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NEW BOARD LOGGING FORMAT ADDED!

In addition to having an industry-wide format for board contents, we also
believe that logging files can benefit from a standard file format. So we have
created the Open Board Logging Format (.obl) for organizations to use when
exporting user logs. It even has built-in anonymization to support log sharing
for research purposes. Check it out in the docs section!




A BOARD FORMAT FOR EVERYONE

Some individuals struggle communicating, and need help from technology to get
their words out. AAC apps and devices are tools that show lists of words or
phrases tied to a speech-generator. The word lists, often shown as a grid of
buttons, are called communication boards. It's a powerful way to enable
self-expression for individuals with complex communication needs.

Over time these boards get tweaked and heavily individualized with new words,
sub-boards, and personal pictures, and the communicator gets used to the
placement and styling of the content on their boards. This is great -- so long
as the user doesn't need to switch apps or devices.

photo by Devin Adams, CC By
photo by OiMax, CC By


COMMUNICATION BOARDS SHOULD BE PORTABLE

See, there are dozens of different AAC options available, and many cater to a
specific age group or functional level. Some don't let you back up your boards
at all, and the ones that do usually rely on a proprietary file format, which
means you can't take your boards and pictures with you when you decide to try
another app.

Why when a person switches AAC apps do they have to spend hours copying and
pasting to get their personalized boards rebuilt in the new app?


COMMUNICATION BOARDS SHOULD BE SHAREABLE

On top of that, sharing boards and templates is either not possible, or limited
to only people using the same device, brand or app. Nobody wants to create new
boards from scratch (especially when something similar has probably been created
by ten other people), and some vendors host public board repositories, but often
there are licensing and usage restrictions that make it unclear what uses are
allowed.

Why isn't it easier to share an activity-based board or an entire vocabulary
without first saying, "wait, what system are you using?"

photo by Jérôme Choain, CC By


INTRODUCING THE OPEN BOARD FORMAT

.obf and .obz files are simple files that contain all the configuration
necessary to import communication boards onto a device or tablet running AAC
software. The format is fully documented, encourages usage and attribution
definitions within the file, and is open-licensed.

That means that any provider can easily leverage .obf files in their AAC apps --
and we hope they will! The more providers who get on board, the better it will
be for everyone because it will keep communication boards from getting so stuck.
If your AAC provider doesn't import or export .obf files, we'd encourage you to
encourage them to do so.

If you'd like to learn more, check out the links below. Also, please help us
spread the good word. The only way this is going to happen is if enough of us
get behind it enough to make it happen, so thank you for getting involved!


SPREAD THE WORD

See examples of some ways you can help make .obf a reality.


READ THE DOCS

If you're feeling technical, you can review and provide feedback on the file
format itself.


SEE SOME EXAMPLES

You can see side-by-side examples of .obf files and how they would look when
printed off as pdfs.


CONVERT A FILE

Convert a support file to .obf or .pdf, validate an .obf file, or use our
translation tool.


OpenBoards is open source, powered by OpenAAC