(03) 9696 2944
(03) 9696 2944
The Grid 2 is award winning, powerful and versatile software for communication and computer access. It can be used on tablet computers, laptops/notebooks or desktop PCs (Windows Vista, XP, 7 or 8). It provides speech output using Australian voices in addition to other speech synthesizers, including languages other than English. Australian Acapela speech is included. Full libraries of Widgit/Rebus symbols and SymbolStix are included. Picture Communication Symbols (PCS) can be added. Many pre-made grid sets are available or The Grid 2 can be readily customised to perform a wide range of functions for communication, computer control, environmental control, email ,internet, Facebook, YouTube access.
The Grid 2 is a powerful program for Windows computers, tablets and speech generating devices. It is a "framework" or "template" program offering a wide range of ready-made grid sets including well-known vocabularies such as PODD 15, WordPower and Ingfield Dynamic Vocabulary. Grid sets are supplied with the program and may be downloaded from the Online Grid site, or authored grid sets may be purchased In addition, grid sets may be designed and created from scratch, or existing grid sets customised. The Grid 2 offers grid sets for communication, including social media, email and SMS and computer control grid sets for specialised access to mainstream computer software.
Download your free trial Grid 2: Go to Download Guide
Please note: this is not for iPad. For iPad the Grid Player is available.
If you need the powerful features of The Grid 2 on a slim-line Windows computer, please see Powerbox MOTION.
Winner of the 2009 BETT award: Congratulations Sensory Software. The Grid 2 is a winner in UK in the Special Education Needs category of the 2009 BETT awards. Since this time the Grid 2 has continued to develop more features and functions. The judges said that they chose The Grid 2 for the following reasons:
ADULT VOICES: Grid 2 is now supplied standard with Australian Acapela adult voices: Tyler and Lisa. These voices are included in the price of the Grid 2. The Australian RealSpeak voices (Lee and Karen) will continue to be available as optional extras
CHILD VOICES: New child voices, Olivia and Liam are now available. These are not supplied as standard but can be added by purchasing an additional license for both voices at any time or at the time of purchase. Single user and multi user/site licenses are available.
To hear voice samples of all Australian voices - please click on the links below.
Australian adult male - TYLER (click to listen)
Australian adult female - LISA (click to listen)
Australian child male - LIAM (click to listen)
Australian child female - OLIVIA (click to listen)
To update The Grid 2 to include the new Australian Acapela voice please see instructions here under SUPPORT.
The Grid 2 can be customised to suit the needs of the user. Grid pages can display as few as two squares to a 50 x 50 grid, providing 2500 cells. A number of sample pages are supplied as a starter, and pre-made vocabularies are also available. Grids can be downloaded and shared from the Sensory Software Online Grids
The Grid 2 can use a wide range of symbol libraries and your own photos can also be imported. Digital images and clip art can be readily incorporated into displays using the simple SCREEN CAPTURE feature of The Grid 2. This time-saving feature enables the 'capture' of a picture or picture part, from another program, from a website, in a document, or any visible image from your screen. Simply click on the Screen Capture button. You do not even need to save the picture first, nor do you need to edit it to select just a part of it. Anything you can see on the screen can be captured. The Grid 2 makes its own copy of every picture that you choose as an image there is no need to save pictures before you use them. This also means that you can browse storage of photos or clip art and capture images or parts of images required.
Many pre-programmed grid sets are available. A popular selection is downloaded with the initial installation including FastTalker 2, Beeline. The Sensory Software ONLINE GRIDS makes downloading additional grid sets from a wide range of Grid sets readily available. WordPower is a premium grid set (See section below for more pre-made grid sets). Generally grid sets are customised for individual needs or pre-made grid sets can be modified. Symbol pages can be made with a wide variety of options:
Text pages have a variety of set-ups also including:
FastTalker 2 is a free Grid set for The Grid 2. It is designed for use by people with literacy skills who wish to spell messages, store phrases in a categorised phrase bank, while integrating these communication functions with internet, YouTube, environmental control, media player (videos and music) and email. The grids are designed to streamline access to all apps, being optimised for alternative access such as scanning, eye-gaze control, head tracking with Tracker Pro and many other options.
In the FastTalker 2 CHAT page, the word prediction row displays the predicted text from the dictionary which learns new words and frequency of use. Other keys are provided in a consistent and clear layout to link to other pages and other functions. Fast Talker 2 is a comprehensive grid set which has been designed and programmed by Sensory Software to ensure seamless control of all available functions from within the Grid 2. If the user requires more functions then it is most likely that use of mainstream programs would be required using The Grid 2 on-screen keyboard.
The Grid 2 has a mode providing on-screen keyboards for people who are unable to operate the computer using the regular keyboard. Mouse, mouse emulation or switch access can be used to access any computer program including the internet. Sample grids are provided for common functions for applications such as word processing, internet explorer, mouse control, calculator, media player and also sample chat displays for communication are included. The internet explorer display includes command buttons such as 'scan links' and 'scan frames'. Any displays can be customised for individual requirements.
