Aids for the handicapped based on "Synte 2" speech synthesizer

SYNTE 2 is a low-cost, high-quality, text-to-speech synthesizer designed for Finnish but applicable also to other languages if "phoneme writing" is used. After its first presentation in 1977 it has been adapted to many communication aids for the handicapped. The first application was a portable speaking machine with unlimited vocabulary for the speech impared. This paper describes the present applications of SYNTE 2, including the speaking machine, a talking data terminal for blind computer programmers, a system for automatic production of spoken information for the blind, etc.