About
Bridging Voice is a nonprofit assistive technology service dedicated to ensuring no voice is lost to ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis). Founded in 2019, the organization helps people living with ALS (pALS) maintain meaningful communication with family, caregivers, and medical professionals at every stage of the disease. The platform connects pALS and their caregivers with the right augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) tools, including voice banking and AI-powered voice cloning, allowing individuals to preserve a digital version of their own voice before speech is lost. Partnering with tools like ElevenLabs, Bridging Voice has helped create over 2,084 unique voice clones for ALS clients. Key services include technology evaluation and access support, personalized remote training, customized assistive tech solutions for even the most complex cases, and professional education for speech-language pathologists (SLPs) and other healthcare providers. The organization has served over 6,500 ALS clients across all 50 US states and 49 countries. Bridging Voice is built for pALS and their families, SLPs, assistive technology professionals, and healthcare practitioners seeking to integrate communication tools into patient care. All services are provided free of charge, making this a uniquely accessible resource in the assistive technology landscape.
Key Features
- AI Voice Cloning: Helps pALS create a personalized digital voice clone before speech loss, using AI tools like ElevenLabs to preserve their unique vocal identity.
- Assistive Technology Evaluation & Access: Guides clients through finding and accessing the right AAC and communication devices tailored to their stage of ALS.
- Remote Training & Ongoing Support: Provides personalized remote training sessions and continued support for clients and families as communication needs evolve over time.
- Customized Communication Solutions: Builds and tailors technology solutions for individuals with complex or advanced ALS cases that standard tools cannot address.
- Professional Education for Clinicians: Trains SLPs and healthcare providers to integrate assistive communication technology into clinical care, improving patient outcomes.
Use Cases
- An ALS patient in early disease stages records their voice for banking and cloning before speech deterioration begins, ensuring they retain a personalized digital voice.
- A family caregiver accesses remote training to learn how to set up and use AAC devices to help their loved one communicate effectively at home.
- A speech-language pathologist completes professional development training to better integrate assistive technology into their ALS patient care workflow.
- An ALS patient with advanced disease receives a customized communication solution built specifically for their unique physical and cognitive needs.
- A healthcare organization partners with Bridging Voice to expand assistive communication support across a regional ALS clinic network.
Pros
- Completely Free of Charge: All services — including voice cloning, training, and tech support — are provided at no cost to clients and families, removing financial barriers.
- Comprehensive, End-to-End Support: Covers the full spectrum of communication needs from early voice banking to advanced AAC solutions, supporting clients at every disease stage.
- Global Reach: Has served clients in all 50 US states and 49 countries, making support accessible to an international ALS community.
- Personalized and Human-Centered: Offers individualized attention and customized solutions rather than a one-size-fits-all approach, preserving dignity and quality of life.
Cons
- ALS-Specific Focus: Services are tailored exclusively to people with ALS, so individuals with other speech-impairing conditions may not be eligible for support.
- Dependent on Third-Party Technology: Voice cloning and AAC tools rely on external platforms (e.g., ElevenLabs), meaning service quality may be affected by changes to those partners.
- Limited Self-Service Resources: The platform is primarily support-driven and may require direct engagement with the team rather than fully independent self-setup by users.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Bridging Voice designed for?
Bridging Voice primarily serves people living with ALS (pALS), their caregivers and family members, speech-language pathologists (SLPs), and other healthcare practitioners involved in ALS care.
Is Bridging Voice free to use?
Yes. All of Bridging Voice's services — including voice banking, voice cloning, remote training, and assistive technology support — are provided completely free of charge to clients and families.
What is voice banking and why is it important for ALS patients?
Voice banking is the process of recording and digitally preserving a person's voice before ALS progresses to the point of speech loss. These recordings are used to create a personalized synthetic voice that the individual can use to communicate via text-to-speech devices.
How does Bridging Voice create voice clones?
Bridging Voice partners with AI voice cloning platforms such as ElevenLabs to create high-quality, personalized voice clones from recordings made by pALS. To date, over 2,084 voice clones have been created for clients.
Can speech-language pathologists access training through Bridging Voice?
Yes. Bridging Voice offers professional education and AAC guidance specifically designed for SLPs and assistive technology professionals to help them integrate communication tools effectively into ALS patient care.
