Tobii Dynavox and Team Gleason partner to support individuals with ALS to increase access to communication aids

Tobii Dynavox, the world leader in assistive communication, has partnered with the Team Gleason Foundation, the leading provider of technology for the ALS community, to increase access to assistive communications technology for people living with ALS to live purposeful lives.   

Tobii Dynavox and Team Gleason’s partnership will focus on engaging the ALS community and clinicians to provide a higher level of service, product, and support to enhance care and help more people living with ALS. Tobii Dynavox understands the barriers to access communication aids for individuals who have no insurance or financial support and will continue donating devices to help bridge that gap. In addition, the organizations will work closely together to raise awareness about the needs of both the individual with ALS and the caregiver and engage industry partners and stakeholders at conferences or other relevant joint branding opportunities.

Team Gleason and Tobii Dynavox have been working together to serve the needs of the ALS community since 2012 and, through mutual values, have supported thousands of individuals with ALS. Their shared approach to start with the user needs has resulted in more individuals benefiting from access to communication aids thanks to the momentous Steve Gleason Act that both organizations sponsored. Team Gleason and Tobii Dynavox partnered to create an eye-controlled communication device on iPadOS, the TD Pilot. Deepening the partnership further enables the organizations to use their combined unique expertise and networks to help more users and prescribers more effectively.

“Tobii Dynavox’s partnership with Team Gleason empowers us to reach more people with ALS and facilitate the process of getting access to communication aids,” said Tara Rudnicki, President of North America at Tobii Dynavox. “The partnership is a testament to our shared values, strong history and unstoppable dedication to support individuals with ALS.”

“With a rapidly progressive disease such as ALS, where one's speech is impacted, timeliness in accessing Alternative Augmentative Communication tools is critical. This collaboration brings together the expertise and resources of both organizations built on a long-standing track record of delivering robust products and services to the ALS community.” said Blair Casey, Executive Director at Team Gleason.

Team Gleason was founded by the former National Football League (NFL) player Steve Gleason who was diagnosed with ALS in 2011. The foundation has provided over $20 million in adventure, technology, equipment, and care services to over 30,000 people living with ALS. 

Supporting people with ALS with assistive communication

It is vital to be able to communicate when the human body is deteriorating with ALS. Tobii Dynavox have recognized this need and recently introduced several new products and services within assistive communication that benefit individuals with ALS specifically: 

• The eye gaze-enabled communication aid TD I-Series was launched in May 2023, to empower users with a voice, communicate easily with the eyes, and to live a more independent life. 
• In May 2023, Tobii Dynavox subsidiary Acapela Group launched my-own-voice 4, a web-based application for voice banking, enabling people who are faced with voice loss to record a synthetic, personalized copy of the voice in just ten minutes. 
• In 2022, Tobii Dynavox integrated my-own-voice with the speech-generating app TD Talk, to enable users to easily make their synthetic voice heard by typing messages with the eyes. TD Talk is available for the windows-based TD I-Series and the iPadOS-based TD Pilot to provide a choice of operating system.

About Team Gleason

Team Gleason Foundation was founded by former New Orleans Saints player, Steve Gleason, after his diagnosis with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) in 2011. Team Gleason’s mission is to improve life for people living with ALS by delivering innovative technology and equipment, as well as providing and empowering an improved life experience. Team Gleason is the leading provider of technology for the ALS community. For more information on how to help people living with ALS have the resources and the opportunities to not only continue living, but continue living productive, purposeful, and meaningful lives, please visit www.TeamGleason.org

Contact

Kristen Cook, Chief Marketing Officer, Tobii Dynavox, Phone: +1 412-862-6916, e-mail: kristen.cook@tobiidynavox.com   

About Tobii Dynavox

Tobii Dynavox is the global leader in assistive communication. Our custom designed solutions enable people with disabilities such as cerebral palsy, ALS, autism and spinal cord injury to communicate with a voice of their own, develop literacy skills and live more independently. To date, hundreds of thousands of people worldwide have benefited from our integrated solutions, which include hardware, software, clinically developed language systems, special education tools, training, and dedicated support. Using AI-based speech synthesis, we offer users a personalized voice identity in over 30 languages, for children and adults. We offer an extensive funding support system to reach as many people as possible. Headquartered in Sweden, Tobii Dynavox employs over 600 people with offices in the US, the UK, Ireland, Norway, Denmark, Belgium, France and China, and reselling partners in 60+ countries. For more information, please visit our website: Tobii Dynavox Investor Relations