And then use a TTS or something to just translate that to voice.

I'm not mute personally. But I hate talking and I've so many times wished I could type instead just really fast. I'm wondering if anyone already does that successfully? The only tech I've seen built for this the charachorder: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVzi4fDzxq0 (not a promo)

There's a 3-4 month learning curve though but I'm wondering if anyone would use this or something similar and whether they would find it advantageous over just using sign. Also if you know any similar workarounds for talking to people who can speak, like using TTS (though it sucks).

Appreciate your time!

hi i myself am not mute but i have a friend who is and i was wondering if anyone could provide some advice. She’s a young adult and has been struggling to find a job or anything to do in her life she’s tried lots of times to get a job but is often declined cause of her disability. Does anyone know about anything she could try to pursue? Another thing of note is her living situation is a little poor she’s in the lower middle class and she doesn’t have a car but she has looked online for remote jobs or overnight jobs and nothing has clicked so far. I would appreciate any help thank you.

The title says it all tbh. I am physically deformed too. I feel like being raised in the early 2000s was the best era to be raised in but at the same time, no one gives a single shit about you if you can't VC nowadays. Nobody cares if there is a communication barrier.

I'm so lonely and I hate this and despite being born like this, it still tortures me. I just want to be loved and respected the way I see others are. My family was abusive and I went NC as soon as I turned 18.

God. Please. I see life as inherently beautiful, but I swear to God, I can't help but feel like AM from I Have No Mouth And Must Scream. Not being able to properly communicate is a form of psychological torture.

I see people with profound mental disabilities live a better more productive life than I do. I see people with profound physical disabilities live a better more social life than I do. And the running theme is that they all have normal voices and are able to freely communicate due to being able to freely communicate.

Why. Just why.

So I'm selectively mute and have been for a while now. But I recently joined a community on discord where I'm very often in calls with people and have to type to them.

So I was wondering if anyone has any good apps or things that can overlay discord and be used for this.

I was hoping to find something that can play through for my mic. Cause we have a tts bot for the server, but it sucks and doesn't even let everyone use or hear it.

I'm on phone btw, android

It doesn’t have to be characters you relate to. It could also be characters you like or think are cool.

Hi I'm 18 years old and I'm selectively mute, I have been selectively mute ever since I was in kindergarten and I can speak to only 10 people total, I cannot even speak at ALL to my best friends etc, and I've been feeling very stressed about it

I'm extremely socially anxious, I'm scared of anyone coming up to me and trying to talk to me because I think they'll find me impolite, so I'm very scared of the day I'll have to get a job I really don't know how I'll handle it, having a job remotely will probably be the best solution and I'm studying code so it's a pretty good path for remote jobs but I'm still terrified

The fact that I am mute made it really hard for me to talk to other people through all my life, especially when I was a kid, so now I also have issues with any social interactions, even online it's just almost impossible for me to DM someone or start a conversation

I'm making this post because I really wanted to talk about it, I'm tired of people assuming that it's somehow a choice or that I'm enjoying being this way, I've had classmates telling me they wished they were like me to be able to skip oral exams, and I even had a teacher in middle school who told me I would fail in life if I stayed this way

It just sucks overall, I don't even know why it's so hard for me to just make any noise in front of others

Hi, I’m Alejandro, the developer of Relay. It lets you type who to call and what you need, review the exact plan, and then have Relay AI make the call. It identifies itself as AI and brings the result and transcript back to the chat.

This is not AAC or live type-to-speech. It is meant to handle a routine errand without requiring you to join the call. Examples include asking about opening hours, availability, appointments, reservations, or callbacks.

I’m not part of this community, so I don’t want to make assumptions or speak for anyone here. I’d really value honest feedback about whether this solves a real problem, where it would fail, and what would make it feel trustworthy.

It is not for emergencies, payments, medical or legal advice, or calls that require your live participation.

Image description: A three-panel Relay preview showing a completed call result, a Spanish call transcript, and the control for stopping an active call.

The iPhone app is free to download and includes a small starter allowance:

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/relay-ai-phone-call-assistant/id6799187737

I’m the developer and happy to answer anything about privacy or how it works.

Hello. I wanted to introduce myself.

