Innovation

Pic-A-Talk is a groundbreaking Filipino-made mobile application that empowers non-verbal children to communicate their emotions and needs effectively. Pic-A-Talk was created as an Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) method, providing a valuable tool for individuals facing challenges in understanding spoken or written language. The inception of this innovation can be traced back to 2017, when Ms. Uma Roa, the founder and current CEO, embarked on a software engineering project to solve a real-world problem. Inspired by her sister's challenges with autism and speech apraxia, Ms. Uma and her team created an application that mirrored how her sister used images to bridge communication gaps with her family. This revolutionary concept laid the foundation for the app's continued development and mission.

With Pic-A-Talk, children can select a picture that best represents their needs or desires. The application has a parent mode that can customize words, edit categories, and upload personalized photos to cater to the needs of their children and a child mode that allows the kid to choose the words/logos that match their needs. Given that Pic-A-Talk is a mobile app, it is accessible to the kid wherever they are, allowing them to quickly inform their parents of their needs despite being apart from each other. Over time, Pic-A-Talk has undergone remarkable advancements, offering features such as text-to-speech technology in both English and Filipino, helping users learn the proper pronunciation of words.

Ms. Uma's vision extends beyond merely providing an alternative for children with special needs. For her, Pic-A-Talk represents a medium and an opportunity for these children to achieve independence. She passionately believes that the application should give them a voice and empower them to navigate life autonomously. When asked about the driving force behind the mission, Ms. Uma fondly recalls her sister's experiences and the challenges faced by those who struggle to communicate verbally. By placing herself in her sister's shoes, she understood the difficulties her sister faced in being misunderstood. Ms. Uma also contemplated the added challenges of being alone, without anyone to rely on but oneself. This empathy and insight influenced the app's design, making it interactive and conducive to daily use. It enabled children to learn and utilize new words effectively in their communication journey. Ultimately, the mission of Pic-A-Talk is to provide not just voices for the voiceless but also a pathway to independence, ensuring that every child can confidently communicate with anyone they encounter. As Ms. Uma poignantly stated, "Each child deserves to have a voice and be heard, and it is our mission to make that a reality."

These photos were taken during Pic-A-Talk's Christmas celebration with kids with autism and their family last December 2022. In this event, they distributed gifts to children, hosted some games, and invited therapists to talk about assistive speech technology and offer valuable tips for parents, allowing them to support their children at home better.

Inspiration

Pic-A-Talk is dedicated to aiding non-verbal children in effectively expressing their needs and emotions. At the heart of this initiative is Ms. Uma's sister, who symbolizes the community of the verbally disabled. Inspired by her sister's struggles, Pic-A-Talk aims to provide a mobile application that enables people with speech disorders to communicate more easily, particularly when expressing emotions, which can be challenging. This noble mission is fueled by the desire to empower those with medical disabilities, giving them more significant opportunities to navigate their day-to-day lives with admirable strength.

The origins of Pic-A-Talk can be traced back to Ms. Uma's school project in software engineering. Unable to find a personal subject for her project, she sought her mother's advice, who suggested creating something inspired by her sister, Lea. Thus, Pic-A-Talk was born. An endearing habit of Lea's sparked the idea for the mobile application – she would search for images on her phone, transfer them to her computer, and then show them to others to bridge the communication gap. From this experience, Ms. Uma created a user-friendly app featuring images that facilitate word identification. When users click on these images, the app provides a speech output, aiding in correct pronunciation and enabling learning over time.

Ms. Uma's dedication to this project goes beyond mere ambition; she believes it to be her true calling. Her life's journey, including exposure to her family's business background and her sister's autism, has profoundly shaped her path. Initially pursuing accountancy in college, she found her way to computer science after encountering challenges and setbacks. Serendipitously, these experiences led her to where she stands now – fully committed to Pic-A-Talk. She emphatically said, "Everyone has a purpose in life, and I am confident that this is mine."

Overall impact

Pic-A-Talk, a unique social enterprise in the Philippines, is doing something incredible by helping people with communication challenges connect and communicate better. It all started with the founder’s journey and a strong desire to impact society positively.

Pic-A-Talk’s journey is a tale of navigating uncharted waters, bringing an innovative Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) app to a nation where such technology was relatively new. The challenge was to break free from the stigma surrounding technology use, especially for the younger generation. People questioned the idea of using smartphones or applications for communication, fearing it might hinder verbal skills development. However, Pic-A-Talk stood firm, spreading awareness about the potential of assistive technology and alternative communication, emphasizing that it can empower users and support their growth over time. They organized webinars and events, bringing in professionals to discuss how this app can help improve nonverbal children’s social and communication skills over time.

And guess what? The app has been a game-changer for many of its users! The fruits of their labor began to blossom as they garnered positive user reviews. Parents are thrilled to see their children becoming more independent and confident in expressing themselves. The app has also opened up new educational opportunities for these individuals, making learning more accessible and inclusive. This reaffirmed their commitment to inclusivity and collaboration with professionals like speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, and special education teachers. By nurturing such solid partnerships and dedicating themselves to understanding the needs of their clients, Pic-A-Talk built a loyal customer base, ensuring steady growth and setting the stage for long-term success.

One touching story is about the founder’s sister, who improved her vocabulary through Pic-A-Talk. The app allowed her to correct some words she used incorrectly, and she started using those words correctly afterward. Indeed, it’s such a heartwarming experience to witness how this technology positively impacts someone’s life.

