About Proloquo

Proloquo is a multilingual speech and communication solution for Mac OS X that provides: (1) a full-fledged communication system (AAC) for people who cannot speak; (2) provides speech feedback in any application while typing for children and people with learning disabilities; (3) can serve as a talking word processor; (4) provides an advanced, multilingual speech engine for our KeyStrokes^® on-screen keyboard and our SwitchXS^® switch access solution.

Proloquo includes natural-sounding Infovox iVox voices for a language of choice. The languages currently available are American English, British English, American Spanish, Czech, Canadian French, French, German, Italian, Dutch, Flemish, Icelandic, Spanish, Polish, Portuguese, Brazilian Portuguese, Danish, Norwegian, Finnish, Swedish and Turkish. Infovox iVox provides voices that work not only in Proloquo but system-wide. Finally, Proloquo of course works with all the built-in voices of Mac OS X.

Proloquo is different from Apple’s excellent VoiceOver technology for Mac OS X Tiger in several ways. VoiceOver is a screen reader primarily intended for people who are blind. Proloquo, instead, is a communication solution that also includes certain features geared towards people with limited vision (such as the ability to speak what is below the cursor and to echo what the user types). Additionally, Proloquo works with high quality voices in multiple languages.

Proloquo can be used to create a complete personalized Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) system using simple drag and drop (or copy and paste) of phrases into lists organized by topic. Proloquo also includes LayoutKitchen^®. With LayoutKitchen users can design their own speech panels for Proloquo with colorable and resizable buttons containing text and/or images in a variety of formats.

Upgrading: Version 2.0 is a free upgrade for existing Proloquo users. They can also contact us for an Infovox iVox activation code for their current language.

Proloquo key-features

1. Full-fledged communication system (AAC) for people who cannot speak
   
   
• Type text into Proloquo and let it speak (parts of) that text.
  
  
• Use drag and drop (or copy and paste) to create sets of custom words and phrases that are spoken with a simple mouse click or keystroke.
  
  
• Create textual speech panels for commonly used words and phrases.
  
  
• Use custom speech panels created with the included LayoutKitchen which have colorable and resizable buttons containing text and/or images in a variety of formats. [New in version 2.0]
  
  
• Optional: Use with custom image-based speech panels created with LayoutKitchen using over 8000 resizable, industry-standard Picture Communication Symbols™ from Mayer-Johnson (purchase separatly).
  
  
2. Speech feedback in any application while typing for children and people with learning disabilities
   
   
• Speaks text and other keystrokes typed in any application.
  
  
• Allows for customization of the pronounciation of individual letters, symbols and keys to give full control to speech language pathologists.
  
  
3. Serves as a talking word processor
   
   
• Includes a basic text editor that can speak as the user types, but can also speak individual words, sentences and paragraphs.
  
  
• On Mac OS X 10.4 and later, automatically synchronizes typed text and speech functions in applications such as TextEdit and Nisus Writer Express (that support Apple's Acessibility API) as the user moves from window to window effectively turning these two applications into talking word processors.
  
  
• Allows the user to enter pronunciation exceptions.
  
  
• Can briefly pause between sentences for easier understanding of spoken text.
  
  
4. Provides an advanced, multilingual speech engine for KeyStrokes and SwitchXS
   
   
• Adds the capability to speak with high quality voices in various languages to the built-in speech features of KeyStrokes and SwitchXS.
  
  
• Provides control over speech rate, pitch and exceptions.
  
  
• Allows the selection of different voices for communication, for the talking interface and for speech cues.
  
  
5. Other features
   
   
• Speaks screen objects such as buttons, menus, text below the cursor in most applications.
  
  
• Provides very large icons and resizable toolbars.
  
  
• Speaks selected text in any application using a button or keyboard shortcut.
  
  
• Speaks text pointed at by the cursor (optionally requiring a modifier key to be held down) in many applications. [Enhanced in version 2.0]
  
  
• Converts text to audio files and to iPod-ready iTunes tracks. [Enhanced in version 2.0]
  
  
• Comes with high quality Infovox iVox voices in a language of choice. [Enhanced in version 2.0].
  
  
• Universal Binary optimized for PowerPC and Intel processors. [New in version 2.0]
  
  

Requirements for Proloquo

Proloquo requires Mac OS X 10.4 or higher, but Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) is recommended.

Requires a minimal screen resolutions of 800 x 600 pixels.

Reviews of Proloquo

On version 1.0

Robert Pritchett in the September 2005 issue of macCompanion: "Proloquo enables those with the inability to speak, to speak through Mac OS X." (read the full review online)