Mask wearing and physical distancing in a COVID-19 world can make communication challenging, particularly for people with hearing loss who have difficulty understanding speech.
The National Acoustic Laboratories (NAL) has tackled this problem by developing the NALscribe iPad app that clinics can use to make communication easier for people struggling to hear. The app has been made free for hearing healthcare clinics, organizations and individuals around the world to download and use.
NALscribe App
The NALscribe app created by NAL, the research division of Hearing Australia, quickly and continuously transcribes speech into large, easy-to-read text on an iPad screen in real time. It was developed through NAL’s design thinking process, with both clinic and patient needs explored and the technology tested in functioning hearing healthcare clinics.
Dr Brent Edwards, Director of NAL, says the NALscribe app follows NAL’s earlier innovative solutions that help hearing aid users better understand the speech of people wearing masks.
“NAL has a history of producing practical solutions that can be used by clinicians and people with hearing loss. Our research over the past two years has identified the unique problems facing people with hearing loss during the pandemic, and our innovation program continues to develop solutions to solve those problems. Our latest innovation, the NALscribe app, is designed to help improve communication for people with hearing loss, particularly when there are additional barriers such as when masks are worn. It’s free and available worldwide so that people across the globe who are living with hearing loss can benefit from this solution”
–Brent Edwards, PhD, Director of NAL
The app has been trialed in hearing clinics across Australia, at service counters and during appointments, and the feedback from clients has been positive.
Hearing Australia client, Michelle Farina, aged 59 years, used the app at her recent appointment and says she was excited to see this technology offered in the clinic and found it valuable for confirming the information communicated by the clinical staff.
“I found the live captioning on the tablet very beneficial, any words I missed hearing were captured on the tablet. This would also be useful during appointments where a professional person is unable to remove their mask (due to COVID-19) to enable a person with hearing disability to lip read. I went to hospital recently and the medical staff were not able to remove their masks and live captioning on a tablet was not available. As a result, they had to painstakingly write down all the questions they needed to ask me.”
“It’s a very useful tool in breaking through communication barriers for people with hearing disability,” says Michelle.
Applications Beyond the Hearing Clinic
While the app is designed for and was tested in hearing care clinics, it may prove to be a useful communication tool in other businesses that service a significant number of people with hearing loss, such as in medical centres and aged care facilities.
Hearing Australia Audiologist, Emma Church, has used the app with multiple clients and says it has made conversations during appointments much easier for clients, particularly those who are not yet wearing hearing aids.
“The NALscribe app has been beneficial for a lot of our clients, especially those with profound hearing loss. Masks make conversations even more challenging, but with the use of the app, we’ve been able to break down the communication barrier whilst still being safe. Through the app, they found reassurance by being able to confirm what they think they heard, and it reduced any miscommunication. The captioning improved the flow of conversations and, as a result, the overall appointment experience was better for clients.”
–Emma Church, Hearing Australia Audiologist
“For those who may not speak English as their first language, the app has been useful in helping them to better understand what we’re asking them,” added Emma.
Features of the new NALscribe app include:
- an inclusive design that supports customizable settings such as the text size, screen clearing privacy options and dark/light appearance
- 11 language options: English (Australia), English (US), English (UK), English (Canada), French, Spanish, Arabic, German, Italian, Japanese, Chinese (Mandarin), Korean, Portuguese, Russian
- offline speech recognition mode for increased data privacy and can be used anywhere
- adherence to accessibility guidelines to improve usability for the elderly and people with disabilities
- transcriptions can be saved, edited and easily shared via other platforms • translation of captions (*iOS 15 required)
The NALscribe app is available for iPhone and iPad and free to download now via the App Store.
About the National Acoustic Laboratories
The National Acoustic Laboratories (NAL) provides world-leading hearing research and evidence-based innovation to improve hearing health and transform the lives of people with hearing difficulties. We collaborate with organisations around the world to innovate on novel solutions to hearing health services and technology, conduct sophisticated validation trials on treatment benefit, and provide insight into the needs of people with hearing loss and clinicians who treat them. Our research findings are published in leading peer-reviewed journals and our solutions are used worldwide. NAL is the research division of Hearing Australia.
About Hearing Australia
Here for all Australians. Hearing Australia has been caring for Australians for over 70 years, helping thousands of children, adults, pensioners and veterans connect with their loved ones every week. Now, more than ever, good hearing is important to keep in touch with your loved ones and stay connected to the world around you. With more than 450 audiologists, we offer services through tele-services, online, in home and in centre, across over 170 locations Australia-wide. Our goal is to keep you connected to the people and life you love. No matter your age, no matter your hearing need – we’re here to help you celebrate sound.
Source: NAL
It would be good if there was also an Android version… leaves out a lot seeing Android has 73% of the phone market…
My wife is severely hearing handicapped and wears a Cochlear device in one ear and a high quality hearing aid in the other. At the Cochlear Care Centre one of the audiologists was using NALscribe on a ipad. It was great.
Like the previous commentator, I was disappointed to discover that there was no Android version available so I bought a reconditioned ipad and have installed NALscribe on it for my wife’s use.
It’s very helpful but so far, less valuable than I had hoped. It only picks up conversation from very close by and it fails to recognise individual accents/voices. It doesn’t seem to “learn” with time, so it doesn’t improve.
That said, it’s a great advance but maybe series 2 could address the two issues I’ve mentioned?