At its core, Boardmaker is a software program used to create symbol-based communication and learning materials. It was developed to support learners with speech and language impairments, autism, Down syndrome, and other disabilities that make verbal communication challenging.
Modern software requires monthly fees. For a school district with 50 SLPs, a subscription costs thousands of dollars per year. The original Boardmaker CD was a . You bought the disc once, and you owned it forever. Many cash-strapped homeschool parents and retired therapists still fire up old laptops specifically because they refuse to pay a monthly fee for symbols they already "own."
The launch of Boardmaker Online marked the beginning of the end for the Boardmaker CD. This cloud-based platform allowed users to create materials on any device with a browser. It offered features impossible on a CD: real-time collaboration, shared global libraries, and instant play on iPads. The transition was not without controversy. The subscription model (paying monthly/annually) replaced the one-time purchase of a CD. For many districts, this shifted budgeting from capital expenditure (CAPEX) to operational expenditure (OPEX), creating financial strain despite the improved functionality.
The Boardmaker CD versions (such as v.5, v.6, and Boardmaker Plus!) were standalone software packages that allowed users to design, print, and sometimes play interactive activities. boardmaker cd
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Over its lifespan, the Boardmaker software evolved through several versions, each offering enhanced capabilities:
The Boardmaker CD software was officially by its manufacturer, Tobii Dynavox (which acquired Mayer-Johnson). The company transitioned to a new, subscription-based model called Boardmaker Online (later updated to Boardmaker 7), which offered several key advantages: At its core, Boardmaker is a software program
Users can quickly "spray" grids to create communication boards, schedules, and social stories. Customization:
For the sake of archival education, here is the workflow a teacher would follow in 2002 using the :
The standardization of PCS allowed for consistency across environments. A student using a Boardmaker schedule in Texas would recognize the same symbols used in New York. This created a form of "visual literacy" among users of AAC. However, this standardization faced criticism regarding cultural representation. Early Boardmaker CDs were criticized for a lack of diversity in skin tones and culturally specific imagery. Over time, the library expanded to include multicultural add-ons, reflecting the growing awareness of inclusivity in assistive technology. For a school district with 50 SLPs, a
Newer iterations have expanded on the CD's groundwork to include student progress tracking.
If you can find a used copy and have an older computer to run it, the CD remains a functional, cost-effective tool for basic printing. However, most professionals have moved to , which provides: