MKP - Assistive Software Products - Communication

The award winning word and symbol processor giving full support to writing for all.

Writing with Symbols 2000 is a language, literacy and communication tool that uses symbols, speech and activities to help anyone read and write.

What can it do?

At its simplest Writing with Symbols is a word processor that automatically illustrates the words as you type. But that is only the start...

For Schools

Writing with Symbols 2000 can give extensive support to written language, helping writers see the meaning of words.

It can help to explain the differences between

words that look the same (saw saw, spell spell)
words that sound the same (hair hare, pear pair)
as well as giving language support (drink drink, run ran, loud loudest)

It can help many other aspects of language development where images can assist understanding.

Adult Learners - enabling involvement

Symbols aid understanding, which can increase involvement, choice and confidence. Adults use symbols for information signs, minutes of meetings, agendas, personal plans, study records and illustrating basic skills such as washing and other domestic tasks.

For those moving away from their family home, symbols can help gain an understanding of change, and of how other people can be of help. For using money, shopping, catching a bus, or writing to family and friends, supporting text with symbols helps comprehension and gives consistency.

The program is supplied with two extensive sets of graphics images (symbols) to support the writing: the coloured PCS symbols from Mayer-Johnson, which are ideal for younger learners and for motivating early readers, and the Widgit Rebus symbols which are systematically constructed to enhance learning and to develop language understanding. And, of course, you can add your own pictures or photographs.

The program has four sections

1- The Talking Symbol Processor:

Words are automatically illustrated as you type. A single key press can show you the alternatives for any particular word, and you can easily change the symbol set you are using. It is easy to make symbol materials, and great for beginner writers. There is a pictorial spell checker in all of the sections.

2- The Talking Word Processor:

This works as any word processor, with the addition that you can view the symbol for any word as you wish - either temporarily, to check the meaning, or as a way of adding just a few symbols to a page. The program speaks as you type (letters, words or sentences) or you can hear the writing spoken afterwards "on demand".

3- Grids for Printing:

Using grids you can make a vast range of teaching and communication materials including time tables, rotas, worksheets, communication books and games. Grid cells can have single words, symbols, or symbol sentences. You can vary the layout to suit your task, with either regular or irregular cells.

4- Grids for Writing:

People who want to write using symbols or text can simply click with a mouse or switch in a grid cell. A grid cell can have letters, single words, pictures or complete phrases. Other cells can have commands or controls, such as delete, new paragraph etc. A set of grids (called an environment) can be linked to give access to large relevant vocabularies for individual or group use.

What you can do with WWS 2000
There are many different uses for symbol writing: Communication books, supported information, learning materials & language learning.

Symbols can help people with learning difficulties increase their independence, can help people struggling with text to achieve literacy skills, and can facilitate expression and communication.

Writing with Symbols 2000 can be set up to meet individual preferences:

-Choose the line and background colour
-Choose the type of symbols or mix and match
-Switch scanning and speech feedback

In Writing with Symbols 2000 you can create:

-Communication grids and books
-Write stories and diaries
-Shopping lists, timetable, reminders
-Worksheets
-Notices and labels

Writing with Symbols 2000 lets you:

- get the right symbol for the meaning
- turn symbols on and off to get the right level of support
- use the pictorial spell checker for language learning and understanding

A dynamically linked set of on-screen grids, called an 'environment', can give targeted access to a wide vocabulary, without having to cope with too much at a time. The new wizard in versions 2+ makes this really easy. These grids can be set with automatic scanning for switch users.

You can have as many grids visible at a time - for example leaving a 'menu' always showing as well as the current vocabulary, or having two separate grids for word building.

You can add commands to grid cells for switch users, or to give easy access to commands. Sets of commands (Macros) can be added to cells to give users a lot of support.