Enabling Voices Network
Individuals with acquired communication disabilities, such as aphasia and dementia, often face barriers to engaging in social activities—a core aspect of human life. The Enabling Voices Network is a pioneering multidisciplinary research initiative dedicated to exploring how artificial intelligence (AI) can mitigate social isolation and loneliness in this population.
The network comprises scholars from Sweden, Denmark, and the United Kingdom representing different scientific fields; linguistics, cognitive science, psychology, and speech and language pathology.
Members
Christina Samuelsson
PI, Karolinska Institutet.Christina has experience from developing and researching the use of digital communication support for people with dementia and aphasia. She has also been involved in research on the views of people with dementia, their significant others and staff in elder care on using digital technology.
Gitte Rasmussen
University of Southern Denmark, Odense, DanmarkGitte has experience in researching interactions involving dementia as well as in researching how robot technologies for rehabilitation purposes are developed in collaboration with people with aphasia and cerebral palsy.
Elisabeth Muth Andersen
University of Southern Denmark, Odense, DanmarkElisabeth has done research on interaction between people with dementia and people with aphasia in everyday and institutional contexts. Her research involves digitally mediated interaction and the use of everyday artifacts such as newspapers and board game materials.
Antonia Lina Krumheuer
Aalborg University, Danmark.Antonia Lina specialises in analysis of social and embodied interaction and the use and design of (interactive) technologies in and for interaction, such as robots and AI. Her theoretical approach combines sociology with the field of technology studies, disability studies, organization studies, and participatory design.
Anna Ekström
Linköpings University.Anna conducts research on communication and interaction involving people with communicative impairments and has been involved in studies of interaction, and agency in late-stage dementia, how digital technology can facilitate participation for people with dementia, and how support can be organized to facilitate we-ness for couples living with dementia.
Lars-Christer Hydèn
Karolinska Institutet, Linköpings University.Lars-Christer is professor emeritus of Social Psychology. His research concerns how people living with dementia engage in social interaction using multimodal communicative resources as a way to sustain and negotiate everyday life and a sense of self.
Sophia Lindeberg
Linköpings University.Sophia has experience in research on the use of digital technology and communication supports in dementia and aphasia in everyday life and healthcare settings, from the perspectives of persons with dementia and aphasia, as well as significant others and care staff.
Ali Reza Majlesi
Ali has experience in interaction analysis and the use of technology in supporting communication. He has also been involved in projects on cultural integration by the use of AI and social robots as well as interaction with social robots in in education.
Elias Ingebrand
Karolinska InstitutetElias has carried out research on novel technology use among people living with dementia. Working as a speech-language pathologist, he also has clinical experiences of inpatient geriatric care.
Spencer Hazel
Newcastle University, United Kingdom.Spencer has an interest in exploring the ways through which people make use of the body and other resources from the surround to facilitate communication. He has focused on resources such as talk, gaze, body posture and material objects that people use in their interactions. He is currently also working on how to improve conversation AI.
Funding
Riksbankens Jubileumsfond