The Grid 2 uses mouse or mouse emulation, so a mouse can be used on a regular computer to make selections. A touchscreen emulates a mouse. Any computer accessing mode that emulates mouse control can be used including touch screen devices. Switch and scanning access is also an option included in The Grid 2. One, two switch or multiple scanning can be set up. The JoyCable or JoyBox USB switch interfaces are required.
Scanning options include automatic scanning, inverse (hold to advance) and manual (tap to advance) scanning. These scan modes can be set to linear, row/column, column/row or overscan. If single switch scanning is selected, a long hold can be set to a particular function such as 'cancel'. Auditory scanning can be set to a choice of tones, an incremental tone or spoken prompts.
The Grid is programmed with codes compatible with the GEWA range of environmental control units. This means that with a PROGress Star connected to the computer, The Grid 2 can be used to control appliances such as TV, DVD, air conditioning and other systems with a remote control. It is compatible with other environment control units such as GEWA, UIRT, TIRA and z-wave.
The Grid 2 is supplied with a number of free pre-made Grid Set samples and many more can be downloaded from the Sensory Software website at no cost. The Grid sets described below can be purchased as optional extras to the main program.
The PODD 15 is now available.
Starting Blocks is an exciting grid set for introducing speech generated communication and dynamic displays to young children. Starting Blocks was designed and created by U.K. Speech Pathologist, Sally Conner. There are hundreds of grids providing many hours of fun as you progress from very simple interaction through to independent communication.
The targeted activities develop core skills, and a clear 'roadmap' makes it easy to see where to go next - and how far you have come! At every step there are a variety of activities, so you can focus on one skill until it is fully mastered, without the tasks becoming repetitive.
Starting Blocks Toy Box Starting Blocks is available as a stand-alone product (the grids and the workbooks), or with the Starting Blocks Toy Box. The Toy Box includes lots of toys and equipment to allow you to use Starting Blocks right away.
WordPower provides access to core vocabulary, with additional words available in just a few selections. Language studies have shown that we reuse a small number of words very often when we speak, often referred to as our "core vocabulary".
WordPower places this core vocabulary on the main grid, so these words are readily available in a single selection. To find words that are not included in the core vocabulary, you can type (with prediction) or go to one of the vocabulary pages, which are arranged by topic. The Grid 2 versions of WordPower use features such as verb morphology and spelling support. Picture WordPower Picture WordPower displays symbols next to the words to aid word-finding. Symbols are also displayed in prediction cells. You can use either PCS or Widgit symbols.
Text WordPower For users who do not require symbols, Text WordPower provides a less cluttered display. Switch access Alternate versions of WordPower are included for switch users. These have some re-arrangements to increase the efficiency of scanning the grids and keyboards, and also use block-scanning to make cell selection easier. The original WordPower concept was developed by Nancy Inman, and the Grid 2 version was created by Gillian Hazell.
CALLtalk was designed primarily for school children, but can also be used by adults, if adapted and personalized. CALLtalk is more complex than a ‘beginner’ vocabulary and goes beyond basic functional communication. Users need to understand topic categorization and should be starting to put two or more words together. It is for direct touch screen users, keyguard users, and switch users. CALLtalk was developed by Speech Pathologists, Janet Larcher and Sally Millar.
CALLtalk users
Primary school pupils with reasonably good educational potential (mainstream and/or special settings).Relatively cognitively and language-able children aspiring to acquire at least some degree of literacy – i.e. for whom ‘talking’ and writing in sentences could be a realistic long term target. Users frustrated by limited vocabs.
Key Features of CALLtalk
The Ingfield Dynamic Vocabularies (IDV) are a collection of 4 grid sets, developed by Speech Pathologists Sally Connor and Janet Larcher.
IDV is a topic-based system that place all the necessary elements of a sentence on one page. This makes IDV a quick and easy way to create complete sentences. IDV is organised in 4 levels, from A to D. As you go up through the levels, the number of cells on each page increases, allowing more vocabulary to be included on each page. Higher levels also include more topics and sub-topics. The layout of the grids is designed to allow easy progression from one level to the next. Grids can be customised or extended as much as required.
A download is available providing the fully functioning program for a 60 days trial. This will work on Windows PC. Not available for Mac. Feel free to call and discuss your interest, or any questions you may have once you have started your trial.
Minimum computer requirements:
Install or re-install Grid 2 on your computer. There is no need to uninstall The Grid 2. Please install over the top of previous versions. Grid 2 can be downloaded from the online installer or from a DVD supplied by Zyteq. Download from the Installer will always ensure you have the most up-to-date version. It is not possible to add the new voices using Sensory Update.
