Louisiana State University’s Speech Language Hearing Clinic has a program that allows people with a medical condition like ALS to bank their voice. Speech Language Pathologist Sara Green Mele says individuals with a degenerative disease come to the clinic and record their voice in a sound proof booth using a third party recording software.
LSU has used this technology for two years. Mele says by using head or eye control, people who are unable to talk can communicate with their friends and family. She says one might think they could download the software on their computer and bank their voice from home but that’s not the case.
WAFB news anchor Donna Britt was recently diagnosed with ALS and has banked her voice. The process takes about six to eight hours. Mele says with ALS, even with the loss of voice, a patient’s cognition remains strong. She says all hope isn’t lost if someone has already lost their voice.