The Unlimiter V-Boards
The Unlimiter V-Boards are communication boards that may be used with or without the V-Pen. There are six boards in total: three that use symbols and three more that are duplicates of the symbol boards but are text-based versions for those people that prefer not to use symbols. The V-Boards presently begin with the 96 version depicted above. The 96 version comprises 4 sheets of symbols in a two-page, hardback, white, plastic, A4, see through wallet folding centrally down the middle. The symbols can be removed from the wallet and replaced with the text-based version.
Symbol use (on all three symbol boards) is the Unlimiter Uni-Symbol set. The set comprises five subsets of both symbols and photographs:
- Colour simple line drawings;
- Colour realistic line drawings;
- Black and Whie simple line drawings;
- Black and White realistic line drawings;
- Photographs.
All three symbol board versions use the colour simple line drawings. The symbols are colour coded using a modified Fitzgerald key system (see the Voice Symbol page for further information on the Fitzgerald key). The boards also provide access to a QWERTY keyboard layout as well as memory cells (See Memory Cell page for explanation of the use of cells).
Symbol use (on all three symbol boards) is the Unlimiter Uni-Symbol set. The set comprises five subsets of both symbols and photographs:
- Colour simple line drawings;
- Colour realistic line drawings;
- Black and Whie simple line drawings;
- Black and White realistic line drawings;
- Photographs.
All three symbol board versions use the colour simple line drawings. The symbols are colour coded using a modified Fitzgerald key system (see the Voice Symbol page for further information on the Fitzgerald key). The boards also provide access to a QWERTY keyboard layout as well as memory cells (See Memory Cell page for explanation of the use of cells).
V-Boards and Core Vocabulary
The V-Boards have been designed around the concept of a Core Vocabulary. There has been a lot of research undertaken by many different bodies into the language/vocabulary used by different groups of people. These studies typically document the frequency of words used by people either in text or in spoken form (or a combination of both). It is perhaps not so surprising that, when we compare such studies, the vocabulary lists produced are almost identical especially if we limit the analysis of the data to the top 1000 words.
The English language has been the most researched of all the different language of the world and there are a lot of studies on which to draw. Information on the other languages varies, with research of some languages being almost impossible to locate. Whilst Chinese may be the most spoken single first language in the world, there are only a few research studies on Chinese word frequency. However, the few that do exist point to an interesting result! (see below)
The most extensive study of word use in English is the Oxford English Corpus (http://www.askoxford.com/oec/). This database of the use of English from around the world now contains over 1 billion words. The surprising statistic is that one quarter of these words (25%) comprise just ten lemmas (a lemma is a root word: for example, the lemma 'go' covers the forms ,'go', 'goes', 'going', 'gone', 'went' ...). The lemmas in questions are:
1. the 2. be 3. to 4. of 5. and 6. a 7. in 8. that 9. have 10. I
The same top ten words nearly always feature in similar positions in all other indepenedent studies. What do we know about these words? First, they are not nouns; indeed, there are really very few nouns in the top 100 words of all the studies. Even if we were to focus just on children's vocabulary, we would find a similar result: there would be very few nouns. In Bridie Raban's 1988 study of the Spoken Vocabulary of Five Year Old Children, there were only 2 nouns in the top 100 words and both of these were a variation on the same word 'mother' (mum and mummy). It does not matter what age group is studied, or what vocation, or what time of day, or indeed which of the English speaking countries we pick, the top words remain fairly constant across these variables.
Not only are the top ten words not nouns, they are also not picture producers: while it reatively easy to illustrate the concept of a 'cat', it is much more difficult to illustrate the words listed above. Try making a drawing of the word 'the' such that, when shown to a range of people, it would be guessed by the majority with nothing but the picture as a cue.
The Oxford English corpus also shows that the top 100 words account for a whole 50% of what we say, and the top 1000 words 75%. The top 100 OED words table is depicted below.
