“Say to those with fearful hearts, ‘Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.… Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy.’” (Isaiah 35:4, 6)
An Israeli father has developed a symbol-based communication iPad app for children that will empower the speaking- or writing-impaired to communicate with their families.
Using the Ola Mundo app, a message such as “Dad, come home” can easily be sent using symbols. (YouTube capture)
Although similar apps do exist that allow children to communicate when they are next to a person they wish to talk to, until now there has not been one that allows them to call a family member remotely.
Through the “Ola Mundo (Hello World)” interface, non-verbal children construct sentences using a variety of icons that symbolize things like food or feelings.
“I had no intention of developing an app,” said Ophir Harel, a project manager at an Israeli high-tech firm and a father of a 10-year-old who has autism.
But when Harel’s son Adam stopped progressing in his speech and occupational therapy, Harel began searching for an alternative.
Finding nothing suitable, Harel began to develop his own solution.
“My dream as a mother of a child with special needs is to know what goes through his mind. The application allows us to interact with him,” Adam’s mother Lila said. (Mako)
The app, which could also help adults who have suffered a stroke or lost the ability to speak, is poised to change lives all over the world.
Apple’s App Stores have begun to sell Ola Mundo. In Israel, Ola Mundo can be used with the iPad Mini or iPads that are second generation or newer. (Algemeiner)
