Speech Accessibility Project Seeks Adults With Down Syndrome

Author: Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology
Published: 9 Nov 2023 - Updated: 4 Nov 2026
Publication Type: Announcement

Table of Contents:
Synopsis - Definition - Overview - FAQs - Insights, Updates - Related Content

Synopsis

This information announces that the Speech Accessibility Project at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign began recruiting US adults with Down syndrome in late 2023, after collecting more than 100,000 recordings from people with Parkinson's disease. Funded by Amazon, Apple, Google, Meta and Microsoft, the project records participants' speech securely and shares it with technology companies to improve voice recognition for people with different speech patterns, with plans to include people with ALS, cerebral palsy and stroke. Project leader Mark Hasegawa-Johnson frames the work as a human rights issue, since speech technology can open access to education, jobs and government services. It matters to adults with Down syndrome, nearly all of whom face some challenges with speech clarity, and to families and speech-language professionals who support them as they move into adult life.*

At a Glance

• 1 - Caregivers could receive up to $90 for helping.
• 2 - Participants could receive up to $180 in gift cards.
• 3 - About 50 percent of adults with Down syndrome studied had some employment, and most were underemployed.
• 4 - Graduate students in speech and hearing science help participants and caregivers sign up and take part.

Topic Definition

Automatic Speech Recognition

Automatic speech recognition (ASR) is technology that converts spoken words into text or commands, used in voice assistants, dictation software, captioning and phone systems. ASR systems learn from large collections of recorded speech, so they tend to work less accurately for people whose speech differs from the voices they were trained on, including many people with disabilities that affect speech.

Overview

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, a historic leader in accessibility, is securely recording participants and safeguarding their private information. Amazon, Apple, Google, Meta, and Microsoft are funding the project and are already using participants' recorded voices to make voice recognition technology more useful.

The Speech Accessibility Project is now also recruiting people in Canada with Parkinson's disease, cerebral palsy, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Down syndrome and people who have had a stroke.

The project has so far collected more than 100,000 recordings from participants with Parkinson's disease. In addition to Down syndrome, the project will also soon be recruiting adults with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, cerebral palsy, and those who have had a stroke.

Making speech recognition tools accessible to people with Down syndrome could change the way they interact with technology, and could have even more profound effects, as well, said Mark Hasegawa-Johnson, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at UIUC and the project's leader.

"The Speech Accessibility Project is fundamentally about human rights," Hasegawa-Johnson said. "Everyone has the right to seek education, to seek employment, and to seek access to government services."

But people with Down syndrome may struggle with those, he said.

"I think speech technology can help by making information about education, employment, and government services more easily accessible," he said. "We are at a unique point in human history. With a perfectly reasonable amount of collaboration between the Down syndrome community and the technology community, we can make automatic speech recognition available to people with Down syndrome."

Having improved access to speech recognition technology could dramatically improve quality of life for many, said Clarion Mendes, a speech-language pathologist, clinical assistant professor of speech and hearing science, and member of the project team.

"Down syndrome is the most commonly identified chromosomal difference in the U.S.," she said. "Nearly all individuals with Down syndrome experience challenges with communication - including speech clarity. By including individuals with Down syndrome in the Speech Accessibility Project, the potential to engage with the world through communication increases."

The Speech Accessibility Project team has partnered with Laura Mattie and Marie Channell, both associate professors in the Department of Speech and Hearing Science.

"The opportunity to promote inclusion and accessibility for people with Down syndrome is incredibly important," Mattie said. "We jumped right on board. We can see the future impact that it can have on their lives."

Channell studies independence and transitions to adulthood in people with Down syndrome.

"They go through all of life and school with educational supports, therapy, and services," she said. "As soon as they leave high school and hit early adulthood, these supports abruptly stop."

The so-called "service delivery cliff" means those individuals suddenly need to navigate services for adults, and many systems aren't built for people with Down syndrome or who have intellectual disabilities.

"Finding ways to support people who want to live independent lives and gain meaningful employment are limited," she said. "Some of our research has found that about 50 percent are employed at some level, and most are under-employed. The Speech Accessibility Project will provide them with access to more tools to help them communicate and navigate through adult spaces in the community, just like everyone else."

Graduate students working with Channell and Mattie will walk potential participants and their caregivers through the process of signing up and participating in the project.

Participants can receive up to $180 and caregivers can receive up to $90 in Amazon gift cards.

Update: These were the terms in 2023. Recruitment groups, locations and payments have changed since, so check the Speech Accessibility Project website for current details.

Those interested in participating can sign up online.

Famous People Who Had or Have Down Syndrome

Frequently Asked Questions

NOTE: Researched FAQs by Disabled World (DW)

Who can join the Speech Accessibility Project?

The project has recruited adults with certain conditions that affect speech, such as Parkinson's disease, ALS, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome and stroke. Eligibility and locations have changed, so check the project website.

How is participant privacy protected in the project?

Recordings are collected and stored securely by the university, and personal details are protected. Data is shared with technology companies under agreements that limit how it is used.

Why do voice assistants struggle with some speech?

Most speech recognition systems were trained mainly on typical speech, so they may not recognize differences in clarity, rhythm or pronunciation common in some disabilities.

What is dysarthria?

Dysarthria is a speech disorder caused by weakness or poor control of the muscles used for speaking, often linked to conditions such as stroke, cerebral palsy, Parkinson's disease or ALS.

Can speech therapy help adults with Down syndrome?

Yes, speech-language therapy can improve clarity, language and communication skills at any age, and therapists can also suggest communication devices or apps.

What are alternatives if voice recognition does not work for me?

Options include text input, switch access, eye-gaze systems, word prediction and augmentative and alternative communication devices.

What is the service cliff for young adults with disabilities?

The service cliff is the sudden loss of school-based support when young people with disabilities finish high school, leaving them to find adult services that may be harder to access.

Do tech companies use the recordings right away?

The project has said that funding companies were already using participant recordings to improve their speech recognition products.

Insights, Analysis, and Developments

Editorial Note: Voice assistants and dictation tools are now built into phones, cars and homes, but they often fail people whose speech differs from the voices they were trained on, which can shut out the very people who might gain the most from hands-free technology. Projects like this one tackle the problem at its source by giving companies large, consented collections of real speech from disabled people. For adults with Down syndrome, better speech recognition could make it easier to search for information, send messages, control devices and handle services independently after school support ends. Anyone interested in taking part should check the project website for current eligibility, since recruitment groups and payments change over time.*

Attribution/Source(s): This quality-reviewed publication was selected for publishing by the editors of Disabled World (DW) due to its relevance to the disability community. Originally issued as a press release by Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology and published on 9 Nov 2023. Last updated on 4 Nov 2026. This content may have been edited for style, clarity, or brevity.

* Editorial additions by Ian C. Langtree.