FASTY – a multilingual approach to text prediction

Abstract. Communication and information exchange is a vital factor in human society. Communication disorders severely influence the quality of life. Whereas experienced typists will produce some 300 keystrokes per minute, persons with motor impairments achieve only much lower rates. Predictive typing systems for English speaking areas have proven useful and efficient, but for all other European languages there exist no predic-tive typing programs powerful enough to substantially improve the com-munication rate and the IT access for disabled persons. FASTY aims at offering a communication support system significantly increasing typing speed, adaptable to users with different language and strongly varying needs. In this way the large group of non-English-speaking disabled citi-zens will be supported in living a more independent and self determined life.