Most non-verbal people are intelligent, aware and sensitive. But because communication is the bedrock of social interaction, their ability to integrate into mainstream society remains limited. All over the world, there has been a concerted effort to develop and use Assistive Technologies to help non-verbal people communicate. These tools are called Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) devices. In most developed countries, such tools have become a part of life for non-verbal people. But not in India.

Why We Developed AVAZ

When we started Invention Labs in 2007, there were no high-tech communication aids available in India. The ones available abroad cost anywhere between $5,000 to $20,000 – making them unaffordable even for the relatively affluent.

We started working on Avaz after interacting with the staff and students of Vidya Sagar, previously the Spastics Society of India Chennai. As we got to know the students better, we realized that beyond the wheelchair and the disability, there is always a warm and intelligent person who has the same desires, dreams and sense of humor as a normal child.

We decided that, as engineers, we wanted to contribute in our own way to unveil this personality –  by giving them the power of communication

The AVAZ Dream

We developed Avaz between 2007 and 2010, working closely with the folks at Vidya Sagar and other special needs schools in the country. As our thoughts began taking shape, we decided that we did not want to just create a technological device – we wanted to create an artificial voice. And so, when  we designed Avaz, we wanted to give it all of the features that we (who are verbal) take for granted.

	It would be as versatile as natural speech – allowing users to express their thoughts, moods and emotions.
	It would facilitate conversation and social interaction – by being fast, loud and clear.
	It would give its users a sense of identity, as much as speech does for verbal people.
	It would be flexible and customizable, to make it accessible to people with all forms of disabilities.
	It would be pervasive – like our voices, which we carry with us throughout our lives.
	It would fit in – into the eco-system of its users, and the world they inhabit.

We realized that many aspects of this vision are very far away – some may require fundamental new advances in science and technology for us to achieve.But we are in this for the long haul. We consider ourselves lucky that as good engineers, we have stumbled upon a wonderful opportunity to improve people’s lives, and we want to give it our best shot – however long it takes.

Our Vision for Disability in India

When we think about disability, we like to think of an interesting analogy.At Invention Labs, some of us wear spectacles. Some of us would not be able to see at all without them. But we’ve never felt ‘disabled’, or ‘handicapped’. We’ve had all the opportunities that everyone takes for granted, and we’ve never had to face isolation or exclusion from society.

Yet, even a hundred years back, things would have been very different. Without being able to see a blackboard, or read a book, we would have not had access either to education or to employment.We take spectacles for granted today but really, many of us owe thanks to the anonymous inventors who made ‘inclusion’ possible for us.

If Avaz is able to do half as much for the 40 million people with speech disabilities, we will have achieved our goals many times over. That is our dream, and that is what we are working towards every day.