APP2Speak Brings a Family Closer Through the Gift of Speech

When your life’s mission pays off, it’s a feeling like no other.

I had one of those “mission affirming moments” a few years ago. I met a wonderful family at an assistive technology conference and expo. The mother and father, who are both hearing-impaired, explained to me through their interpreter that they were looking for a simple speech assistance app to help their eight-year-old daughter, who is nonverbal, communicate more effectively at home.

With the assistance of the interpreter, we were able to provide a demonstration of APP2Speak’s features. They were excited, took our brochure and business card, and signed “thank you.”

If the story ended there, it would be a heartwarming reminder of why I started my quest to provide a helpful app for speech impaired people. At that time, I never imagined we would meet again and it would lead to one of the most incredible experiences of my career.

Fast forward a few months from that first meeting.

The family from the assistive technology show sent me an email, explaining they needed a more convenient solution to help their daughter to communicate while she was at home. At school, their daughter had a device that was set up for that environment, but she wasn’t allowed to bring this system home.

They were looking for a good, simple app for speaking for their daughter’s use—something that gave them the ability to customize it for everyday home basics (such as setting up a daily routine, chores, meals, and playtime themes), something that would allow them to add real, meaningful photos for communication purposes (so, even though they can’t hear, they can see what their daughter is communicating by watching her use APP2Speak). They also wanted an app that would allow them to add a personally recorded voice, as they had a good family friend who their daughter really likes and wanted to use his voice.

I told them that APP2Speak can do all of this. So, they requested another demonstration. I was thrilled because it occurred to me then that APP2Speak can be a life-changing tool.

But then it hit me: “How can I present an APP2Speak webinar demonstration when I don’t have a reliable way of communicating with people who are hearing impaired?”

I shared my situation with friends and colleagues. And wouldn’t you know it, one of my friends who happens to sell insurance came to my rescue. He introduced me to James Frost, who owns Signing Edge, a company that provides the community and businesses with top-notch sign language interpreters.

With the help of a Signing Edge interpreter and the video conferencing app, I was able to fully demonstrate how APP2Speak could help their daughter communicate more effectively at home. Following the demonstration, the family requested a free trial of APP2Speak, and they were soon up and running, experiencing all its amazing features firsthand.

Seeing the family’s excitement and joy when they realized they would finally be able to connect and converse with their daughter was a truly incredible experience—the kind of experience that really warms my heart and an experience I’ll never forget.

I was moved to share this story because it’s a demonstration of everything you work for as an entrepreneur. Not only did APP2Speak help a family connect and build stronger relationships, but my community of fellow entrepreneurs came together to help me solve a problem when I was in need.

For more information about how APP2Speak works, head over to our How It Works page. And if you would like a demonstration of how APP2Speak can change your life or the life of a loved one, just reach out to me. I’d love to share!