Communicate: SymWriter

For teachers: Communicate: SymWriter is an easy-to-use symbol writing program. Symbols appear above the words as you type and smart symbolising analyses the text to help select the correct symbols. You can drop in photos and images to illustrate your document, or add them to a word to replace a symbol for more specific meaning.

SymWriters flexibility allows you to create documents with just the level of graphic support you need. SymWriter is perfect for teachers who want to produce straightforward symbol-supported materials that are easily understood by learners.

For beginner writers: When typing in text mode, students can see the meaning of the words in the symbol chooser. Symbols give the writer visual assistance, reinforcing meaning and improving confidence. SymWriter features text-to-speech and a spell checker with symbol support.

For students writing with grids: SymWriter 2's interactive environments use on-screen grids to make writing accessible to users that need additional help. Users can select items from the grids (using a mouse, keyboard, touch screen or switches) to be automatically added to their document, switch to another grid, or to perform a range of actions.

The environment editor makes it easy for teachers to create their own activities or to adapt an existing environment. Environments can be as simple or as complex as you like, from enabling users to build basic sentences and play simple games to creating whole documents, acting as an on-screen keyboard or a powerful teaching aid for whiteboards.

Key Features:

• Write with symbols or text
  
• Environments supports new and emergent writers
  
• Create your own or use pre-made environments
  
• Download free and low-cost environments
  
• Show symbol choices, even in text mode
  
• Adjustable text and symbol size
  
• Import graphics to support specific words
  
• The Widgit Symbol Set in colour and black & white
  
• Easily import photographs and pictures
  
• Recolour symbols and change skin tones
  
• Copy and paste to and from other applications
  
• (Ctrl+Alt+C and Ctrl+Alt+V)
  
• Smart Symbolising based on parts of speech
  
• Spell checking with symbols
  
• Full speech support
  
• Full access for one or two switches and switch scanning