sinéad's lifestream

As promised the HTC Legend (thank you Meteor) is now up for auction on ebay. Proceeds from this eBay auction will be donated to the Irish Autism Action charity. The reason I choose this charity is because I wanted to highlight the need for the donation and recycling of used iPhones and iPod Touch, for children with Autism, so they can avail of the incredible Grace App – Picture Exchange for Non-Verbal People

A simple picture exchange system developed by and for non-verbal people allowing the user to communicate their needs by building sentences from relevant images. It can be customised by the individual using their picture and photo vocabulary with the user taking photos and saving pictures to the app.

The application works in real time and allows the user to select their preferences, then rotate the device to present a full sized sentence to the listener – who will read it with them and respond to their request.

The beauty of Grace is that it ensures the interaction of the user with the listener, and mutual understanding of the user’s real needs help to increase communication opportunities and build trust.

The Grace app helps children with autism better develop their communications skills and is available in the App Store worldwide. It was developed by Lisa Domican in conjunction with software developer Steve Troughton-Smith, and with the support of O2 Ireland. The lovely Lisa has blogged about the development of the app and also about the benefits it has brought to her own children which is a great way to demonstrate the importance of such an app. The Grace App is now even available on the iPad, which is fantastic for anyone with motor problems, such as stroke victims.

If you have an old iPhone/iPod Touch or are thinking of upgrading, please consider donating your old iPhone/iPod Touch to a child with autism by contacting Lisa via email: hammiesaysATgmailDOTcom

You can also contact the Irish Autism Action charity direct about iPhone/iPod Touch donation, or you can donate to them directly via the I Want My Iphone for Autisim MyCharity.ie page.

You can learn more about Autism Action on their Blog Award winning group blog.