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The Grid 2 is an all-in-one package for communication and access.
The Grid 2 allows people with limited or unclear speech to use a computer as
a voice ouput communication aid, using symbols or text to build sentences.
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You can also access your Windows desktop and other programs, with the built in
Computer Control features.
In addition to this, you can send and receive email and sms messages, browse the
web, listen to music... and more too!
The Grid 2 is accessible to everybody, accepting input from switches,
headpointer, touchscreen, mouse, and other options too.
For more info please visit
Sensory Software
Symbol Chat
Symbols are useful to people with no literacy skills, as well
as helping those with limited literacy to develop a larger vocabulary.
Different users can cope with widely varying levels of complexity in their
symbol systems. The Grid can take the user from very simple communication
screens to the more advanced arrangements.
Instant communication
You can set up a grid with just a few cells that speak as soon as they are
selected. For example, you could have “yes”, “no”, “I need some help please” and
“I want to do something else”.
Sentence building
Moving on from this, you can have cells that contain elements of a sentence, and
build sentences to allow more freedom of expression.
You can link together several grids to provide a larger vocabulary divided into
topics (this is often referred to as “dynamic screen communication”).
Typically, the first page the user sees will display a number of topics.
Selecting a topic leads to a grid with vocabulary specific to that topic.
Grid sets
There are a number of ready made grid sets (sometimes called pre-stored
vocabularies) available, designed for different levels of literacy and with
different approaches to arranging vocabulary.
Once you have selected a grid set, you can customise it as much as needed,
adding to the vocabulary and expanding the topics available. You can also start
from scratch and create your own communication system.
Symbol options
The Grid 2 is compatible with many types of symbols and photographs. The Widgit
Rebus symbols are included with The Grid 2 (UK only), and the Mayer-Johnson PCS
symbols are also fully supported.
With the screen capture tool, it is really easy to use
photographs from a digital camera, pictures from the internet or other images.
Text Chat
The Grid 2 provides quick and accurate text communication for
literate users.
Grids can be simple typing grids, or more complicated setups
with stored messages and prediction.
Write sentences by spelling words or selecting complete words,
and then speak them aloud.
You can type using:
* a physical keyboard (including adapted keyboards such as BigKeys)
* a keyboard grid, displaying a keyboard on the screen
* grids with complete words or phrases
Storing messages
The Grid 2 allows the you to create, edit, store and recall 1000's of messages.
When you have written some text that you want to store, you can save it to your
message list. To locate a message later, just start typing one of the words in
the message and The Grid 2 will find your message for you.
You can also save up to 10 separate message lists. One example for using this is
in different social situations (at home, at work, at the shops, etc).
Writing tools
The Grid 2 has a number of tools to help write more quickly and accurately.
Choose your keyboard layout
You can decide how to arrange the keyboard.
* Typists used to a computer keyboard may prefer a qwerty layout
* Early leaners may find it easier with an alphabetical keyboard
* Many switch users have frequency-of-use layouts, with the most commonly used
letters available in the least time
* If you need really big cells (e.g. for some eye-gaze or touch screen users)
you can even divide the letters between a number of different grids
* People using auditory feedback might have a the alphabet split into rows, each
row starting with a vowel
Prediction
As you type, The Grid 2 can suggest the word that you are typing. The Grid 2 can
display symbols next to words and suggested words can be spoken aloud to help
with word finding and identification.
The Grid 2's advanced prediction system learns as you write, so words that you
use regularly are given higher priority. You can choose to spell-check the
prediction automatically to avoid it learning mistakes, and you can edit the
prediction dictionary to add or remove words.
Sounds-like
Using phonetic matching, The Grid 2 can suggest words that sound similar to a
word that you have typed, which can be a great way to help find the right word.
Spelled-like
The Grid 2 can suggest words with a similar spelling to the one you are writing.
Verb morphology
You can display the different versions of a verb to aid correct grammar. Symbols
can help to identify the parts of a verb and get correct verb agreement.
Out-of-the-box flexibility
The Grid 2 comes with ready-made grids for text communication. You can also
purchase popular communication vocabularies such as WordPower.
You can also create your own grids or edit the provided grids to create your
perfect text communication system. You can make a grid with the things that you
need on it, and link to other grids with other useful options - friends names,
alternate word lists, or the option of sending your writing as an email or text
message.
Computer Control
The Grid 2 includes all the features you need to use everyday
Windows programs, without using a standard keyboard and mouse.
Control your computer
The Grid 2 can replace either a keyboard, a mouse - or both!
