For users, families, and the people supporting them
Where things stand right now
Both HeadBoard and JustType are working, usable software — but they are still in active development. We're sharing them now because the AAC community has been waiting too long for affordable open tools, and because we learn faster with real users. If you try them, you should expect some rough edges, and you should expect to be heard when you tell us about them.
If you're thinking about trying our software, here's what to know.
What you'll need
A device. An Android phone or tablet running a recent version of Android. A 10-inch tablet works well for both projects. Inexpensive new tablets in the $60–$100 range are sufficient for most uses. Depending on your circumstances, you may also need a wheelchair mounting system, of course.
For HeadBoard specifically: A device with a working front-facing camera and enough light in the room for the camera to see your face clearly.
For JustType specifically: Depending on your preferred input method: nothing extra (touch, head-tracking, directional swipes, scanning and two-switch selection using the screen itself as a switch), an external Bluetooth switch ($25 and up), an external Bluetooth joystick, or — when it becomes available — eye-gaze hardware.
Optional but useful: An external Bluetooth speaker if you'd like louder voice output than the device speaker provides.
How to get the software
Help and support
We're a small foundation, so we can't yet offer 24/7 support — but we genuinely want to hear from you, and a real person will read what you send. Whether you're stuck, frustrated, or you have an idea that would make the software work better for you:
If you're an AAC clinician, speech-language pathologist, or special-education teacher and you'd like to support a client or student in trying our software, please get in touch — we want to make that as easy as possible for you.
What's coming
What we're actively working on or have in the pipeline:
- Extensive user testing of JustType and incorporating that feedback
- Smarter word prediction, including LLM-assisted prediction for ambiguous keystrokes
- Dynamic recognition of creative spellings (important for early literacy users)
- Navigation around the whole Android device using JustType's 8-key technique
- Translation and instructional videos in multiple languages
- Lower-cost Bluetooth switches and joysticks (we're looking for an industry partner)
- Dual audio channels for public and private speech output