AN ASSISTIVE TEXT TO SPEECH APPLICATION FOR PEOPLE WITH SPEECH IMPAIRMENT

Speech impairment is defined as difficulties producing different sounds, words, or sentences, as well as difficulty comprehending spoken language, which can be caused by a variety of factors. These causes include a variety of circumstances, such as neurological conditions like cerebral palsy or Parkinson's disease, physical limits like cleft palate or hearing impairment, and developmental delays like autism spectrum disorder. Speech problems can also be caused by traumatic brain injuries, strokes, or vocal cord abnormalities. Genetic genetic traits, such as Down syndrome, may also play a role, as can environmental factors such as chemical exposure or prenatal trauma. Overall, speech problems are generally caused by a combination of genetic, environmental, and neurological factors, highlighting the complexities of their origins. The main objective of this work is to create and establish an assistive text to speech Application aimed at assisting needs of people with different types of speech impairment. The user interface was designed using the Figma tool, and implemented using Android studio, which is an official Integrated Development Environment (IDE) for developing Android applications and is built on IntelliJ IDEA, a Java integrated development environment for software, and includes its code editing and developer tools. It also includes a Gradle-based build system, an Android Emulator, code templates, and GitHub integration to help in Android application development. This research work covers the problem, the initial background research performed, detailed analysis of the system from which the requirements were derived and the development process of the system. The system showcased a centralized user interface carefully designed to offer an all-encompassing user experience, aiding in better comprehension of speech impairment.