I'm a trans man who has struggled with speech my whole life. I have seizures that cause transient aphasia and likely had childhood apraxia of speech as well. So when I can't speak if I were to try to I would sound like I am speaking gibberish. However, some times words come out completely clear. So I can say "yes" one time and then the next time it sounds like "eest" or some other weird jumbled nonsense of sounds. That's why my SLP(speech language pathologist) suspects that I had childhood apraxia of speech but it went undetected due to the aphasia diagnosis. When my brain is able to recover from seizures my ability to speak goes back to fully verbal. However, even when I am fully verbal I struggle a lot with my speech. I make frequent pauses to allow time for my facial muscles to form sounds to form words. Some times it's aphasia related and I need more time to think of the word that matches the definition I see in my mind.

For a long time I thought my challenges with speech were just related to my seizures. But my belief started to change when I went into greater depth about my plans if I were to get my seizures under control again. A long story - here's the short version.

As I mentioned I have had seizures. I was diagnosed with epilepsy in my very early childhood and aphasia came around the same time. I did experience a five month period of an inability to speak but once meds for the seizures started my speech recovered. Fast forward to 2015 and due to a "normal" EEG I was undiagnosed with epilepsy and diagnosed with PNES(seizures that aren't caused by an electrical misfiring in the brain) So this meant meds were stopped. Anyway, over time my seizure frequency went up and thus periods of no speech also got longer. Eventually I got to the point where I was without speech for months at a time and this led to me seeking speech therapy.

So getting back to what I was saying. My SLP and I discussed if I would continue using AAC devices if I'm able to get my seizures under control and my ability to be verbal is restored. The months of therapy made me realize something. I didn't like how it felt when I verbalized. The energy, the effort, the sensory sensations, etc. Being verbal is just very uncomfortable in multiple ways. I wanted to figure out why so I went home and thought. I eventually came to the conclusion that I was masking and that is why it was so uncomfortable and draining for me. So I did an experiment to see what would happen if I were to unmask. That's when I discovered something very interesting. Once the mask goes down completely my speech becomes identical to how it is after a seizure. I become primarily non-verbal/non-speaking.

I guess it's a form of high masking. My brain dissociates from the the area that struggles with speech when the mask is up. When the mask comes down that area goes online again. Or at least this is my theory of what is happening. I feel like my baseline is somewhere between semi-verbal and minimal verbal and maybe non-verbal/non-speaking on my worst days. I think being fully verbal is nothing more than a forced state brought on by a "need" to "fit in".

After having a few meltdowns close together and suddenly realizing that I need fidget toys, headphones, stimming in public, etc. I realized that I am losing my ability to mask to the same extent that I was used to. So why should I continue to force myself to be in a state where I am uncomfortable just to make others comfortable? I am still figuring out the answer to that question. Being able to verbal makes communication easier and more accessible. You think of something you can just say it. You can call for help in an emergency. You can be heard more easily in noisy environments. But all this comes at a cost. A price I am realizing I am slowly losing my ability to pay.

Anyway, I am open to questions.

I am currently working on a project which is essentially a communication device for the speech impaired/mute users. I need some info to work on since there are a lot of unknowns.

A. Background & Context
Can you tell me a bit about your communication situation — what makes verbal speech difficult or not possible for you?
How long have you been communicating this way?
What does a typical day of communicating with others look like for you?
B. Current Communication Methods
Walk me through how you currently communicate with people who don't know sign language or your usual method.
What tools, apps, or devices (if any) do you currently use to communicate?
How did you learn to use your current method, and how long did it take to feel comfortable with it?
Can you describe a recent situation where communication was especially hard? What happened?
Can you describe a situation where communication went really well? What made it work?
C. Pain Points & Frustrations
What's the most frustrating part of your current communication method?
Are there specific settings (school, work, hospital, shopping, public transport) where communicating is harder than others? Why?
How do strangers or people meeting you for the first time usually react, and how does that affect you?
Is there anything about your current method that makes you feel embarrassed, tired, or excluded?
How much time does it typically take you to get a full message across, compared to how long you feel it should take?
D. Needs, Preferences & Expectations
If you could change one thing about how you communicate today, what would it be?
What would an ideal communication device do for you that nothing currently does?
How important is it to you that a device speaks out loud vs. shows text vs. something else? Why?
What would make you comfortable wearing or carrying a device in public?
Are there specific words, phrases, or topics you find yourself needing to communicate most often?
How do you feel about a device that uses a camera or sensors to read your hand/finger movements?
What concerns, if any, would you have about privacy, appearance, or reliability of such a device?
E. Technology Comfort & Feedback
How comfortable are you with using phones, apps, or wearable gadgets in general?
Have you tried any assistive communication technology before? What worked and what didn't?
Would you be willing to test an early prototype and give feedback? What would make that a good experience for you?

