Speech-driven computer interfaces and interaction methods offer a number of potential benefits for people with various disabilities and those in parts of the developing world. They enable hands-free interaction for those who have motor impairments or are in hands-busy situations. They do not require any specialized or expensive hardware other than commodity microphones, which are often built into laptop computers and mobile devices. They can offer an alternative interaction modality for those who are illiterate or visually impaired. While speech recognition and synthesis technology have been steadily improving, more research is needed to explore how to better exploit their utility for people with disabilities and those in developing worlds. This talk will provide a high level overview of current speech-based technologies and interaction methods and how they may apply to this target population.

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