Our Story: Brady's Voice
BRAVO = Brady's + Voice. A family's 20-year journey to set their son's voice free.
Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) refers to all the ways someone communicates besides talking. For the past 20 years, our son Brady has used AAC to communicate. He has always used a single switch to access a communication device to express himself. While he is incredibly proficient with his communication device, the limitations of pre-programmed vocabulary sometimes hindered Brady's ability to fully express himself and connect socially.
Anne and Blake created Bravo out of love for Brady, with a single goal: to give him more to say and more ways to say it. We had watched Brady and AAC grow together for two decades, and we knew there had to be a better way — one that let him start the conversation, share what he was actually thinking, and truly engage with the people around him.
With AI, we created an AAC application that truly captures Brady's voice. Our goal is to create an AAC application without limits. Users are no longer limited by what is manually programmed - AI dynamically creates options that may not have even been considered, while still representing the user's authentic voice.
Brady is also no longer limited by expensive and bulky devices. Bravo can be installed on easily portable and affordable devices and even moved from one device to another.
"With Bravo, we now hear Brady's TRUE voice. He can express his TRUE self in ways and places we could have only imagined before."
Moments That Made It Worth It
Real moments from Brady's life since Bravo — the kind of everyday connection that used to be out of reach.
A Curious Question, Answered Directly
A little boy noticed Brady was using oxygen and wanted to know why. With Bravo, he could ask Brady himself — and Brady answered him directly: “My lungs just need a little help.”
Catching Up With Cousins
At a large family gathering, Brady asked his cousins about the specific things they had each been up to lately, in the moment, without waiting for someone to guess what he wanted to say.
Commenting on the World
Brady takes Bravo along on trips. On a cruise and at Walt Disney World, he shared what he thought of the scenery and the activities as they happened.
A Regular in Speech Groups
Brady now takes part in multiple speech groups with other AAC users, where he stays engaged and can talk about recent events with ease.
