Communication is crucial to understanding what needs to be done in emergency situations. However, for individuals with speech disorders or for non-native English speakers, there can be barriers between first responders and those seeking help.
University of Iowa Clinical Professor Krista Davidson in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders has worked to develop an app that solves these issues.
The app, RescueVoice, was released earlier in 2024 and is a speech-generating app engineered specifically for first responders and medical personnel to use with individuals who have limited speech or who are unable to speak because of a medical event, according to the app’s landing page. The app is not currently designed for translation, but Davidson hopes to add tools for multilingual speakers in the future.