Pic-A-Talk also introduced a sponsorship initiative to support underprivileged families who couldn’t afford this innovation. This program provided children with smartphones and a one-year subscription to the application, generously sponsored by donors. Additionally, Pic-A-Talk now offers a one-year assessment program for its users. This assessment aims to demonstrate the application’s impact on the language development of its users through quantitative measures, such as the number of words learned within a month, and qualitative measures, such as improvements in communication skills compared to the initial stage of the program.

Pic-A-Talk has big dreams, both short-term and long-term. In the short term, they aim to provide tools for schools and therapists to help kids develop their language skills. In the long run, their ultimate goal is to create a more inclusive society where everyone, regardless of their challenges, can actively participate in daily activities and live fulfilling lives. Indeed, Pic-A-Talk’s vision for the future is inspiring with its alignment to three key Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Good Health and Well-being (SDG 3), Quality Education (SDG 4), and Reduced Inequalities (SDG 10).

On a personal level, running this business has been a growth journey for the founder. They had to overcome the fear of being a beginner and learn to embrace failure as part of the process. But they’ve become stronger and more resilient through all the ups and downs. What keeps them going is the profound fulfillment they get from seeing the positive impact of Pic-A-Talk. “Hearing speech therapists’ validation, meeting users benefitting from the app, and getting recognition from different organizations have been some of the most enriching experiences,” Ms. Uma shared.

Pic-A-Talk’s story is a testament to the power of technology and social entrepreneurship. It shows businesses can make a meaningful difference in people’s lives with determination and a clear mission. Their journey aligns perfectly with the values of Aim2Flourish, inspiring sustainable business innovations for a brighter and more inclusive future.

Business benefit

Pic-A-Talk is the first assistive speech technology built in the Philippines, designed especially for nonverbal children. Given that it is the first of its kind in the country, there were no existing benchmarks to guide its creation. Pic-A-Talk has just been conceptualized based on the condition of Uma’s sister and her family’s experience in caring for her. No health professionals were on Ms. Uma’s team, so they sought credibility by presenting their application to speech therapists. So far, several speech therapists have liked and approved their innovation, confirming its beneficial effects on children.

Pic-A-Talk partnered with speech therapy centers, tutorial houses, and foundations to widen the application’s reach, such as Aragon Skills Therapy Center, Fenixia Foundation, Medbay Therapy and Learning Center, and APL Tutorial House. By providing these centers with temporary free access to Pic-A-Talk, the application was introduced to both the children and parents to promote the use of the application further. The founders also issue a unique discount code to partners, allowing families who are clients of the partners to get a discount when subscribing to Pic-A-Talk.

As a result of their unique and impactful innovation, Pic-A-Talk has already garnered multiple awards and received support from the government and startup incubators. Recently, this innovation was recognized in the Arise Plus Young Entrepreneurs Boost Accelerator Program, securing the third position among youth-led startups from the Philippines. However, this journey was a challenging feat. As Ms. Uma described, “It is the fruit of our labor. Winning and receiving support from the government and organizations has been one of my most fulfilling experiences since we started Pic-A-Talk. I remember working so hard and having sleepless nights for this. It was one of our darkest moments because we felt it was going nowhere.”

It is through their failures that they’ve come to where they are right now. According to Ms. Uma, they ask for feedback and use it to improve their innovation whenever they fail. This dedication and constant improvement contributed significantly to Pic-A-Talk’s success and its substantial positive impact on children with speech disabilities today.

Aside from the application’s benefit to the children, Ms. Uma also observed an advantage in her team through their awareness programs and events. Through these initiatives, she provides her teams with opportunities to interact with children with disabilities, allowing them to understand better the conditions and challenges these kids face. It’s not just the families who become aware of the assistive technologies available; Uma’s teammates are also educated. They learn about the lives of the children they are helping and the daily challenges these children encounter. This exposure fosters empathy and a greater sense of purpose among Ms. Uma’s team members, making their efforts to support these families more impactful.

Social and environmental benefit

Pic-A-Talk, the first assistive speech technology in the Philippines, significantly impacts Filipino children with speech disabilities, such as Down syndrome, autism, or cerebral palsy. The unique speech-to-text feature of Pic-A-Talk not only helps these children communicate their needs but also aids in the development of their speech abilities. By constantly using the application and hearing the proper pronunciation of the words, they learn to adopt and pronounce these words over time. The business aims to empower these children with speech disabilities, enabling them to become more independent in the long run. Ms. Uma said, “What we’re doing is starting with communication. We’re providing and opening small doors of opportunities for them to sustain themselves and become independent and a functioning member of society.”

Aside from making a difference for the application users, the team behind Pic-A-Talk also actively contributes to the community by raising awareness about speech disabilities. In December 2022, they held a gift-giving event for kids with autism and their families. In this same event, they conducted talks where they invited speech therapists to tackle assistive speech technology and discuss how parents can better support their children’s development at home. They ran another event in April 2023, tackling the myths and misconceptions about autism and offering hope and inspiration to families as they share testimonies about their children’s progress. Furthermore, Pic-A-Talk organizes panel discussions featuring therapists and parents, shedding light on neurodivergence and their experiences raising neurodivergent children. These efforts create a sense of connection among families, providing support and understanding in their shared challenges and circumstances.

Interview

Uma Louise Roa, Founder & CEO