More about TaptoTalk AAC for the Nintendo DS

The CALL Scotland Blog has a fantastic review of the TaptoTalk App for the Nintendo DS Lite, DSi or DS

XL, which is the program that turns a Nintendo DS into a handheld AAC device.  Check it out if you want to know more about the pros and cons of the program:  CALL Scotland TaptoTalk Review

Two Ways to Make Nintendo DS an AAC Device

DS Talker is an older free program by the people who bring us the Sclera Symbol set that runs on a Nintendo DS. Tap to Talk is a newer program for the Nintendo DSi or DS Lite that retails for a subscription of $99.95 a year. Both program are dynamic display.

As it is free you will need to do some work to get the DS Talker working. The program is in German, but the English manual explains in detail how to make it work in English. (Although a techie friend or gamer 17 year old is likely to make it work the fastest.) The program uses the free white on black Sclera Pictos.

Tap To Talk include the software for the DSi or DSLite and a web based application to program boards as well as clipart symbols. Other symbol sets can be used if converted to .bmp format. You can play with the application before you buy it with an online emulator.

Having played with DS Talker and watched the Tap to Talk videos the programs see to run in nearly identical ways.

Sclera's Pictos News (more English images and Nintendo DS Talker)

I have blogged about Sclera Pictograms before. Sclera is a Dutch organization that has created over a thousand high contrast, black and white picture symbols. They offer the images free on their website.

They used to have a small percentage of images available with English labels. Now they have 1400 images, divided into categories, ready for download. (I translated the images using online Dutch to English software and sent them to Sclera as my way of thanking for my use of their images. So if the translation isn't accurate you can blame me.)

I have found the images to be very affective with my students who have low vision, in addition to some of my other students who benefit from a more "grown" up selection of symbols. In fact the two tactile books below and my Household Noises activity use Sclera Images. Although I still prefer Mayer-Johnson PCS most of the time, primarily because my students have been using them for so long, Sclera is a nice alternative for when I don't have Boardmaker handy and is somewhat better than PCS for my low vision students.

To download the entire English set go to this page and scroll about 3/4 of the way down.

If you want to make a Sclera Library in Boardmaker here is what you do:

1. Open Boardmaker.
2. Go to File, Import, then Picture.
3. Locate picture wanted (it must be in one of the following file formats - .wmf, .emf, or .bmp).
4. Graphic appears in dialog box. Name and categorize symbol.

Directions taken from http://assistivetech.sf.k12.sd.us/picsyms.htm.

In other news Sclera is offering free communication software for use on the Nintendo DS! They call it DS Talker! I haven't tried it, because I don't have a Nintendo DS, but I welcome a review from anyone who has tried it. (The Nintendo DS costs about $100 new and $15-75.00 used depending on how used and if it comes with games.)