Press Releases
SpeechEasy Announces Recipients of First-Ever Program to Provide People Who Stutter with Free or Reduced-Cost Fluency Devices
Financial Need and Potential for Academic/Career Advancement Among the Criteria Used to Select Nationwide Recipients
Greenville, North Carolina - October 21, 2004 - SpeechEasy, the leading provider of advanced electronic devices that help people who stutter speak more fluently, today announced it has awarded more than $500,000 in devices and therapy to 100 recipients nationwide, providing the opportunity to make such technology more accessible to the people who can benefit most.
The 100 people who stutter were selected among more than a thousand applicants to receive free or reduced-cost fluency devices as part of SpeechEasy's National Outreach Program. Their selection was based on several factors including financial need and potential for academic and/or career advancement, as well as other considerations expressed in written essays.
"We are pleased to offer recipients of SpeechEasy's National Outreach Program a unique opportunity to benefit from the world's most advanced speech fluency technology," said Darwin Richards, President of Janus Development Group - SpeechEasy's parent company. "With all or most of the device and related therapy costs subsidized, these individuals can finally achieve their full potential, free from the debilitating effects of stuttering."
Recipients will receive SpeechEasy devices, as well as related follow-up therapy by a certified speech language pathologist (SLP). Structured similarly to programs that provide grants to university students based on their financial need and/or merit, SpeechEasy's National Outreach Program provides varying levels of subsidization ranging from 100 percent (a $6,000 value) to 60 percent (a $3,600 value).
Stuttering affects people from all walks of life. Recipients of SpeechEasy's National Outreach Program range from pre-teenage students to retired grandparents. Each has a compelling, inspirational story of battling against a condition that can turn even routine tasks such as speaking on the phone or ordering from a restaurant menu into major obstacles. Advanced fluency devices such as the SpeechEasy offer these individuals an opportunity to experience the sense of confidence, freedom and self-reliance that comes from being able to communicate more effectively.
Similar in appearance to a hearing aid, SpeechEasy is worn in or around the ear. Rather than amplify sound, it alters the way the user hears his or her own voice by re-creating a natural phenomenon known as the "choral effect." The choral effect occurs when a person's stutter is dramatically reduced or even eliminated as he or she speaks or sings in unison with others. This effect has been well documented for decades, but the technology has only recently been available to recreate it in a small, wearable device that can be used in every day life.
SpeechEasy devices use a technology called Altered Auditory Feedback (AAF) to re-create and optimize the choral effect. When someone speaks while wearing a SpeechEasy device, words are digitally replayed in his or her ear with a very slight delay and frequency modification. As a result, the brain perceives that it is speaking in unison with another person. This perception of 'speaking in unison' creates the choral effect, thus reducing or even eliminating the stutter.
Stuttering is a speech fluency disorder characterized by frequent repetitions, pauses and prolongations that interfere with the normal flow of speech. It affects more than three million Americans. While stuttering most frequently begins early in life as language skills are developed, it can affect individuals of all ages. Winston Churchill, Jimmy Stewart, Marilyn Monroe, James Earl Jones, Bruce Willis, John Stossel and Bill Walton are among the famous people who have stuttered.
About SpeechEasy
SpeechEasy is a portable and inconspicuous fluency-enhancing device that can help people who stutter speak more fluently with less effort. It is available in a variety of styles and models that are custom fitted and programmed for each individual user. The device was developed by a team of communication disorder researchers at East Carolina University, and is marketed by Janus Development Group. SpeechEasy devices are available exclusively via a nationwide network of state licensed, ASHA (American Speech-Language Hearing Association)-certified speech language pathologists. More information about SpeechEasy is available at www.speecheasy.com.
