Kathe Perez

Last updated

Kathe S. Perez is an American speech-language pathologist who developed a voice feminization program. She is the co-creator of the Eva app.

Contents

Life

She initially pursued special education for teaching young children with learning and emotional difficulties, which led her to complete a Master of Arts degree from the University of Colorado Boulder in 1986 [1] in speech pathology and speech and voice therapy. [2] She studied under Lorraine Ramig and interned with Robert Sataloff. [3]

In 2000, Perez, a speech-language pathologist, ran a private clinic. After a transgender woman asked her for help making her voice more feminine, she developed a voice feminization training system, [4] [5] and founded the company Exceptional Voice. [6] In 2009 Perez extended her work to develop the EvaM app for trans men. [7] In 2013, Perez and Annika Kappenstein co-created the Exceptional Voice App (Eva app), with a second version released in 2015. [8] [9] [10] The Eva and EvaM apps combine videos and exercises with real-time feedback to guide the voice training activities, [11] and they have been reviewed by the scientific literature. [7]

Perez has helped trained the voices of auctioneers. [12] [13]

Selected works

Related Research Articles

LGBT slang, LGBT speak, or gay slang is a set of English slang lexicon used predominantly among LGBT people. It has been used in various languages since the early 20th century as a means by which members of the LGBT community identify themselves and speak in code with brevity and speed to others.

"Voice therapy" or "voice training" refers to any non-surgical technique used to improve or modify the human voice. Because voice is a social cue to a person's sex and gender, transgender people may frequently undertake voice training or therapy as a part of gender transitioning in order to make their voices sound more typical of their gender, and therefore increase their likelihood of being perceived as that gender. Having voice and speech characteristics be in agreement with one's gender identity is often important to transgender individuals, whether their goal be feminization, neutralisation or masculinization. Voice therapy can be seen as an act of gender- and identity-affirming care, in order to reduce gender dysphoria and gender incongruence, improve the self-reported wellbeing and health of transgender people, and alleviate concerns over an individual being recognized as transgender.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Speech–language pathology</span> Disability therapy profession

Speech–language pathology is a field of expertise practiced by a clinician known as a speech–language pathologist (SLP) or a speech and language therapist, both of whom may be referred to as a speech therapist. Speech–language pathology is considered a "related health profession" or "allied health profession", along with audiology, optometry, occupational therapy, rehabilitation psychology, physical therapy and others.

Feminization (activity) Submissive sexual practice

Feminization or feminisation, sometimes forced feminization, and also known as sissification, is a practice in dominance and submission or kink subcultures, involving reversal of gender roles and making a submissive male take on a feminine role, which includes cross-dressing. Subsets of the practice include "sissy training" and variations thereof, where the submissive male is "trained" to become feminine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transgender</span> Gender identity other than sex assigned at birth

Transgender people have a gender identity or gender expression that differs from the sex that they were assigned at birth. Some transgender people who desire medical assistance to transition from one sex to another identify as transsexual. Transgender, often shortened as trans, is also an umbrella term; in addition to including people whose gender identity is the opposite of their assigned sex, it may also include people who are non-binary or genderqueer. Other definitions of transgender also include people who belong to a third gender, or else conceptualize transgender people as a third gender. The term transgender may be defined very broadly to include cross-dressers. The term transgender does not have a universally accepted definition, including among researchers.

LGBT linguistics is the study of language as used by members of LGBT communities. Related or synonymous terms include lavender linguistics, advanced by William Leap in the 1990s, which "encompass[es] a wide range of everyday language practices" in LGBT communities, and queer linguistics, which refers to the linguistic analysis concerning the effect of heteronormativity on expressing sexual identity through language. The former term derives from the longtime association of the color lavender with LGBT communities. "Language", in this context, may refer to any aspect of spoken or written linguistic practices, including speech patterns and pronunciation, use of certain vocabulary, and, in a few cases, an elaborate alternative lexicon such as Polari.

Voice therapy Used to aid voice disorders or altering quality of voice

Voice therapy consists of techniques and procedures that target vocal parameters, such as vocal fold closure, pitch, volume, and quality. This therapy is provided by speech-language pathologists and is primarily used to aid in the management of voice disorders, or for altering the overall quality of voice, as in the case of transgender voice therapy. Vocal pedagogy is a related field to alter voice for the purpose of singing. Voice therapy may also serve to teach preventive measures such as vocal hygiene and other safe speaking or singing practices.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siri</span> Software based personal assistant from Apple Inc.

Siri is a virtual assistant that is part of Apple Inc.'s iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, macOS, tvOS, and audioOS operating systems. It uses voice queries, gesture based control, focus-tracking and a natural-language user interface to answer questions, make recommendations, and perform actions by delegating requests to a set of Internet services. With continued use, it adapts to users' individual language usages, searches and preferences, returning individualized results.

Jo Estill

Josephine Antoinette Estill, known as Jo Estill, was an American singer, singing voice specialist and voice researcher. Estill is best known for her research and the development of Estill Voice Training, a programme for developing vocal skills based on deconstructing the process of vocal production into control of specific structures in the vocal mechanism.

Lillian Glass American writer and activist

Lillian Glass is an American interpersonal communication and body language expert, media commentator, a litigation consultant, and author of self-help books. She is also a film director and producer.

The Lee Silverman Voice Treatment – LOUD is a treatment for speech disorders associated with Parkinson's disease (PD). It focuses on increasing vocal loudness and is delivered by a speech therapist in sixteen one-hour sessions spread over four weeks. A derivative of this treatment, known as LSVT BIG, is used in treating movement aspects of Parkinson's disease.

