"On a mission to inspire every child to read, learn, and find joy in books. To achieve this, we must stop making learning to read so difficult for so many."

IIInnovate UK is delivering a £6.2 million* boost to the UK’s future innovation leaders. 233 high-potential entrepreneurs from every nation and region of the UK receive funding and tailored business support.
Emma Hartnell-Baker from Dorset is among the award winners, dedicated to revolutionising the way non-speaking children communicate with pioneering speech sound thought-driven technology.

Emma Hartnell-Baker has scooped a national award from Innovate UK, the UK’s Innovation
Agency. The prestigious award will support their innovative business idea, Ortho-Graphix: I Can Speak Without You with MySpeekie which aims to empower non-speaking children by providing them with a voice, bypassing the conventional need for spoken words and addressing the critical literacy challenges faced by children with speech, language, and communication needs (SLCN).

Speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) are the most common type of primary need, accounting for 22% of children with SEND in England 
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachm
ent_data/file/814244/SEN_2019_Text.docx.pdf

I Can Speak Without You: Communicating My Way: a fully inclusive AAC Device for Non-Speaking Children. MySpeekie brings words to life- think it, play it, see it, hear it.

Building on the success of Innovate UK’s targeted programmes, like Women in Innovation and Young Innovators, this latest funding is designed to find and support the fresh innovation talent the UK needs.
Emma Hartnell-Baker is among the 233 high-potential innovators who have been awarded an Award from Innovate UK. Critically, they will also receive 12 months of tailored business support to help them grow, stimulating the UK’s economy.

The tech aims to create an accessible, engaging, and effective platform for early speech and language development. It leverages innovative technology to address and support phonemic awareness and language
skills in young children, particularly those at risk of or experiencing SLCN and Dyslexia.

Emma Hartnell-Baker may be one of the only in the world to teach toddlers to read ALONGSIDE supporting
their speech and language development. 1.9 million children currently have speech,
language and communication needs and there are not enough therapists to support them
https://speechandlanguage.org.uk/the-issue/our-campaigns/listening-to-unheard-
children/#:~:text=Teachers%20now%20estimate%201.9%20million,the%20highest%20numb
er%20ever%20recorded!

She is also a specialist SpLD teacher who delivers specialist SEN training eg through PATOSS Ltd.
 

“I’m delighted to have Innovate UK support, which will significantly enhance our ability to
broaden the impact of the MySpeekie 'I Can Speak Without You' Communication Tech. We are Speech Sound Mapping with Phonemies. This initiative is at the heart of our mission, leveraging technology to embrace and amplify the unique abilities of neurodivergent individuals. Our approach is designed not just to accommodate, but to celebrate the diversity of learning and communication styles, providing a platform that enables every child to unlock their full potential through effective communication. This support is a crucial step towards realising a world where the neurodiverse strengths of each child are the foundation of their learning and communication journey,” says Emma Hartnell-Baker.

In line with the UK’s growing appetite for innovation, this new award programme was amongst the most highly engaged funding competitions Innovate UK has ever delivered -with over 2,100 entrepreneurs applying for funding and business mentorship. There is an urgent need to transform the UK’s skills and talent pipeline, through inspiring and connecting people to new opportunities and pathways into innovation. Innovate UK estimates that, to achieve the UK’s full economic potential, 400,000 more innovators need to be supported, from entrepreneurs to engineers.

Coinciding with the Awards announcement, Innovate UK has joined forces with over 150 partner organisations to launch its free and accessible No Limits digital platform, which makes it easy for aspiring innovators to discover new career paths, sharpen their skills, and access opportunities to develop life-changing innovations and future-proof the UK economy.

About Innovate UK
Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, is the UK’s innovation agency. It works to create a better future by inspiring, involving, and investing in businesses developing life- changing innovations. Its mission is to help companies grow through their development and commercialisation of new products, processes, and services, supported by an outstanding innovation ecosystem that is agile, inclusive, and easy to navigate.