Tecla sound: Combining single switch and speech access

Abstract

Using single switch scanning with a mobile Smartphone can often be frustrating and slow to use. Phone functions, such as answering a call, either have specific timeout imitations that are set by service providers or may not be accessible using non-standard access methods. Single switch scanning can take longer than these timeout settings allow, resulting in missed calls or becoming stuck in endless automated call option menu loops. The Tecla single switch-scanning system has been augmented with a simple speaker dependent, limited vocabulary, offline speech recognizer to offer users one solution to this dilemma. Users decide on and record applicative words for specific phone functions, such as “answer,” that can then be used instead of selecting that item from a scanning array. Given that speech production is often faster than selection from a scanning array, the user will be able to avoid the timeout limitation of their smartphone.