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Going back to school just got a little easier for university and college students with speech disabilities.

College Life, a new communications tool developed at University of Toronto Scarborough, works as an add-on communications pack for the text-to-speech app called TalkRocket Go.

Developed by U of T startup MyVoice for use on iPhones, iPads and iPods, TalkRocket Go gives people with communication disorders a voice by allowing them to create synthesized speech by tapping words and pictures on a screen. ()

“We saw a demonstration of the app and proposed creating a pack exclusively for post-secondary students,” says Tina Doyle, director of AccessAbility Services at UTSC. “Our focus is on helping students manage barriers and facilitate independence by getting them the tools they need to succeed in university, so this was a perfect fit.”

The College Life Pack includes hundreds of phrases and pictures that make it easier to ask questions in a lecture, independently access campus facilities, and participate in social experiences. It also offers comprehensive vocabulary related to services on campus such as the registrar's office, disability services, and academic departments, making the learning environment easier to navigate.

Thusi Thuraisamy, a fourth-year psychology and human biology student at UTSC, collected common words and phrases used by students on post-secondary campuses and identified corresponding photos to match.

“As a student I see how much of a positive impact this technology can have, so it was a privilege to be part of its development,” says Thuraisamy. 

Since the pack will be marketed internationally a big challenge was creating a common language to distinguish student services on post-secondary campuses. For example health and wellness centres go by different names on different campuses, notes Doyle.

To get the College Life pack, users of TalkRocket Go simply tap “Add Vocab Pack” with the app and select College Life from the available options.

“The great thing about the app is that it’s customizable so the user can make changes as they see fit,” she says.