Thinking ahead about communication challenges 

For some people, losing their ability to speak will be an effect of their neurological condition. Our voices are so important to us, they’re part of our identity, vital for our independence, and our main means of expressing ourselves. But communication challenges can be overcome with the development of voice banking and message banking.  

Voice banking is a way of using the latest technology to record and synthesise the voice, using recordings to recreate words and sentences. Message banking is a variation on this, where individual phrases are recorded and can be played back when needed. 

Our member and Trustee, Paul Crossland, is banking his voice, as his condition means his own will disappear eventually. This is his story.   

I am living with a rare form of Parkinson’s called corticobasal degeneration. One of the typical symptoms of CBD is to lose strength and clarity in the voice, until speech disappears completely. I noticed a year and a half ago that my voice was becoming weak and croaky but thought little of it at the time, until I realised it was permanent and progressively worsening. Having had discussions with my local health board’s speech and language team through my GP last year, they broached the subject of “voice banking” with me. The idea with voice banking is that you make a recording of your voice before you lose it, and from this recording, the clever tech wizards behind the scenes can recreate a version of your voice for you to use later through a number of snazzy electronic devices (think Stephen Hawking, just much more human-sounding) if you need to later.

A member of the team came into my home with a laptop and a microphone, and got me to recite the first 175 sentences of a book that I chose from a big, long list from inside the software. They were keen to get me to speak as naturally as possible into the microphone, with a view to making my electronically recreated “voice” sound as much like me as possible. I'm a big fan of science fiction, so chose “The War Of The Worlds” by H.G. Wells for my selection. The software showed me the text I needed to recite on screen, and I recorded each sentence separately before moving on to the next. The whole process took about an hour. If I wasn't happy with my pronunciation, or if I stumbled over a word, I could simply cancel the recording of that sentence and redo it. They even have the ability to put an accent of your choice onto your voice, if you wish though the software is unable to dynamically alter tone to communicate happiness, anger, sadness, irony or sarcasm, etc; so it has its limitations.

Two weeks later the member of the team returned to my home with the laptop, and presented me with five subtly different versions of my new “voice” for me to play with; the idea being that I was to choose the voice that sounded most like me, and that would be my voice “banked” for future use if necessary. The voice banking process is free of charge.

It's never a comfortable experience to hear your voice recorded and played back to you and this was no different. In the end, the rather gravelly voice I chose sounded a lot like my dad, a bit like my eldest son, and a lot like Lemmy from Motörhead! With hindsight I wish somebody had told me about voice banking a year ago before my voice got to the weak and croaky state it is now; that's the reason for this article.

Speak to your GP or your neurological specialist to see if your condition is likely to lead to your voice being affected, and see if you can bank your voice as early as possible - ideally before you start to lose it.  If you'd like to talk to me about my experience, I'd be happy to help – give your contact details to Izzie at the Centre and she’ll arrange for us to meet up for a chat.  

 

 

As you can see, Paul’s account of his experience with voice banking is fascinating.  We know that losing the power of speech isn’t a good prospect, but voice banking can ensure that you keep the ability to express yourself verbally after your ability to speak has gone.  

Here are some links to further information about voice and message banking.  

Voice Banking - Ataxia UK 

The Walton Centre - Voice Banking

The Brain Charity - What is Voice Banking

If you think Voice Banking could be of benefit to you, contact your GP or a member of your medical team to discuss your options.