Austin Man Creates Free App to Help Parkinson's Patients

The 'Loud and Clear' app provides voice and mobility exercises for those with Parkinson's disease

Apr. 14, 2026 at 10:52pm

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A translucent, ghostly X-ray image of a human brain, with glowing neural pathways and structures representing the effects of Parkinson's disease. The clinical yet hopeful image conveys the internal workings of the brain and the potential for technology-enabled therapies.An X-ray-style visualization of the brain's neural networks reveals the complex impacts of Parkinson's disease, which a new app aims to help manage through specialized voice and mobility exercises.Austin Today

An Austin man named Steven Darroh has created a free smartphone app called 'Loud and Clear' that provides voice and mobility exercises for people with Parkinson's disease. The app features therapist-led classes and is designed to help fill the gap between infrequent in-person speech therapy visits covered by insurance. Darroh, a speech language pathologist, developed the app after seeing patients struggle to maintain their voice exercises at home.

Why it matters

Parkinson's disease can significantly impact a person's speech and mobility, making daily communication and movement challenging. The 'Loud and Clear' app aims to give Parkinson's patients an accessible tool to supplement their clinical treatment and maintain important speech and physical exercises between therapy sessions. This is especially important as many insurance plans only cover a limited number of speech therapy visits per year.

The details

The 'Loud and Clear' app provides voice and mobility exercise classes led by therapists with deep experience in Parkinson's treatment. Users can access the classes for free, with sponsorship from companies like Abbott Labs. Darroh says the app is not intended to replace traditional clinical care, but rather to serve as a supplement that allows Parkinson's patients to practice important exercises at home. He is also in talks to expand the app's offerings through new partnerships.

  • In November 2025, Texas voters approved a $3 billion funding proposition for brain disease research, including Parkinson's.
  • However, plans to launch the Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas are currently on hold due to a legal challenge to the election results.

The players

Steven Darroh

An Austin-based speech language pathologist who created the 'Loud and Clear' app to provide voice and mobility exercises for Parkinson's patients.

Abbott Labs

A sponsor of the 'Loud and Clear' app, providing funding to allow users to access the app for free.

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What they’re saying

“That's exactly what it is. Yeah, when people ask why, I don't have a very cool founder story. I just said, 'Hey, here is something that needed to happen, and I think I can do it, and we got there.'”

— Steven Darroh, Speech Language Pathologist and Creator of 'Loud and Clear' App

“We know speech therapy is super effective for people with Parkinson's. But we also know that the carryover of voice exercise at home for people with Parkinson's really is not there. We would have people come in, do great for their four weeks, leave and next time we'd see them. Oh, my dog ate my homework or my microphone from Radio Shack broke. So that's why I picked, well, hey, let's just put it all in somebody's pocket so that they can be practiced in their voice when it's easy for them.”

— Steven Darroh, Speech Language Pathologist and Creator of 'Loud and Clear' App

What’s next

Darroh is in talks to expand the 'Loud and Clear' app's offerings through new partnerships, which could add more features and resources for Parkinson's patients.

The takeaway

The 'Loud and Clear' app provides an innovative, accessible solution to help Parkinson's patients maintain important speech and mobility exercises between their limited in-person therapy sessions. By leveraging technology and partnerships, the app aims to empower Parkinson's patients to take a more active role in managing their condition and improving their quality of life.