The Grid 2 replaces your keyboard, so you can type into other programs, write
Word documents or emails, use the internet and more. The Grid is accessible with
switches, touch screen, headpointer, joystick... and many more (see access
options for more). All of these can be used for Computer Control.
The Grid 2 also replaces your mouse, so you can move the mouse and click
anywhere on the screen.
Get smart, get fast
The Grid 2 uses smart techniques to speed up access. For example, using switches
with The Grid 2 you can access a menu item in a program (for example, saving a
document in Word) by moving the mouse to the File menu, then clicking, moving to
Save and clicking again. This works, but is quite slow. The Grid 2 also allows
you to scan the menu directly - so you scan across to File, and then down to
Save. Much faster!
Better yet, for commonly used functions you can set up a single cell to perform
the action. For example, you can save in Word by typing Control-s on the
keyboard, so our Word grids include a cell that types Control-s, providing
access to the save function in just one selection!
Faster typing too
The dictionary options in The Grid 2 allow you to speed up typing with
prediction suggesting complete words as you type, automatic capitalisation,
abbreviation expansion... and more.
Use any software
The Grid 2 can be used with almost all Windows programs. Here are just a few
that people use with The Grid 2 every day:
* Word processing (Word, Writing With Symbols, Communicate: InPrint)
* Email (e.g. Outlook, Thunderbird, Hotmail)
* Web browsing (Internet Explorer or Firefox)
* Games
* Office software (PowerPoint, Excel)
You can design your own grids for The Grid 2, and it is easy
to add support for other programs that you want to use.
Access
The Grid 2 has been designed to be accessed by everyone, from those with complex
disabilities to people with good motor control.
Switches
Switches are one of the most common alternatives to a keyboard and mouse for
people with disabilities. Switches come in many shapes and sizes, and can be
used almost anywhere there is a reliable, reproducible physical movement.
The Grid 2 supports the use of up to 8 switches, although most people use just
one or two.
Making selections using switches involves a process called scanning, in which
cells are highlighted in turn. The Grid 2 has many options for scanning to allow
all users to get the most efficient and least frustrating setup. Some of the
switch features include:
* Simple or row-column scanning
* Automatic, tap-to-advance or hold-to-advance scans
* Adjustable switch timing
* Hold a switch for a long time for a different action
* Use additional switches for extra functions
* Filtering of accidental switch presses
* Switch settings preview (for testing settings as you change them)
Touch screen
Touch screens are a very common way to access a communication aid. A touch
screen provides direct access to the options on the screen.
Using a touch screen in The Grid 2 is straightforward. The following options are
available:
* Ignore accidental presses
* Select "on touch", "on release" or by holding down your finger
* Magnified cells
* Fix grid layouts so that a keyguard can be used
Headpointer and eye gaze
Head pointers such as the SmartNAV detect head movement, whilst eyegaze systems
such as the MyTobii detect where you are looking on the screen. The Grid 2 has
built-in support for both these systems, with options for selecting with a
switch or by resting on a cell.
Keyboard and mouse
You can also access The Grid 2 with a standard or modified keyboard and mouse.
The speech and word finding features in The Grid 2 allow quick and effective
voice output communication, whilst the simplified email and sms grids can allow
people who are not proficient with computers to access these methods of
communication.
Speech
The Grid 2 includes the latest life-like and natural sounding voices from
Acapela.
Many languages
You can choose one free language from our range, which includes:
* British English
* US English
* Many European languages (including French, Spanish, German and Italian)
* Scandinavian languages
* And many more...
Most languages include both male and female voices, and additional languages can
be bought to support bilingual people.
Wide support
The Grid 2 also supports all standard SAPI 4 and SAPI 5 voices, DECtalk, InfoVox
and RealSpeak.
Editing
Editing grids in The Grid 2 has been designed to be easy and
fast.
The dedicated "editing mode" allows you to design grids quickly.
Common tasks
The common tasks bar on the left changes according to what you have selected, so
relevant common tasks are available in one click.
Mouse and keyboard control
Use the mouse to select several cells, drag-and-drop cells and resize cells
quickly. Keyboard shortcuts speed up the most common tasks such as copying cells
to the clipboard.
Quick cell editing
All the options for each cell can be seen on one screen, making it quick to see
the setup for a cell.
Quick shortcuts allow you to create vocab cells, keyboard keys, jump cells and
other common cells in just a few clicks of the mouse.
Powerful commands
The cells themselves are programmed using a visual system of commands. Simply
select the commands you want and add them to a cell; those commands will then be
performed when then cell is selected. For example, adding a "speak" command will
speak out loud, whilst adding a "jump" command will jump to another grid.
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