Dell Technologies and Intel have a strong partnership, propelled by the shared belief in the power of technology to drive humanity forward. Both companies have a long-standing relationship with the Motor Neurone Disease Association (MNDA) to create technology solutions for people living with motor neurone disease (MND). MND is a neurodegenerative condition that deteriorates nerve cells that control muscles and ultimately takes away a person’s ability to speak. Even though voice banking technology is available, only about 12% of people with MND in the UK have banked their voices. In 2020, Dell Technologies and Intel came to us with a brief to find a way to get more people living with MND to bank their voices.

Motor neurone disease (MND) is a terminal illness. Before it takes your life, it takes your voice. Voice banking can help those with MND create a digital copy of their voice so they can continue sounding like themselves as the disease progresses. But only 12% have used this technology. Most put it off because they find the process difficult and impersonal. That’s why we created "I Will Always Be Me," a new way that MND patients can bank their voices. We worked with bestselling author Jill Twiss to create a story that those with MND can read aloud to express what they’re going through. And the story contains all the syllables needed to accurately bank their voice in less than 30 minutes. We’re turning the cold, solitary process of voice banking into an experience that’s full of life — encouraging more people with MND to bank their voices.

"I Will Always Be Me" is the world’s first voice banking book. Written and illustrated as a classic storybook, every page was adapted into a web experience that helps people with MND bank their voices. iwillalwaysbeme.com is the platform hosting the story. The site is the first voice banking platform that follows AAA accessibility standards and allows users to bank their voices from any laptop or mobile device. On the site, people with MND can create an account and bank their voice in less than 30 minutes. Throughout every step of the execution, we made sure that people with MND felt comfortable and safe using the platform by testing all the aspects of the experience with people battling MND.

"I Will Always Be Me" was created with the goal of making voice banking more accessible to people living with MND, reducing the time between diagnosis and voice banking and increasing overall voice banking rate. Less than two months after launch, hundreds of digital voices had been created by reading the book, making "I Will Always Be Me" the most popular choice for voice banking in the UK today. More than 72% of those recently diagnosed with MND are now using the book to bank their voice. The campaign to launch the project generated over 1.2 million social media engagements and over 200 million PR media impressions, driving more people to bank their voice and raising awareness around MND.

iwillalwaysbeme.com follows all GDPR requirements for data privacy. Per UK healthcare requirements, funding for a digital voice can be provided by the MND Association and MND Scotland when the organizations validate that the user has been diagnosed with MND by confirming their information against the national healthcare database.

"I Will Always Be Me" was created for people with MND and their loved ones in partnership with the MND Association. Our primary audience is those with MND who can still use their voice even if speech impediments are noticeable.