with Sonantic, a UK based software company, using AI technology to recreate his voice from previously recorded works (Stiernberg, 2021).

I also learned that the University of Washington has a program called the Washington Assistive Technology Act Program (WATAP) that has a lending library of all different types of adaptive equipment (Device Lending Library | WATAP, n.d.).  Through the program the devices can be loaned out for 3 weeks for a small fee, where the amount of the fee is dependent upon the type of equipment.

One of the areas I possibly want to explore is how accessible some of the technology is for the public.  Simple low and non-technical devices such as picture boards are easy to make at home or at the public library if you have access to a computer and a printer. AI technology like Sonantic provides that recreate a person’s voice to playback in a recording, is clearly going to be out of reach for the everyday person but is achievable for the rich and famous like Val Kilmer. 

I can comfortably say that I am making great strides in the reading portion for my research.  It will take time to sit down and organize what I have learned into a paper format.  This weekend will not be the weekend I will be accomplishing that with my birthday, a bathroom remodel, and Mother’s Day all lumped into one.

After the weekend is over, I hope to start drafting out certain sections from my outline to at least see if I have enough for that section.  Of if I need to explore more reading to fill in the gaps of my knowledge to create more content.

 

References:

Device Lending Library | WATAP. (n.d.). Retrieved May 3, 2022, from https://watap.org/loan

Stiernberg. (2021, September 1). Listen to Val Kilmer Use AI to Reconstruct His Voice After Losing It to Throat Cancer. InsideHook. https://www.insidehook.com/daily_brief/movies/val-kilmer-ai-voice

Warner, K. (2021, August 25). Val Kilmer On Surviving Throat Cancer: “I Want to Share My Story More Than Ever.” PEOPLE.Com. https://people.com/movies/val-kilmer-on-surviving-throat-cancer-and-losing-his-voice/

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