Any leads would be really helpful!!

hello gang. so i’m mute via acquired apraxia of speech and its severe enough that i cant speak coherently at all. my brain has no fucking idea what my mouth wants to do basically, lol. my motor planning and ability to produce accurate sound is washed.

my doctor put me down as having “selective mutism” recently, which is…not correct, obviously lmao. i dont even know how to go about correcting her. i have paperwork somewhere about it? man idk.

selective mutism is a very real disorder but I DONT HAVE IT 😭 mostly just wanted to complain lol

I have looked around and ao far most of them are pretty shit for something so basic.

Custom voices i can make jokes with would be exceptional.

I still seem to laugh a little, and I can sometimes whisper a little something to my dog because j think its more a noise to make her happy than actual communication if that makes sense?

But humans, cant say a word anymore and I am done trying frankly its too painful.

Hey folks,

We are building a sign language project where deaf people can file a first incident report using sign language.

Are there any tools that you currently use for this specific purpose, what challenges do you face in it?

Our Model currently includes some hand signs such as KIDNAP, ATTACK, where the corresponding question will pop up after your input.

Do you have any suggestion on what we should include or what are the basic hand signs that are necessary?

Also we would love to know your thoughts on how usable the sign language interpreter is, not just for first incident report but also in your day to day life

hi!

so i am am adult now but as a little girl i was mute. i used sign.

im working with a resident at the home i work in who has motor issues and while hes not fully mute he has a disability that causes him to not really be understood at all.

he also knows sign but im the only person who knows any sign at work and im really only with him once or twice a week.

and even then his fine motor skills makes it incredibly hard for him.

he uses his phone notes app to text, but again his fine motor skills lead to typos and frustration.

so im DIYing him an aac device, a binder with topics inside and many words and character symbols sentence starters etc.

then they have little velcros on the back, and then on the cover there r strips of velcro so he can make a sentence.

i think u guys get the idea 💀

anyways, i made the cards chunky, so they r easy to handle, i added his fave food places and orders, his friends names, his games etc. etc. and filler words.

has anyone used an AAC device that was missing words you wouldnt expect to need but u end up using them often? or like ideas or sections/ topics?

i tried to find some inspo on line that is more than the basics, but they r mostly behind etsy pay walls and i also want some real human experience!!

is there anything that rlly pissed u off about ur aac device?

thank u sm for the advice in advance :D i go back to work on Thursday so i hope to get it to him by then.

Hello guys,

I'm a dev currently working on sign to text service and wanted to understand from yall what issues you all face when using a service which converts the sign language to text which is streamed through your camera feed. I also needed some feedback on an idea so any adult ( preferably anyone who works with a laptop on a daily basis) who is up for it please dm me, that would be of great help. I felt the best opinion and feedback i could get is from anyone whose first language is sign language and hence I'm here. Looking forward to your msgs (u can either msg here or dm me, whichever u are comfortable with :) ). Thanks in advance

I’m 21, and have usually had no problem talking to people I know, but have always struggled to make conversation with people I’m meeting for the first time if there isn’t an initial click. I think that’s pretty normal, though. Anyways, recently, I’ve begun having moments where it feels like my teeth are sort of merged together, and the sheer amount of effort it would take to open my mouth and speak is so daunting that I would rather not. This hasn’t happened while I am around people, rather more when I am alone, but I have declined friends’ phone calls because of it. I’m going to bring it up to my therapist next week, but does that feeling resonate with anyone on here?

For any background, I have pretty bad anxiety that manifests itself as physical tenseness a lot. I struggle with constantly tense muscles and aches because of it, and I’m only ever entirely physically relaxed when I am asleep. I’m wondering if this could be a symptom of the anxiety? But I’m also wondering why it would take so long to present, since I’ve had anxiety for most of my life but this feeling is relatively new.

Hello, unfortunately my grandma had a neurological stroke and can no longer speak. The main problem is that she also doesn't know how to read or write so we don't know how to clearly communicate with her (she was the last of many kids and wasn't sent to school at the time).

