Transsexualism is a complex condition involving the feeling of belonging to the opposite sex. MTF (male-to-female) transsexuals consider their voice to be the greatest obstacle to social integration. Acquiring a gender-appropriate voice is a crucial part of the client being able to pass in their new gender. Voice professionals, such as speech and language therapists, phoniatrists, and acting voice specialists play an important role in that process. After reviewing the recent terminology, the paper outlines a voice coaching method based on current research and practical experience in working with MTF transsexuals to achieve a feminine voice without vocal fold surgery.

Key words: transsexualism, transgender voice, voice disorders, voice quality 
 

 

According to the figures of European Disability Forum people with various disabilities represent 50 million persons in the European Union, 10% of the European population. This data is equivalent to the population of Belgium, the Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary and the Netherlands together. In most cases persons with various disabilities of working age find job twice or three times harder than their non-disabled co-workers. The most severe the disability is, the lowest the labor market activity is. The crucial reason of this fact is that persons with disabilities have significantly lower qualifications and non-tradable competencies as compared with the non-disabled population.

Keywords: people with disabilities, integration