Supplied with
DVD
manual | on the CD in PDF format
Acapela speech synthesizer (Australian)
| Part Code | Part Name / Description | Price | GST | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| G2-5 | The Grid 2 Five User License The Grid 2 (FIVE user) Acapela speech synthesis. Widgit/Rebus & SymbolStix symbol libraries included. (supplied with Acapela Australian Tyler and Acapela Rachel UK English) 5 user licences are now available for PCS, but are not available for Australian Realspeak. Individual licenses must be purchased. |
$1440 | $0.00 | |
| G2-WPRS | WordPower Symbol for The Grid 2 WordPower Symbol for The Grid 2 - includes PCS license (The Grid not included) |
$705 | $0.00 | |
| G2-SNAPS | SNAPS photo library for The Grid 2 SNAPS photo library for The Grid 2, with free upgrades |
$115 | $0.00 | |
| G2-1-AU | The Grid 2 The Grid 2 (single user) Acapela speech synthesis. Widgit/Rebus & SymbolStix symbol libraries included. (supplied with Acapela Australian Tyler and Acapela Australian Lisa) |
$720 | $0.00 | |
| G2-REAL-OZ | Realspeak AU for The Grid 2 RealSpeak Australian adult voices (Male Lee and Female Karen for Grid 2 (available to add to The Grid 2) |
$200 | $0.00 | |
| G2-WPRT | WordPower Text for The Grid 2 WordPower Text for The Grid 2 (The Grid not included) (operates with Widgits or PCS in WordPower Symbol if you already have these) |
$455 | $0.00 | |
| G2-NET | The Grid 2 Network License Grid 2 network license - price on application |
POA | POA | |
| G2-PCS | PCS for The Grid 2 PCS (picture communication symbols) (available to add to The Grid 2) |
$245 | $0.00 | |
| G2-PCS-5 | PCS - 5 USER license - for Grid 2 PCS - 5 USER license (picture communication symbols) (available to add to The Grid 2) |
$490 | $0.00 | |
| G2-1-REAL | The Grid 2 with Realspeak AU The Grid 2 (single user) Acapela speech synthesis. Widgit/Rebus & SymbolStix symbol libraries included. (supplied with Acapela Australian Tyler and Acapela Australian Lisa - adult voices) and with Australian RealSpeak adult voices (Karen and Lee) |
$920 | $0.00 | |
| G2-PODD15 | PODD15 grid set single user license PODD15 grid set single user license (the Grid 2 and PCS required, and not included) |
$455 | $0.00 | |
| G2-CALL2 | CallTalk for the Grid 2 CallTalk vocabularies for The Grid 2 (Grid 2 not included) |
$455 | $0.00 | |
| G2-1-PCS | The Grid 2 with PCS The Grid 2 (single user) with PCS symbol library, also supplied standard with Acapela speech synthesis. Widgit/Rebus & SymbolStix symbol libraries included. (supplied with Acapela Australian Tyler and Acapela Australian Lisa). |
$920 | $0.00 | |
| SBK | Starting Blocks for The Grid 2 Starting Blocks vocabulary for The Grid 2 |
$455 | $0.00 | |
| 5-USER | 5 User License 5-user/site licenses are available for most programs - usually single user price x 2 PLEASE NOTE - 5 USER LICENSES ARE NOT AVAILABLE FOR AUSTRALIAN REALSPEAK. Please check individual pricing. |
POA | POA | |
| G2-ACAP-AUC | Child voices, Liam and Olivia (AU) (single license) for Grid 2 Acapela - Australian child voices, Liam and Olivia (single user/site license) for Grid 2 |
$140 | $0.00 | |
| G2-1-PCS-AR | The Grid 2 w/ PCS & Realspeak AU The Grid 2 (single user) with PCS symbol library, with Widgit/Rebus & SymbolStix symbol libraries included. (supplied with Acapela Australian Tyler and Acapela Australian Lisa) and RealSpeak Australian (Karen and Lee) |
$1095 | $0.00 | |
| SBKT | Starting Blocks with Toybox for The Grid 2 Starting Blocks vocabulary with Toybox for The Grid 2 |
$620 | $0.00 | |
| 20-USER | 20 User License 20-user/site licenses are available for most programs - usually single user price x 4 |
POA | POA | |
| G2-ACAP-AUC-5 | Child voices, Liam and Olivia (AU) (5-user/site license) for Grid 2 Software - Acapela - Australian child voices, Liam and Olivia (5-user/site license) for Grid 2 |
$280 | $0.00 | |
| IDV2 | Ingfield Dynamic Vocabularies for The Grid 2 Ingfield Dynamic Vocabularies for The Grid 2 |
$455 | $0.00 | |
| G2-1-AU-USB | Software - The Grid 2 (USB portable single user) Software - The Grid 2 (portable single user) “Widgit” & SymbolStix symbol libraries; Acapela AU Tyler and Lisa on USB storage. |
$720 | $0.00 |
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Grid Player is a free App for the ipad, iPhone or iPod Touch. It is downloaded from the iTunes store. The Grid 2 is a Windows program...