Assistive Technology Resources for Children
Electronic Files: symbols, overlays, and resources
Also check on the dedicated pages for Whiteboards and Slide Shows.
A.B.A. Educational Resources Limited
internet: http://www.abaresources.com/free.htm
Free downloadable files to print out resources to support behavior plans, including data collection forms, drills worksheets, and other tools. In "Acrobat" format.
Alternative/Augmentative Communication Intervention
internet: http://aacintervention.com/index.htm
They sell learning activities pages, in which pre-made overlays are provided to go along with published books. The overlays are available for a variety of A/AC devices and equipment. They also provide printed tutorials and instructions for using "Boardmaker".
Augmentative and Alternative Communication Centers
internet: http://aac.unl.edu/
Free pre-made lists of vocabulary used by people who communicate with A/AC, including frequency charts. They also have many <low-tech. visual scene templates> using "MicroSoft Publisher" (c).
Augmentative Communication Community Partnership Canada
internet: http://www.accpc.ca/earlyliteracy.htm
Their Early Literacy site has downloadable files to print out "props" for storybooks and e-books for "Boardmaker" and "Intellitools".
Axelia
internet: http://axelia.com/
This site is written in French, and gives away icon pictograms with French words on them. Registration may be required (I don't read French).
Axistive
internet: http://www.axistive.com/thousands-of-free-symbols-on-the-web.html
Links to many types of free symbol files to download.
Baltimore City Public Schools
internet: http://www.bcps.k12.md.us/boardmaker/adapted_library.asp
Downloadable <topic boards> and e-books for "Boardmaker."
Beacon Ridge Products
internet: http://www.beacon-ridge.com
Supplies for office and education, including highlighter tape.
Blissymbolics Communication International
location: Toronto, ON CANADA
internet: http://www.blissymbolics.org/
"Blissymbolics is a communication system originally developed by Charles K. Bliss (1897-1985) for the purpose of international communication." The system is used in the United Kingdom by people with physical disabilites as part of their A/AC. For sale here are symbols sets, instructional materials, and adapted books.
Blissymbolics Resources
internet: http://www.blissymbolics.us/
Flash cards, lessons, and practice pages for learning Bliss Symbols.
Bry-Back Manor
internet: http://www.bry-backmanor.org/index.html
Free icons.
Burnaby Teachers
internet: http://schou.sd41.bc.ca/district/boardmaker.htm
This school district keeps an internet repository for their teachers to save files for overlays for "Boardmaker" and share them with each other.
CALL Centre, The
internet: http://callcentre.education.ed.ac.uk/Useful_Links/results.php?country=&topic=Symbol%20and%20Sign%20Sites
This rehabilitation center in the United Kingdom has useful links for sources of many types of symbols.
Carl's Corner
internet: http://www.carlscorner.us.com
This retired teacher provides many resources. Her "High Frequency Words" section has books to teach reading, along with worksheets and manipulatives, that can all be downloaded for free.
Communication Centre for Language and Learning ("CALL Centre")
internet: http://callcentre.education.ed.ac.uk/index.html
They have quite a few downloadable files for "Boardmaker". (Look under <Resources>.) The types of files include lotto games, environmental studies, nursery rhymes, and stories.
Creative Communicating
internet: http://www.adaptedstories.com/index.cfm
"Adapted Stories" are materials to help with early literacy instruction for studens with special needs.
Dade County Schools
internet: http://prekese.dadeschools.net/BMD/activityspecific.html
Free, downloadable files for songs, adapted books, and premade overlays for "Boardmaker".
Do 2 Learn
internet: http://dotolearn.com/
Provides a variety of picture communication cards, games, songs, and worksheets. There are also documents to read on strategies for using visual schedules in the classroom.
Don Johnston
internet: http://www.donjohnston.com
Their site provides some templates to download for their own devices and software.
Faifax County Public Schools
internet: http://www.fcps.edu/ss/its/howtos/board/bdact.htm
Learning activites are presented, with downloadable activity files for "Boardmaker".
Grocery PECS
internet: http://www.grocerypecs.com/
"a large collection (over 3200) of realistic pictures" Besides PECS for foods, they are available here for toys and the covers of DVD boxes. Some are free and some are for sale.
Imagine Symbols
internet: http://imaginesymbols.com/home.htm
Their symbols for AAC are available to download if you join.
Intellitools
internet: http://aex.intellitools.com/
Their "Activity Exchange" is a place to share files for "Classroom Suite" and "Overlay Maker".
Internet Picture Dictionary
internet: http://www.pdictionary.com
A collection of clip-art for use in symbols communication, along with on-line vocabulary exercises.
Ispeek Publications
internet: http://www.ispeek.co.uk/index.htm
This English site sells software and symbols to help you make visual schedules for students with autism.
KidAccess
internet: http://kidaccess.com/
Their "Eye-Cons" are for sale on a CD, but you can browse the collection on-line. Their line drawing icons come n special sets for equestrian therapy, music therapy, and emergency personnel.