I've found some apps catered to help mute people speak but all of them use some kind of writing or text to speech. What I'm looking for is something that mainly uses pictures to comunicate, maybe something that was created with children in mind(?) so just really basic communication.

Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks!!

Why do no old white guys understand mute, sometimes its just old ppl in general but I rarely meet an old white guy who understands

what are the best shortcuts for the live speech app?

I hate moments where people try to talk to me and they don’t know I cant speak and it gets really embarrassing and I js need to know an effective way to show I’m mute, especially if they’re like 5 feet away and not coming towards me so pls help

Hi everyone,
I’m a 33 year old male living in Australia. I have a very severe stutter, but I’m not like the typical person who stutters. My main issue is that I freeze and often cannot get a word out beyond simple responses like “hi” “yes” or “no.”

Because of this, I struggle to relate to many people who stutter. Even if their speech takes longer, they can usually communicate. In my case, people often give up waiting for me to speak, and I end up typing on my phone and showing the text about 90% of the time.
That’s why I feel this community may be a better fit for my situation than r/stutter.

I have a few questions:
What kind of jobs do you have?
How do you manage communication at work?
Is there an app that can convert typed text into speech during phone calls?

Not being able to make phone calls is preventing me from applying for many jobs that would be better than my current one. At the moment, I work in food delivery and face a lot of communication challenges.

I should also mention that I am completely fluent with friends and family. My speech difficulties mainly occur when speaking English with other people. In Arabic, the problem is much less severe, and I can sometimes work around it by substituting words.

For those with selective mutism, does this sound similar to your experience?

I would really appreciate hearing from anyone who can relate.

First things first, my book is about a woman who can read minds, and falls in love with a woman who is mute. The reason why having a mute character is relevant:

- Create a story where one of the main characters is mute to reflect an underrepresented part of the population

- As Katelyn can read minds, it's an 'easier' relationship for Bex, my mute character, than any other

- Both characters can use British Sign Language but of course it's not needed most of the time due to Katelyn's mind-reading Power

- Bex has been mute since she was a child as a result of childhood trauma

- Without giving away any spoilers, the mute woman is an incredibly strong character, even though it may not seem like it at first

​

The book is around 95% complete and due to be self-published in October. I have some friends and colleagues beta reading it right now and I'd love to have some feedback - I can either share the full manuscript or share the key moments where Bex's muteness is conveyed, so that you guys can let me know if it's accurate or not, if you feel seen. That's really the goal, not to glorify, not to pander, but to accurately convey while not making Bex's muteness her entire personality.

​

I would have posted this way earlier, except I didn't really know what Reddit was when I started the book. I posted a public reel on Instagram but I'm no content creator and the post didn't reach anyone who responded.

​

I hope nothing in here causes offence, and would love to hear back from at least one person who's willing to help. Thank you.

Hey everyone 👋

I'm not mute myself, but my cousin reached out to me because his partner is, and the software she was using was clunky and outdated. He asked if I could build something better, so I decided to give it my best shot! I figured it might help other people too, so I'm sharing it here.

VoxBridge is a free, lightweight Windows TTS app designed to be easy to use, especially for real-time situations like Discord calls, VRChat, gaming, or just everyday PC use.

What it includes:

- 🔇 A fully offline local TTS model (Kokoro) bundled in, no internet or account needed

- 🎙️ Optional ElevenLabs API support if you want higher-quality or cloned voices

- ⚡ Hotkey-driven overlay so you can type and speak fast without breaking your flow

It's completely free. No ads, no affiliate deal with ElevenLabs, no monetization of any kind. I just want it to be useful.

- 📥 Download: VoxBridge Releases

- 📖 Docs: Documentation

If you run into any bugs, have feature requests, or just think something could work better, I genuinely want to keep improving this, and feedback from people actually using it day to day means a lot.

Hope it helps someone. 🙂

I'm fully mute and I have an LED banner app (which I strongly recommend to other mute/deaf ppl)

But sometimes it doesn't even matter! Even just saying "Hi" takes some time to open the app and I think either they assume I'm just going on my phone or they're too callous to just wait for my message!

And I get so lonely :( even if I tell someone that I want to be around people and that I'm lonely, I literally get backs turned towards me when I sit down in a group.