Ava’s new technology provides an end-to-end solution, including a new natural sounding voice for non-voicing deaf people to actively participate in two-way conversations, meetings, and gatherings.
San Francisco, CA — May 8, 2024 — Ava, the industry leader in inclusive communication access solutions, unveils a groundbreaking new technology for the Deaf and hard-of-hearing community to be heard: Ava Voice.
This revolutionary text-to-speech technology empowers non-voicing Deaf individuals to be heard better with AI-powered natural-sounding voices, unlocking seamless two-way conversations, meetings, and social connections.
Too often, Deaf and hard-of-hearing people are forced to use existing ineffective speech-to-text and text-to-speech technology within existing videoconferencing platforms.
Not all Deaf people sign, and sometimes interpreters are not available. Even when interpreters are available for video conferencing, ****the windows in which speakers and interpreters appear on screen are often too small for a viewer to be able to read lips or easily see the sign language.
Other captioning services offered are usually very limited, such as native speech-to-text captions on video platforms. These so-called solutions merely give a nod to accommodations but in the real world, they leave DHH people out of critical conversations. The captions included aren’t accurate enough (especially with technical language and company-specific jargon) and they don’t meet ADA standards. They appear in a small window without controls to change font sizes or contrast for legibility, or the ability to scroll through the conversation.
For text-to-speech technology, the situation is even worse. Most videoconferencing technologies don’t offer text-to-speech, which means non-voicing Deaf people can only watch meetings happen via often-inaccurate captions rather than interact with their colleagues. When text-to-speech is available, the voices are robotic, further alienating Deaf people from normal conversations.
Ava has created a unique inclusive communications solution that bridges the gap between Deaf and hearing worlds and for the first time enables 2-way conversations. Ava Scribe gives Deaf people the most accurate and affordable live captions. Now, when combined with Ava Voice, Deaf people are literally heard. Ava Voice transforms text into natural-sounding voices within a meeting or other conversation to make participation seamless.
In April 2023, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) under the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010 (CVAA) has emphasized the importance of accessibility features in communications services, including Interoperable Video Conferencing Services (IVCS).
These rules, which will be enforced by September 2024, require that real-time captioning for live video are accurate, synchronized, and displayed at a speed that is readable and comprehensible to the user. Users must be able to customize captions, including adjusting the font size, color, and background for better readability according to their preferences. That’s Ava Scribe: Fast, synchronized live captions that are 99% accurate with customization.
The FCC’s IVCS rules also require organizations to provide text-to-speech functionality for any text-based elements of the service. That’s Ava Voice: except Ava’s gone a step further and added natural sounding voices.
“This is the first time non-voicing Deaf people can speak directly in meetings with hearing people,” says Brianne Burger, Deaf herself and President of Deaf in Government, an 8,000 member ERG. “I can use Ava Voice with any meeting platform across the different government agencies I meet with. This is incredibly valuable, especially when there’s no interpreter available. And it will change the way Deaf people are perceived — opening up not only communication access but also opportunities for advancement. We need more Deaf voices to be heard in society and Ava helps make this happen.”
Ava Voice breaks the silence for non-voicing Deaf individuals. Previously their ideas and responses went unheard. Ava Voice ensures that their words are heard and valued. Gone are the days of being left out of conversations. Not only will Deaf people be heard with a natural, non-robotic voice, they can choose from a variety of gendered or gender-neutral voices so misgendered issues won’t arise.
Ava, born from the Deaf community's needs, delivers real-time captions for everyday life. Combining AI and and a human in the loop, it achieves 99% accuracy, bridging the communication gap for 455 million Deaf or hard-of-hearing individuals globally. It empowers them to understand and be understood, anytime, anywhere.
At the heart of the Ava Voice lies a powerful and deeply personal story from Ava’s founders. "Ava Voice marks a monumental leap forward in empowering Deaf individuals to fully participate in everyday interactions," says Thibault Duchemin, CEO and co-founder of Ava, and a CODA (child of Deaf adults) whose parents and sister are Deaf. "No longer limited to hoping someone will read their captions, Deaf individuals can now actively contribute their perspectives and engage in meaningful dialogue, fostering true inclusion and connection."
Skinner Cheng, Ava’s CTO and co-founder of Ava, knows firsthand the frustrations of communication barriers faced by the Deaf community. Born Deaf without early access to sign language, Skinner learned to speak later in life, but his deaf accent often renders his words misunderstood, leading to countless missed connections and opportunities.
Determined to improve communication between Deaf and hearing worlds, Skinner led the Ava Voice development team. This AI-powered technology amplifies the voices of non-voicing Deaf individuals, translating typed thoughts into natural-sounding speech, ensuring their ideas are heard and understood in real-time.
"For many, many years, I’ve felt frustrated because people couldn't understand me," shares Skinner. "I'd type my thoughts and responses in online meeting chats, hoping they'd be read, but often they wouldn't, leaving me feeling ignored and isolated. Ava Voice changes that. Now, I participate actively in meetings, have engaging conversations with anyone, and literally feel heard.”
With Ava Voice, non-voicing Deaf individuals can express themselves freely and confidently: Their thoughts and ideas are voiced clearly, eliminating reliance on others to notice their typed input and responses in a videoconference’s chat bar, which is often closed. They can actively participate in two-way conversations including video conferencing calls to engage in lively discussions, contribute to meetings, and connect with others on a deeper level.