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Proud Yorkshireman with cerebral palsy is swapping his Stephen Hawking-like robotic voice for one with a local twang

A PROUD Yorkshireman with cerebral palsy is swapping his robotic voice for one with a local twang.

Richie Cottingham, 26, relies on a computer linked to a keyboard like the one used by the late Professor Stephen Hawking.

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Proud Yorkshireman Richie Cottingham who has had cerebral palsy since birth is swapping his robotic voice for one with a local twang[/caption]

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Richie relies on a computer linked to a keyboard like the one used by the late Professor Stephen Hawking[/caption]

But it has an American accent and Richie is desperate to sound more like where he’s from — Hull, East Yorkshire.

He is now working with a speech and language therapist to try to get the voice on his device changed.

Richie, who has had cerebral palsy since birth, said: “I want to sound like my family and friends.

“I’ve lived in East Yorkshire all my life, so I think a local accent would fit well. I would love to have my own voice.”

Therapist Jennifer Benson, 46, said: “Our ­voices are unique to us as individuals.

“It’s like your fingerprints. It’s key to your identity and your sense of self.”

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Richie says: ‘I’ve lived in East Yorkshire all my life, so I think a local accent would fit well. I would love to have my own voice’[/caption]

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Richie, pictured with therapist Jennifer Benson, said: ‘I want to sound like my family and friends’[/caption]

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Jennifer said: ‘We have the opportunity to literally give Richie a voice’[/caption]


Richie will choose two local men who will each record around 200 phrases.

They will then be merged together digitally to form a unique voice just for him.

Jennifer said: “We have the opportunity to literally give Richie a voice.”

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