System Description
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Smitty was designed with ease of use is the first objective. A user can immediately use the system to communicate, with little or no instruction. Most users find working with the icons is pleasant and Smitty's use will enhance communication, since there are three methods of communication built into every icon: picture, word(s), and sound To communicate using Smitty, a user creates a strip of icons and pushes talk. In each interaction the user is exposed to the visual image, the written word, and spoken text There are numerous directories and icons to select. |
| Smitty comes with a starter set of a couple hundred of icons. If these are not what you want or need, Smitty allows you to quickly create a language system that matches the individual needs of the user. For example, a user living in a rural setting has different core language needs than a user in living in a large city. Pictures of important people, like family members and friends can be easily incorporated into the system. |
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A simple strip: The user wants orange juice |
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Experience has shown that some choices represented by icons can be problematic. For example, the user may love cheese, but have a food allergy that prevents its consumption. Smitty has a simple way to hide this icons that may be a problem for the caregiver. Icons can be by category and or alphabetically. While organization by category is preferred by users that tend to look for icons within groups of similar items, professionals find looking for icons alphabetically is simplest. |
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Icons grouped in alphabetical order |
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Smitty is designed to run on very low cost computers or older computers, as well as state of the art Windows machines. Indeed, suitable second hand machines, runnng Windows95 can be purchased for little as $100 and these are adequate for Smitty use. However, if you want to use a digital camera, a Windows98 or better system will be needed for USB ports.
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