If you use speech recognition software - Windows or Dragon - it is going to be speaker dependent, and that speaker has to have their own profile. Also, you have to be vigilant about making recognition corrections which is not going to happen in normal conversations. I like Ed's idea of Google dictation, which is available in Google Docs on the PC - I have not used it myself, but I hear it is pretty good. Another idea I am just going to throw out there is a caption phone - a bit of a round about way, but would provide quick transcription and it would not matter who is talking. In some states these phones are free of charge. Another solution that is worth looking at is Ava - the app is available for Android and iOS - I have not tried it, and I think it is still in Beta, but worth keeping an eye on it as it would be the exact solution you are looking for. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.transcense.ava_beta You can run Android apps on a Windows machine via a program called Bluestacks, FYI. It is not perfect, but does the job. Sincerely, Antoinette Verdone, MSBME, ATP Owner, Rehabilitation Engineer ImproveAbility, LLC Office/Text: 512-522-1705 Cell: 512-497-6026 Email: xxxxxx@improveability.com Web: www.improveability.com Fax: 888-501-1009 3310 W Braker Lane, Suite 300-424, Austin TX 78758 TWC/HHSC Provider# 1-274278960-0-000 "One cannot consent to creep when one has the impulse to soar" -- Helen Keller Follow Us -------- Original Message -------- Subject: Re: [nophi] RE: Speech recognition guidance needed From: Amy Roman <xxxxxx@sbcglobal.net> Date: Thu, August 17, 2017 6:30 pm To: "xxxxxx@alsa.simplelists.com" <xxxxxx@alsa.simplelists.com> Hi Ed, Thanks so very much for your recommendations. Since they already have a Windows 10 tablet, would you recommend we try Google speech recognition on it or do you think it works better (or only works) on an Android? So just to be sure I am understanding.... the advantages of Google speech recognition is it picks up many different voices better than some of the other programs and the advantage to Android is the Bluetooth mic option? Sincerely, Amy Roman, MS, CCC-SLP Augmentative Communication Specialist AmyandpALS.Com Pinterest.com/AmyandpALS Twitter.com/AmyandpALS Forbes Norris ALS Research and Treatment Center 2324 Sacramento Street San Francisco, CA 94115 Cell (415)518-0592 Fax (415)600-3778 From: Edward Hitchcock <xxxxxx@sralab.org> To: "xxxxxx@alsa.simplelists.com" <xxxxxx@alsa.simplelists.com> Sent: Thursday, August 17, 2017 3:49 PM Subject: [nophi] RE: Speech recognition guidance needed So if I was only going to use speech recognition program on the PC, I would probably go with Dragon over Windows speech recognition at this point. Hands down. As noted, I have seen Windows speech recognition to be kind of buggy. And you can buy Dragon 13 home version which is still more functional than Windows speech recognition for around 35 or $40 on Amazon. All of that being said, any speech recognition for the computer is going to require fairly specific dictation skills that do not usually lend themselves to conversations, especially in a group. Also, Windows speech recognition and Dragon are both going to be trained to an individual speaker, you would not be able to pass them around. If I were you guys I would go with a android tablet and use Google speech recognition into a memo pad. You can route audio from a Bluetooth microphone. Additionally, Google speech recognition will pick up conversations and comments from multiple speakers with different voices. I doubt that it will do it all at once, people need to be careful to speak one at a time into the microphone. Also, it will help a lot if they do use punctuation and try to stick with relatively clear speech. To my knowledge, Siri is going to be speaker trainable, thus not as good for this purpose. Additionally given some recent research I did it sounds like you cannot route audio through a Bluetooth headset for speech recognition purposes on iOS. Edward Hitchcock Occupational Therapist 355 E. Erie St, Chicago, IL 60611 312-238-1000 office 312-238-0000 fax xxxxxx@sralab.org sralab.org Facebook | Twitter | YouTube From: xxxxxx@alsa.simplelists.com [xxxxxx@alsa.simplelists.com] on behalf of Amy Roman [xxxxxx@sbcglobal.net] Sent: Thursday, August 17, 2017 4:42 PM To: at Listserv Subject: Speech recognition guidance needed Hi All, As a speech therapist I don't do as much work with speech recognition as many of you. I could use some guidance for some challenges I am having with one patient. I am working with a man who had brainstem stroke. He is cognitively and linguistically intact but became deaf, paralyzed and non-verbal when he had a stroke. His eye movement is severely reduced too and one eye was sewn shut since he was not blinking adequately to prevent ulceration. For speech generation and computer access on a Zuvo SGD, I set him up with auto scanning which he can do with the slightest movement of his thumb. In order for others to communicate with him we were using writing on a BoogieBoard but this is laborious and slow. I clamped the family's Surface with Windows 10 to the mount for his Zuvo (using the JoyFactory clamping tablet mount which is affordable and good) and turned on Windows Speech Recognition and Notepad. We are using a hands free headset mic with a USB connection to the Surface for dictation. His wife and visitors speak with Tagalog accented English. His kids speak with American accented English. The system initially did not recognize much of his wife's speech but after I had the her go through the brief voice training for the Windows Speech Recognition software it worked much better. It was faster and easier than writing for her. She is the only one using the system at this point. We are having a few challenges. Here are our questions. 1. The wife says every time she uses the Windows Speech Recognition it acts as if she has not done the training and she has to do it again. Is this normal for this program? 2. She is willing to buy Dragon if it will work better. All we are doing is text entry. Is it worth the upgrade? 3. Is there a system that works best when multiple speakers are using the Speech Recognition within the same session? 4. Would a wireless mic that could be passed around to various conversation partners in the room work as well as a connected USB mic? 5. Do people think the technology is good enough to have several speakers all understood? (with the same accent? with differing accents?) Sincerely, Amy Roman, MS, CCC-SLP Augmentative Communication Specialist AmyandpALS.Com Pinterest.com/AmyandpALS Twitter.com/AmyandpALS Forbes Norris ALS Research and Treatment Center 2324 Sacramento Street San Francisco, CA 94115 Cell (415)518-0592 Fax (415)600-3778 Confidentiality Notice: This message and any attachments are only for the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential, privileged and/or protected health information. If you are not the intended recipient of this message, please: 1) be advised that unauthorized review, use, copying, disclosure, or distribution is strictly prohibited and may be unlawful; 2) notify the sender of the delivery by reply e-mail or contact Shirley Ryan AbilityLab's Privacy Officer at 312.238.0766 or xxxxxx@sralab.org; and 3) delete and destroy all copies of the message and its attachments. Thank you.
