Development of a Plato-Based Curriculum for Tactile Speech Recognition

Abstract

This project has initiated the development of a PLATO-based curriculum, teaching profoundly deaf children to understand speech sounds which are presented as touch patterns on the abdomen. In a unique and innovative process, PLATO's auditory disk output is used to “speak” words and phrases, which in turn are converted to touch patterns via a new sensory aid, the teletactor. This aid presents sound information as flowing, dynamic patterns on the skin, which are learned like a new language. PLATO, presenting words and phrases via the teletactor, accepts and judges the student's responses in interactive practice and testing. The curriculum utilizes PLATO (a) as a computer-assisted language learning system; (b) as a multimedia interactive communication system; and (c) as a computer management system for psycholinguistic experimentation, evaluation, and statistical analysis.