The English language has been the most researched of all the different language of the world and there are a lot of studies on which to draw. Information on the other languages varies, with research of some languages being almost impossible to locate. Whilst Chinese may be the most spoken single first language in the world, there are only a few research studies on Chinese word frequency. However, the few that do exist point to an interesting result! (see below)
The most extensive study of word use in English is the Oxford English Corpus (http://www.askoxford.com/oec/). This database of the use of English from around the world now contains over 1 billion words. The surprising statistic is that one quarter of these words (25%) comprise just ten lemmas (a lemma is a root word: for example, the lemma 'go' covers the forms ,'go', 'goes', 'going', 'gone', 'went' ...). The lemmas in questions are:
1. the 2. be 3. to 4. of 5. and 6. a 7. in 8. that 9. have 10. I
The same top ten words nearly always feature in similar positions in all other indepenedent studies. What do we know about these words? First, they are not nouns; indeed, there are really very few nouns in the top 100 words of all the studies. Even if we were to focus just on children's vocabulary, we would find a similar result: there would be very few nouns. In Bridie Raban's 1988 study of the Spoken Vocabulary of Five Year Old Children, there were only 2 nouns in the top 100 words and both of these were a variation on the same word 'mother' (mum and mummy). It does not matter what age group is studied, or what vocation, or what time of day, or indeed which of the English speaking countries we pick, the top words remain fairly constant across these variables.
Not only are the top ten words not nouns, they are also not picture producers: while it reatively easy to illustrate the concept of a 'cat', it is much more difficult to illustrate the words listed above. Try making a drawing of the word 'the' such that, when shown to a range of people, it would be guessed by the majority with nothing but the picture as a cue.
The Oxford English corpus also shows that the top 100 words account for a whole 50% of what we say, and the top 1000 words 75%. The top 100 OED words table is depicted below.
Core Vocabulary is defined as the set of words in any language that make up the top 75% of the things that we say on a regular basic. In English, one thousand words account for the top 75% while, in other language this figure is likely to be lower. Indeed, remarkably, in a 2009 study by Chen, M.C., Hill, K.J., Yao. T. ( Preliminary Vocabulary Frequency Findings for Mandarin Chinese AAC Treatments. Presented at the Clinical AAC Research Conference in Pittsburgh, PA.), less than 200 words accounted for 80% of the data collected. Words outside of the Core Vocabulary are called Fringe Vocabulary. The Fringe significantly outnumbers the Core by a factor of at least 1,000:1 in any language.
Squeezing the Core 1,000 words onto four sides of A4 paper is something of a problem: the 432 board has 432 cells on the two inside pages and an additional 96 on the outer layer. However, some of those cells contains letters of the alphabet or are memory cells leaving room for approximately half of the 1,000. However, if the V-Board user is literate, then the use of spelling can go some way to compensate for missing vocabulary.
For more information on Core Vocabulary go here.
Squeezing the Core 1,000 words onto four sides of A4 paper is something of a problem: the 432 board has 432 cells on the two inside pages and an additional 96 on the outer layer. However, some of those cells contains letters of the alphabet or are memory cells leaving room for approximately half of the 1,000. However, if the V-Board user is literate, then the use of spelling can go some way to compensate for missing vocabulary.
For more information on Core Vocabulary go here.
The 96 V-Board
In all communication system, there has to be something of a compromise between the size of the available vocabulary and the ease of use of the system. A person who is experiencing learning difficulties is likely to need to begin with a smaller vocabulary building towards greater competence with the use of language over a period of time and training. Thus, even the 96 board may be too complex for the complete novice. However, if this is the case, it is possible to create your own simpler talking boards using the Voice Symbol software.
The 96 V-Board comprises a white, hard-back, four-page, A4, plastic wallet that folds down the middle. The first image (shown below) depicts the front and back surfaces. The front contains words for aspects of time (right side), social greeting, and social comments. The back (left side) contains eleven categories of nouns arranged in rows, each of eight members.
The 96 V-Board comprises a white, hard-back, four-page, A4, plastic wallet that folds down the middle. The first image (shown below) depicts the front and back surfaces. The front contains words for aspects of time (right side), social greeting, and social comments. The back (left side) contains eleven categories of nouns arranged in rows, each of eight members.