Language Images
internet: http://www.languageimages.com/
For sale here are picture schedules and communication boards. Their own line drawings ("Stillwater Speech") are used for the activities. Purchased items may be downloaded or can be pre-printed and laminated.
Makaton Charity, The
internet: http://www.makaton.org/
This organization in England has developed their own system of signs and symbols for communication. Some of their materials are free and others are for sale.
Mayer Johnson
internet: http://www.mayerjohnson.com
They provide for free download many templates for their "Boardmaker" software.
Montgomery County Public Schools
internet: http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/pep/teachercreate.html
This school system stores files here that their teachers have created, in these formats: "Boardmaker", "Boardmaker for Voice in the Box", "Intellitalk", "Intellipics", "Word".
New York City Department of Education
internet: http://www.newbraunfels.txed.net/admin/SpecialEd/faces/faceindex.htm
Files to print out adapted books, in a variety of formats, including "Acrobat", "Boardmaker", and "Word".
Northumberland L.E.A.
internet: http://ngfl.northumberland.gov.uk/english/default.htm
internet: http://ngfl.northumberland.gov.uk/clipart/
This educational office in England has some interactive children's books available online. There are also clip art images to copy.
Orange County Public Schools
internet: http://teachers.ocps.net/atteam/page14.html
This is where schools in Orlando, Florida store the "Boardmaker" files their teachers have created.
Pics 4 Learning
internet: http://pics.tech4learning.com/
"Pics4Learning is a copyright-friendly image library for teachers and students. The Pics4Learning collection consists of thousands of images that have been donated by students, teachers, and amateur photographers."
Pogo Boards
internet: http://www.pogoboards.com/
This service is an alternative to using "BoardMaker" software. The communication boards and overlays are made on-line with their software.
Prentke Romich Corporation
internet: http://www.prentrom.com/component/option,com_docman/Itemid,108/task,doc_details/gid,112/
This major retailer makes available for free download their entire library of proprietary communication symbols.
Preschool Education
internet: http://www.preschooleducation.com/
This site has lots of free things you can print out, including coloring pages, and there are files for "file folder games" in different themes.
Print and Teach
internet: http://www.printandteach.com/index.html
There are quite a few free downloads to help teach, such as worksheets that are set up like commication boards and pictures to use for answering. It looks like the materials available may be rotated.
Region Two Regional Lending Library
internet: http://www.region2library.org/SocialStories.htm
Almost 40 files here are <social stories> in "PowerPoint" and/or "Acrobat" formats.
S.E.N. Teacher
internet: http://www.senteacher.org/Home/
Quite a few free files can be downloaded here to print out all those teaching tools we use that are paper-based, such as dice, flashcards, worksheets for shopping, etc. You must have "Flash Player 7" to view and print them. (Go to <Printables>.)
Sclera Picto's
internet: http://sclera.be/
This Belgian web site has free pictograms to download.
Silver Lining Multimedia, Inc.
internet: http://www.silverliningmm.com/
This is the company that makes and sells the "Picture This" CDs full of photographs to use for manking icons.
Slater Software, Inc.
internet: http://www.slatersoftware.com/document.html
They have documents (like a biography of Martin Luther King, Jr. and a form to interview people) in .pdf format that have alphanumeric text with communication symbols printed above them. There is free clip art called "Literacy Support Pictures" to download to use for communication.
Sommerset Total Communication Symbols Library
internet: http://www.somerset.gov.uk/stcsymbols/
Southwest Human Development Assistive Technology Program
internet: http://online.sfsu.edu/~nancyr/pdf/bdmkr.pdf
They maintain an extensive list of downloadable files for creative text in alternative formats, including "Boardmaker".
Special Education British Columbia
internet: http://www.setbc.org/
They have a collection of books in accessible electronic formats.
Spectronics
internet: http://www.spectronicsinoz.com/activities/
This A.T. company has an Activities Exchange section with downloadable files to use with "Boardmaker" , "Writing with Symbols", and other software and hardware items.
Starfall
internet: http://www.starfall.com
Books, songs, and learning exercises are free here in online formats. Most are geared towards the academic level of kindergarten.
Symbol World
internet: http://www.symbolworld.org/
Wonderful resources here for people who read with symbols. There are on-line books with the words translated into rebus symbols. They have a monthly newsletter for "symbol readers". Lots of stuff; check it out!
Symbols.Net
internet: http://www.symbols.net/tour/
This site is not specifically for people who rely on symbols to communicate with A/AC. It includes symbols as used in most languages and cultures throughout history, including modern weather symbols and ancient Egyptian hieroglypics.
Through the Maze
internet: http://www.through-the-maze.org.uk/pages/Symbols
This British site has many free symbols you may download. They are black and white, and many look like international information symbols.
Tin Snips
internet: http://www.tinsnips.org/index.html
This site is designed to provide support for teachers of students on the autism spectrum. There are worksheets and songs for sale. For free are ideas and activities to download, including ideas for <make-and-takes>. There are great .pdf files available for response cards, choice boards, words to songs, worksheets, etc.
updated September, 2008