Assistive Technology
Augmentative and Alternative
Communication (AAC)
Anna Reeves and Steve Carroll
Anna
Reeves
13th March
2013
Steve Carroll
ACE Centre
Hollinwood Business Centre, Albert St, Hollinwood, Oldham OL8 3QL
tel: 0161 358 0151
fax: 0161 358 0152
The Stables, Jericho Farm Barns, Yarnton Road, Cassington,
Oxfordshire. OX29 4SZ
e-mail: enquiries@acecentre.org.uk website: www.acecentre.org.uk
Today
What is AAC
Low Tech/Light Tech
High Tech
Access and positioning
Tablets
Jake
Low Tech Resources
• Communication charts/boards/books
• PECS (Picture Exchange
Communication System)
• Objects of Reference
• E-Tran Frame (eye transfer frame)
• Talking Mats
Examples of light tech
• Single message e.g. BigMack
• Sequence of messages
e.g. Step-by-Step
• Multiple messages:
ranging from 2 to 128
often with levels
e.g Partner 2, Supertalker, TechSpeak
Darren
Examples of high tech…
• Dynamic screen, category based
Dynavox VMax/ V
Tellus 4
Tobii C12
iPad
• Dynamic screens (or dynamic combined with static) with icon
sequencing
Liberator 14
Springboard Lite
Vantage Lite
iPod Touch / iPhone
www.speechbubble.org.uk
Adaptations/Alternatives to the mouse
Rollerballs
Joysticks
Touch screens & monitors
Touch pads
Head mouse
Switches
Eye gaze
Light operated mouse and keyboard
Integramouse
Adaptations to the standard keyboard
• Accessibility options
• Stickers
• Key guards
• Gloves
• Layouts
• Stands/rests
Alternatives to the keyboard
Bigger keyboard
Smaller keyboard (compact/ultracompact)
High visibility/coloured keyboard
Overlay keyboards - intellikeys
One handed
Positioning and Fixing Switches
• Mounting arms:
universal - lever / VFA
slim armstrong
gooseneck
daessy
flexzi
• Boards and wedges: maxess
sensitrac
• Other:
velcro & velgrip
ultrastick
dual lock
Aroob
iPad apps for communication
• Grid- based apps
– Proloquo2Go
– TalkTablet
– Tap Speak Choice
– Sono Flex
– My ChoicePad
– Touch Chat HD
– Go Talk Now
– Speak for Yourself
– Grid Player
– Yes: No
• Talking Photos
– Pictello
– Click n Talk
– Scene and Heard
• Text
– Predictable
– Verbally
– iMean
– EasySpeak
• Picture exchange
– Grace
– Picture Can Talk
– iPrompts
Proloquo2go
Assistiveware
Available from iTunes £129.99
• Symbol grid system
• Text to speech
• Symbolstix symbols
• Automatic conjugations of verbs
• Edit on the device with backup on linked
computer
• Suitable for iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch
• New version due out in June 2012
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Different users
Different layouts on pages
Clear action on button
Stop scrolling mode
Vocabulary packages to choose from
TalkTablet
Gus Communications Inc
Available from iTunes £59.99
• Symbolstix
• Each page can have a different
layouts
• Over 20 different “users”
• Restrict the editing feature
• “Actions” feature on buttons:
enables more navigation
possibilities with “go to home”,
“go back” “go to page...” and
“clear” options (clear all, clear last
message)
Tap Speak Choice
LLC
Available from iTunes £99.99
• Mayer Johnson PCS Symbols
• Create independent communication boards
from “libraries” of vocabulary
• 1-56 messages on a board
• Scanning options, 1,2, step, sequential, row
column and column row
• RJ Cooper Wireless Bluetooth Switch
Interface
• 20 languages and 43 voices available for
download
• Ability to lock out most editing
functions/settings
Sono Flex
Tobii
Available from iTunes £69.99
• Combines core and topic-based
vocabulary
• 50+ pre-made context vocabularies
• 11,000+ SymbolStix® symbols
• Uses the camera and photo albums of the
iPhone or iPad to create your own
symbols
• 5 Acapela voices
• Suitable for iPhone, iPod, iPad
My Choice Pad
Insane Logic Ltd
Available from iTunes £74.99
• Makaton® symbols, signs and videos
• Easy to use interface
• Uses 450 concepts from the Core Vocabulary
Makaton language programme and option to
purchase additional vocabulary as in-app
purchases
• Videos for each of the signs in the Core
Vocabulary provided to help remind you as the
communication partner
• Suitable for iPad
TouchChat HD
Silver Kite
Available from iTunes £99.99
• 4 Page sets - VocabPC, MultiChat-15, Primary and
Spelling
• WordPower and Essence can also be purchased
• Tilt the device to make the message expand to fill
the screen in large letters
• Synthesised or digitised voice
• 5 US English, 2 British English synthesized voices
• Suitable for iPad
• Different TouchChat app available for iPhone and
iPod
Go Talk Now
Attainment Company
Available from iTunes £54.99
• 1-25 locations per page
• Customizable backgrounds, borders,
and text
• Record your own speech, or use text to
speech voices
• Auditory cues give a brief verbal
reinforcement before the selection of
the desired button
• Place up to four of your most important
messages into the core vocabulary
• Switch accessible
• Suitable for iPad
Speak for Yourself
Speak for Yourself LLC
Available from iTunes £199.99
• Consistent with motor learning
principles to develop automaticity
• Uses core vocabulary to develop
language
• Contains Pixon® symbols and
almost 11,000 Smarty Symbols®
• Access to over 13,000 words, with
no more than two touches to say a
word
• Suitable for iPad
Grid Player
Sensory Software
Available from iTunes £0
• Enables users of The Grid 2 to
access their grids on mobile devices.
