SGDs

What are SGDs?
Speech Generating Devices (SGDs) is the term given to the hundreds of voice output devices commercially available that are designed to provide an effective means of verbal communication for individuals that have difficulties with “natural speech”.

Other terms sometimes used to describe these items are “voice output communication aids” (VOCA) or augmentative communication devices. SGDs range from simple, single message devices with less than a minute of speech output to highly complex, computer-based systems capable of storing or generating virtually unlimited numbers of messages.

Some SGDs use recorded human speech (digitized). Others use computer-generated speech (synthesized) and some of those have text-to-speech capacity (as words are typed into the system, they are “spoken” by the device).

In this age of technology, SGDs are becoming increasingly more available and accessible through common devices like tablet computers and hand held devices like mobile phones and portable games consoles. These devices commonly work using graphic symbols that are used to represent messages, which are activated by finger, headstick or other method touching an area on the device that corresponds with the desired message. SGDs have either a static display where input for stored messages is fixed (like buttons or keys) or a dynamic display (like a touch computer screen) where the input can be changed quickly and often.