Boston Celebrates the Arrival of Bilingual Communication Boards, Honoring Linguistic Diversity and Inclusion
Boston marks a significant step towards communication inclusion and linguistic inclusivity with the unveiling of 28 new communication boards, 24 of which are bilingual, enhancing the city’s public spaces. This initiative, led by Barbara Fernandes, a Brazilian-American immigrant and CEO of Smarty Symbols, reflects the city's commitment to embracing its multicultural residents and visitors. - November 09, 2023
Texas Company Helping to Make Waterparks, Public Pools and Splash Pads More Inclusive for Non-Speaking Children
Communication boards are an invaluable resource for children with autism and non-speaking children, allowing them to express themselves without verbal speech. Now, a Texas-based organization is helping making all public spaces, including waterparks, public pools and splash pads more inclusive with custom communication boards. - February 21, 2023
North Texas Siblings Donate Communication Board to Their First School
Three Rowlett residents, a mom and her two kids, are breaking communication barriers for children in their hometown. Two of the youngest donors previously attended the preschool program for children with disabilities at that school: Victor and Alice. Their mother, Barbara Fernandes, a speech-language pathologist and founder of a special education technology company, designed the picture symbols and the communication board itself. - May 13, 2022
A New Portal for Creating Visual Support for Children with Special Needs
In late 2014, Smarty Symbols, a Dallas-based company, released its website to the public which allows teachers, parents and therapists to access over thirteen thousand images, download them or create visual support materials directly on the portal. - March 01, 2015