Christian Wilson, a 24-year-old from Bromsgrove, has found renewed confidence and a path to advocacy after receiving a custom-synthesized voice. Wilson lives with verbal dyspraxia, a condition that affects his ability to form words correctly, and previously relied on text-to-speech software to communicate.
In 2024, Wilson's lifelong aspiration to sound more like his father, and less like what he described as "a character from Star Wars" or a "cyborg from Doctor Who," was realized. He selected two voice donors whose accents blended Birmingham and Warwickshire inflections. His sister noted an immediate connection to the Birmingham-accented voice, telling him, "that is you."
Wilson's voice donors, Martin Brennan from Birmingham and Stephen Robotham from Warwickshire, expressed their emotions about participating. Brennan stated, "it was a no brainer and it was a joy to get involved," while Robotham emphasized the importance of having one's own voice as integral to identity.
Since May, Wilson has been employed at Worcestershire County Council as a SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) Peer Advocate. He credits his new voice with providing him "the confidence to voice [his] opinion."
Speaking to BBC Hereford & Worcester, Wilson shared his feelings of purpose: "There was a moment where I thought, this is really what I'm meant to do." He has always been passionate about education and advocating for others.
Wilson's future hopes involve continuing to use his voice as a tool for positive change. He aims to share his expertise and experiences to improve the lives of disabled children and young people in Worcestershire.
Reflecting on the process, Wilson described feeling emotional when listening to the voice submissions with his family. "As I was listening to them, I knew I was getting closer to my dream, something that I thought never would happen," he said. He looks forward to sharing his experiences with others using his new voice.