The second image, immediately below, depicts the inner two leafs of the 96 V-Board. The whole board uses a modified Fitzgerald colour scheme and thus the pronouns are yellow, verbs, are green, adjectives blue, and so on. In addition to the the vocabulary depicted the inner pages of the 96 board also contain the QWERT keyboard which may be used with the V-Pen for spelling out words. When the space key is selected after spelling out a word, the word is spoken as whole. The 'Speak Sentence' key puts all the words selected and or spelt together into a complete phrase.
The 216 V-Board
The 216 V-Board comprises a white, hard-back, two-sided, A4, single sheet, plastic wallet. The first side (shown below) contains the main vocabulary arranged in parts of speech and colour coded according to a modified Fitzgerald key. All the words contain the in the main vocabulary section of the 96 Board are also contained in the 216.
The reverse side is a modified form of the front page of the the 96 board as depicted below.
The 432 V-Board
The 432 V-Board comprises a white, hard-back, four-page, A4, plastic wallet that folds down the middle. The front and back surfaces are identical to the 96 board depicted above. The inside (shown below) contains the main vocabulary arranged in parts of speech and colour coded according to a modified Fitzgerald key. All the words contain the in the main vocabulary section of the 96 and 216 V-Boards are also contained in the 432.
Text-Based Boards
All the V-Boards exist in both symbol and text only versions. Indeed, purchasing the Pen Pack from Ability World includes ALL the V-Boards. However, the text-based versions come in paper form only and thus, if a particular person wants to use a text based board, simply replace the symbol papers from the wallets with the text based equivalents and put the paper symbol boards safely away for another place and time. In all other respects (both positionally and practically) the text based boards operate in an identical manner to the symbol boards.
Why would you use a text-based board? There are, at least, three possible reasons:
- Personal preference.
- Assessment of literacy skills of User.
- To enhance literacy when automaticity is reached with symbol boards.
Each text-based board is inclusive of the qwerty keyboard for spelling out vocabulary that has not been incuded in the the text cells.
Why would you use a text-based board? There are, at least, three possible reasons:
- Personal preference.
- Assessment of literacy skills of User.
- To enhance literacy when automaticity is reached with symbol boards.
Each text-based board is inclusive of the qwerty keyboard for spelling out vocabulary that has not been incuded in the the text cells.
Sit for a Spell
All the V-Boards include qwerty layout spelling keyboards utilising yellow lower case letters on a dark blue background with the uppercase form in the top left-hand cell corner.
As each letter is accessed the V-Pen will beep. Most people require this feedback to let them know that they have made a successful contact. However, the pen can be instructed to say the letter names instead of beeping. To do this, select the 'Spelling Bee' option from the function pad supplied with the V-Pen. The pen will now speak out each letter as it is selected.
If a mistake is made in selecting a letter of a word, simply select the backspace key (from the function pad) and continue typing. Do not select CLEAR as this will clear out the entire sentence constructed thus far and it will be necessary to begin again from the beginning.
As each letter is accessed the V-Pen will beep. Most people require this feedback to let them know that they have made a successful contact. However, the pen can be instructed to say the letter names instead of beeping. To do this, select the 'Spelling Bee' option from the function pad supplied with the V-Pen. The pen will now speak out each letter as it is selected.
If a mistake is made in selecting a letter of a word, simply select the backspace key (from the function pad) and continue typing. Do not select CLEAR as this will clear out the entire sentence constructed thus far and it will be necessary to begin again from the beginning.
Making Meaningful Messages
As the V-Boards are univocal (that is, that each symbol can only say one thing when touched with the V-Pen) it would be impossible to include a full conjugation of all the verb stem forms provided: if that was attempted the V-boards would run to several extra pages. However, there is the 'ING' key which provides a means of adding the 'ing' sound to the end of chosen verb to generate the present continuous tense (going, walking, speaking, etc). Some model and auxiliary verbs may exist in various aspects on all boards, however, as space was severally limited there may be several omissions. Hopefully, if people are at a level were they are using modal and auxiliary verbs then they will be able to spell any missing word forms that are needed.