• Grid Player will come with three
complete grid sets – Symbol Talker
A, Symbol Talker B and Text Talker
• Suitable for iPhone iPod Touch and
Papoo TouchiPad
Yes-No
Smarty Ears
Available from iTunes £1.49
• Simple yes/no communication app
• Male and female voices
• Suitable for iPod, iPhone, iPad
Pictello
AssistiveWare
Available from iTunes £13.49
• Create talking photo albums and talking books
• Each page in a Pictello Story can contain a picture,
up to five lines of text, and a recorded sound or
text-to-speech
• Suitable for iPad, iPod Touch and iPhone
Click n Talk
Intermediate District 287
Available from iTunes £1.99
• Talking photo album – attach text and voice
to pictures
• Suitable for iPod Touch, iPhone and iPad
Scene and Heard
Therapy Box
Available from iTunes £34.99
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Widgit symbols added below a visual scene
Access to 10,000 Widgit symbols
Hot spots link to videos, messages or symbols
Update will be switch accessible
Suitable for iPad, iPod Touch and iPhone
Predictable
Therapy Box
Available from iTunes £109.99
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Text to speech communication app
Same word and next word prediction
Direct access and switch access
Auto scanning and user/step scanning
Auditory feedback
Synthesised speech with 9 voices
Customisable phrase bank
Send SMS, email Facebook status update
Suitable for iPad, iPod Touch and iPhone
Verbally
Intuary
Available from iTunes £0
• Core Words Grid - contains 50 essential
words
• Core Phrases Grid - offers common phrases
• Text Prediction - learns the words you use
• Choice of 3 keyboard layouts or use a
Bluetooth keyboard -just press Enter to
Speak!
• Choice of male or female voice
• Suitable for iPad
iMean
Michael Bergmann
Available from iTunes £2.99
• Saves what's been spelled
• Large YES and NO buttons in the main
view
• 4 view options
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Large alphabetical keyboard
full-screen qwerty keyboard
numeric view for entering numbers
editing view, which can be used to transfer the
text to other applications such as word
processing and mail
• Suitable for iPad
EasySpeak
Farrell IT Ltd
Available from iTunes £1.49
• Predictive, interactive text-to-speech
• Dictionary of 4000+ words and phrases that
you can edit to suit your needs
• User-editable dictionary and phrase list
• Onscreen text prediction
• Up to 4 favourite phrases
• Acapela voices
• Suitable for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad
Grace
Available from iTunes £17.49
• Non speaking, simple picture
exchange system
• Select pictures to form a semantic
sentence
• Comes with a basic vocabulary of
pictures, but it can be customized
using the device camera, stored
photographs or using saved images
• Suitable for iPhone, iPod and iPad
Picture Can Talk
Benster Tan
Available from iTunes £24.49
• 1000+ picture symbols
• Communication Boards
‒ Drag-n-drop or tap pictures into
communication strip
‒ Play back voice by tapping picture(s)
• Multiple page sets/templates/boards
• Suitable for iPod Touch,
iPhone or iPad
i Prompts
Handhold adaptive
Available from iTunes £34.99
• Picture schedules
• Visual countdown timer
• Choice prompts
• Image library
• Suitable for iPhone, iPod and iPad
Protection
iAdapter/2
Waterproof Satchel
Otterbox iPad Defender Case
Big Grips Frame
Bubcap
Laugh and Learn
Touch Enabling
iPad stylus
eTip Glove
Keyguard
Mounting
X Band
Mounts and More Ltd
Desk Mount
Otterbox iPad Defender Case
Amplification
Ligitech Tablet Speaker for iPad
iAdapter/2
Jabra
Bluetooth
Speaker
X-mini II Portable speaker
iMainGo
Assistive Touch in iOS 5
• Commands such as Rotate Screen, Lock Screen, Volume Up and
Down, Shake and Mute/Unmute can all be executed by tapping
• Gestures involving multiple fingers can be accessed using one point
of contact
• Settings / General / Accessibility / Assistive Touch / ON
Switch Access
it-iClick iPad Switch Interface
Therapy Box Switch Box
Blue2 Bluetooth Switch
Switch Accessible Communication Apps
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Predictable
Scene and Heard
Tap Speak Choice
Go Talk Now
NB not all apps work with all switch
interfaces
iPortal Accessibiltiy – Dynamic Controls
• Control your iPhone, iPod
Touch or iPad using your
wheelchair joystick or speciality
input
• iPortal power chair accessory
that connects to an iPhone or
iPod Touch to display
wheelchair information in real
time
• http://www.dynamiccontrols.com
/iportal
Keeping up-to-date…
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http://appsforaac.net
http://www.snapps4kids.com/
http://www.theappacademy.org/
http://www.aactechconnect.com/
www.iear.org
http://a4cwsn.com/
http://symbly.us/tour/
www.spectronicsinoz.com/iphoneipad-apps-for-aac
http://apps4stages.wikispaces.com/
• http://www.speechbubble.org.uk/
• www.ace-north.org.uk