Summative Evaluation of Ezcomm: A Communication Board Mobile Application to Assist Communication Disabilities

Abstract

People with communication disabilities like Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Stroke survivors, Apraxia, Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome, and others have problems in speech. It is hard for them to explain their thoughts or release their mood. The disability causes them limited or no opportunity to converse smoothly with others. In response, this paper introduces an application named EzComm as assistance for people with communication disabilities; by doing only one simple act, they can communicate with their family and friends. For example, the users tap the image or word buttons, and the system will read them aloud, besides adding them to a sentence that can also be read. A pilot study shows that EzComm enables them to communicate and increases their chances of making friends. Through the application, we hope that communication for communication disabilities problem could be improved.