Messages are built by touching the pen to any area of a cell. As a symbol cell is accessed in this way, the V-Pen will speak out the contents. The V-Pen remembers all the words previously accessed up to the last spoken message (or CLEAR) and will put them together as a whole sentence when the 'Speak Sentence' button is selected. If spelling is used, each word should be terminated with the 'space' key (bottom row left of the keyboard) which will cause the V-Pen to add the letters selected together and speak the word. If the V-Pen does not recognise and cannot make any sense of the letters selected, it will simply repeat them back letter by letter. Words accessed directly and words built through spelling can be used together to form sentences.
Presently, the rate of playback of the selected words, the 'prosody', cannot be changed. However, most people will find the rate acceptable: it is neither too fast nor too slow. When any message is played back as a whole, the pen will begin calculating the next sentence anew with the selection of the very next single word form: there is no need to clear the V-Pen.
Messages are built by touching the pen to any area of a cell. As a symbol cell is accessed in this way, the V-Pen will speak out the contents. The V-Pen remembers all the words previously accessed up to the last spoken message (or CLEAR) and will put them together as a whole sentence when the 'Speak Sentence' button is selected. If spelling is used, each word should be terminated with the 'space' key (bottom row left of the keyboard) which will cause the V-Pen to add the letters selected together and speak the word. If the V-Pen does not recognise and cannot make any sense of the letters selected, it will simply repeat them back letter by letter. Words accessed directly and words built through spelling can be used together to form sentences.
Presently, the rate of playback of the selected words, the 'prosody', cannot be changed. However, most people will find the rate acceptable: it is neither too fast nor too slow. When any message is played back as a whole, the pen will begin calculating the next sentence anew with the selection of the very next single word form: there is no need to clear the V-Pen.
Fluffing The V-Boards
If the individual using the V-Pen finds the two page boards difficult to open out, 'fluffing' the boards may be a solution. Fluffing simply meansadding a soft spacer between the pages such that it is easier for people to get their fingers between the pages to open up the pages. There are a number of things that can be used for fluffing: some are thicker than others and therefore keep the pages wider apart when the folder is closed. Your local DIY store sells a number of products that may be used for this purpose. There are rolls of self-adhesive draught excluder, for example, which may be cut and attached to the board. Any self-adesive foam product that is soft enough so not to cause an injury and firm enough to keep the two pages apart might do the trick. Even corn plasters may provide a handy solution!
Waterproofing the V-Boards
The V-Boards are made out of non-toxic plastic and as such are already waterproof. The talking paper overlays are held inside clear pastic wallets attached on three side to the board. The open edge is on the length of the spine of the boards. Even when this edge is unsealed the boards are fairly resistant to the weather. However, water has a habit of finding its way into places where it is not wanted and so you may think it prudent to seal the open edge in some way. Normal clear adhesive tape will work but it is not particularly water resistant and may become discoloured and begin to peel after a short while. There is a variety of Sellotape that is both waterproof and will not crack or discolour (Sellotape Diamond). It is more expensive than standard tape but is worth the extra expense (Amazon sell Sellotape Diamond for around £10). Of course, there are other barnds of tape that will perform the same job but always purchase a quality product that will stand the demands of the job.
The V-Pen itself is not waterproof and should not be used underwater or in a downpour of rain. The black pen sheath, provided with the pen pack, will offer a little extra protection for the pen in the great outdoors but will not protect the pen from damage if it is dropped into a puddle of water, for example. If the pen does get very wet and water has entered it, do not be tempted to disassemble it. Simply, place the pen in a warm cupboard and allow to dry out overnight (do not put the pen into any oven or in direct sunlight) and check to see if it is working correctly in the morning. Water damage to the pen is NOT covered under its warranty and therefore, if possible, it should be put on the household contents list and covered against accidental damage.
The V-Pen itself is not waterproof and should not be used underwater or in a downpour of rain. The black pen sheath, provided with the pen pack, will offer a little extra protection for the pen in the great outdoors but will not protect the pen from damage if it is dropped into a puddle of water, for example. If the pen does get very wet and water has entered it, do not be tempted to disassemble it. Simply, place the pen in a warm cupboard and allow to dry out overnight (do not put the pen into any oven or in direct sunlight) and check to see if it is working correctly in the morning. Water damage to the pen is NOT covered under its warranty and therefore, if possible, it should be put on the household contents list and covered against accidental damage.