Overview
December 29, 2005 . . . IBM accessibility researcher Dr. Sara Basson has been named to the Board of Directors of the Alexander Graham Bell Institute of Cape Breton University in Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada. Dr. Basson, a speech scientist with the IBM Research Division, is an expert in designing speech-based solutions, incorporating computer systems that convert speech to text, and text to speech.
Dr. Basson has been collaborating with the Alexander Graham Bell Institute on a "First of a Kind" project for the Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site of Canada. Narrations given by tour guides are automatically converted to text on hand-held computers carried by museum visitors. The speech-to-text technology is particularly helpful to museum guests who are deaf or hard of hearing or whose first language is not English. In the near future, the text will be available in French as well as English.
Other Institute Board members include descendants of Alexander Graham Bell, representatives of Cape Breton University, the Canadian government, private industry and members of the local community. In making the announcement, Sarah Conrod, executive director of the Institute, said of Dr. Basson: "I am sure that your enthusiasm, energy and knowledge will make the board even stronger."