One of the biggest problems facing people with NF2 and hearing loss is that they begin to lose their ability to communicate in the way they had been accustomed to in all aspects of their lives. “Apps” that translate speech to text, or text to speech, are one way to make communication easier for these individuals. (Apps—short for “applications”—are software programs you can download from the Internet for use with smartphones or tablets.)
To help NF2 patients decide which apps might suit their needs, Amanda Bergner, MS CGC, of the Johns Hopkins Comprehensive Neurofibromatosis Center, and Jennifer Smart, PhD, of the Towson University Department of Audiology, Speech-Language Pathology and Deaf Studies, tested existing apps under a contract award from the Children’s Tumor Foundation (CTF).
The apps tested are for Apple products. In the future, Bergner and Smart hope to expand their work to include apps for Android products.
“Our vision for this project,” said Bergner, “is that it is a stepping-stone to open the dialogue within the NF2 community about the unmet communication needs of people living with this condition. We welcome feedback and ideas for other aspects of communication that we might explore.” She can be contacted at abergne1@jhmi.edu.
