Developer Resources
Start thinking about how you can
support AAC in your projects
Developing AAC Apps
AAC app development is a noble endeavor, and can provide enormous value to people who can will from technology supports. It is important, when supporting those who use AAC, that you understand the expectations of AAC users, and can build something long-term and robust. We want to help make that happen!
If you are interested in, or planning on, implementing an AAC app, we have collected a list of considerations that you should factor in to your development plans.
Developing Accessible Projects
Accessibility is something we are starting to see baked in to more and more projects. If you are developing a web site, a mobile app, or other projects you think AAC users might benefit from, think about how you can make things accessible. From larger buttons/targets to slower timeouts, there are many little things you can do to make things easier on people whose hands shake, or who take longer to read, or who need frequent breaks. Also consider implementing AAC Shim to make it easier for AAC users to access your site.
Additionally, if you are using the cloud at all, please consider the value of publishing a public API. Some users are going to need a very simplified version of your interface that focuses only on the primary tasks. If you don't have the resources to write and maintain such an interface yourself, publishing an API will allow AAC vendors and even families to develop their own simplified interfaces to provide access to valuable, engaging activites and social interactions that are only available via the Internet.
Be An Advocate!
Already bought in? Add an OpenAAC Badge (
or 
)
to your site or GitHub project! Once you've added it, let
us know and we can add you to our
list of advocates!
- anyone can embed this badge to support open AAC principles!
// For GitHub embed/Markdown
[](https://www.openaac.org/advocates.html)
// Raw HTML
<a href="https://www.openaac.org/advocates.html" target="_blank"><img src="https://www.openacc.org/images/OpenAAC-chat-red.svg" alt='I support OpenAAC'/></a>
- this badge is for projects/groups that have signed the OpenAAC Advocacy Pledge
Once you have filled out the agreemeent we will send you instructions for adding this badge to your project/site.
Accessibility-Focused Projects
It's great to see progress in making technology accesssible, from web standards to gaming hardware, there is a lot of exciting work happening! The open source community and even some vendors are starting to open up and share resources so everyone can benefit.
AAC Coding Supports
- OpenAAC GitHub Repos
- Language Support Models for AAC - word and inflection rule sets for simpler language-aware support in AAC systems
- OpenSymbols - library of open-licensed icons and symbols that can be used to implement AAC
- AAC Shim - JavaScript utility to make web pages and apps accessible and launchable from within an AAC system
- The Open Board Format - an open file format and parsing libraries to import and export AAC vocabulary or board sets