Transgender disenfranchisement is the prevention by bureaucratic, institutional and social barriers, of transgender individuals from voting or participating in other aspects of civic life. Transgender people may be disenfranchised if the sex indicated on their identification documents does not match their gender presentation, and they may be unable to update necessary identity documents because some governments require individuals to undergo sex reassignment surgery first, which many cannot afford, are not medical candidates for, or do not want.

Transgender hormone therapy, also called hormone replacement therapy (HRT) or gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT), is a form of hormone therapy in which sex hormones and other hormonal medications are administered to transgender or gender nonconforming individuals for the purpose of more closely aligning their secondary sexual characteristics with their gender identity. This form of hormone therapy is given as one of two types, based on whether the goal of treatment is masculinization or feminization:

This is a comparison of mobile operating systems. Only the latest versions are shown in the table below, even though older versions may still be marketed.

Google Cloud Platform (GCP), offered by Google, is a suite of cloud computing services that runs on the same infrastructure that Google uses internally for its end-user products, such as Google Search, Gmail, Google Drive, and YouTube. Alongside a set of management tools, it provides a series of modular cloud services including computing, data storage, data analytics and machine learning. Registration requires a credit card or bank account details.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Google Meet</span> Video-conferencing software developed by Google

Google Meet is a proprietary voice over IP (VoIP) and videotelephony service developed by Google, available for Android, iOS and web browsers. It is one of two apps that constitute the replacement for Google Hangouts and Google Duo, the other being Google Chat. It lets users make and receive one-to-one and group audio and video calls with other Meet users in high definition, using end-to-end encryption by default. Meet can be used either with a phone number or a Google account, allowing users to call someone from their contact list.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pre-installed iOS apps</span> Apps pre-installed on the Apple iOS operating system

Pre-installed iOS apps, referred to in the App Store as 'Built-In Apps', are a suite of mobile applications developed by Apple Inc. which are bundled with iOS and installed by default or through a system update. Many of the default apps found on iOS have counterparts on Apple's other operating systems macOS, iPadOS, watchOS, and tvOS, which are often modified versions of or similar to the iOS application. As each app is integrated into the operating system itself, they often feature greater support for system features than third-party alternatives and are quick to adapt new features of iOS.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Feminization laryngoplasty</span>

Feminization laryngoplasty is a surgical procedure that results in the increase of the pitch of a patient, making the voice sound higher and more feminine. It is a type of voice feminization surgery (VFS) and an alternative to vocal therapy. Feminization laryngoplasty is performed as a treatment for both transgender woman and non-binary people as part of their gender transition, and woman with androphonia. The surgery can be categorized into two main steps: Incision and vocal fold modification followed by thyrohyoid elevation. Risks and complications include granuloma, dysphonia and tracheostomy. Patients are recommended to follow perioperative management such as voice rest to hasten recovery.

Niloufar Salehi is an American-Iranian computer scientist who is an assistant professor in the School of Information at the University of California, Berkeley. She works on human–computer interaction in a broad array of sectors.

Lal Zimman is a linguist who works on sociocultural linguistics, sociophonetics, language, gender and identity, and transgender linguistics.

References

  1. ↑ "In Touch with SLHS/CDSS Alumni". University of Colorado Speech Language Practice. Retrieved 2022-09-04.
  2. ↑ In Touch with SLHS/CDSS Alumni. "In Touch with SLHS/CDSS Alumni". University of Colorado Speech Language Practice. Retrieved 2013-02-27.
  3. ↑ "Kathe Perez '86 | In Touch with SLHS/CDSS Alumni". www.speechlanguagepractice.org. Retrieved 2022-09-04.
  4. ↑ Chen, Angela (December 15, 2015). "How Transgender Women Are Training Their Voices to Sound More Feminine". Smithsonian Magazine . Retrieved 2022-09-04.
  5. ↑ Contrera, Jessica (2015-06-05). "Learning how to be a lady? For the transgender market, coaches help". Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved 2022-09-05.
  6. ↑ Santora, Tara (October 30, 2020). "Why transfeminine vocal training can be an important part of gender-affirming therapy — and how to do it effectively". Insider. Retrieved 2022-09-05.
  7. 1 2 Ahmed, Alex A; Kim, Levin; Hoffmann, Anna L (2022-04-11). "'This app can help you change your voice': Authenticity and authority in mobile applications for transgender voice training". Convergence . doi:10.1177/13548565221079459. ISSN   1354-8565.
  8. ↑ Heckel, Aimee (2015-07-17). "Louisville specialist helps transgender people with key part of transition — their voices". Boulder Daily Camera . Archived from the original on 2021-02-11. Retrieved 2022-09-04.
  9. ↑ Spencer, Ruth (2015-06-02). "Eva: transgender voice-training app helps women and men talk the talk". The Guardian . Retrieved 2022-09-04.
  10. ↑ Bebinger, Martha (August 19, 2014). "How Transgender People Are Changing Their Voices". www.wbur.org. Retrieved 2022-09-05.
  11. ↑ Walsh, Matthias (December 26, 2021). "Transgender voice training: How to make your voice higher". LGBTQ Nation. Retrieved 2022-09-05.
  12. ↑ "Benefit Auction Summit to focus on presentation skills, voice care and event planning". National Auctioneers Association . 2012-08-03. Retrieved 2022-09-04.
  13. ↑ Aaron, Kumasi (2018-04-09). "How an auctioneer keeps his voice going strong". Denver 7 Colorado News (KMGH). Retrieved 2022-09-04.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.