[January 29, 2014]

New perspectives: Tobii ATI launches 'Ask the User' project at ATIA 2014, harnessing firsthand feedback from assistive device user Ryan Carter

Tobii Assistive Technology, a division of the Tobii group, the global market leader in eye tracking, will launch its new "Ask the User" project, which allows interested parties to submit questions to Tobii I-12 user Ryan Carter about his experiences, challenges and accomplishments with his Tobii assistive device. The project will launch during Ryan's educational session, "New Perspectives: Ryan Carter and His Tobii," at the Assistive Technology Industry Association 2014 Conference in Orlando, Fla., Jan. 28-Feb. 2.

"We are thrilled to launch this project with Ryan, who has accomplished so much with his device, from public speaking engagements to completing high school and now pursuing a degree in business administration," said Tara Rudnicki, president of Tobii ATI. "He's an inspiration to everyone at Tobii, and we hope that others are able to see the true potential everyone has with our world-class products."

Ryan will respond directly to all questions submitted through the Ask the User project site, using his Tobii I-12. His responses will be unedited and will reflect his honest, first-hand experiences.

"I'm really excited to help others with this project," said Ryan. "My Tobii has opened my communication up in a huge way, and I want others to know more about what they can do with theirs."

The Ask the User project is one of many new developments for Tobii to be announced at ATIA 2014:

• Release of world's first bilingual Spanish-English children's text-to-speech voices - Developed in partnership with AssistiveWare and Acapela group, these voices are intended to accommodate the more than 100,000 Hispanic children who are unable to communicate with natural speech. For the first time, these children will be able to communicate in a voice that is reflective of their heritage and will sound the same in both Spanish and English. Free to both new and existing customers, these voices are available for the Tobii I-Series starting today.
• Release of Sono Key 1.5 -Tobii's groundbreaking communication software user interface for literate individuals has been upgraded to provide even more flexible customization, simplified programming of environmental control functions and new functional modules to access Windows games and e-book readers. Sono Key unlocks all functions of the communication device for users of all input methods, including touch, scanning and eye gaze. This powerful tool has also been amended to serve communicators who use a keyguard to access their system. Sono Key 1.5 is now available for the Tobii I-Series and as a stand-alone product.