Innovation

Proloquo is an Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) accessible to the public through the app store of any iOS device as of 2021. Created in collaboration with speech-language pathologists, parents, and other therapeutic service providers, AssistiveWare’s Proloquo is an easy, inviting, and straightforward AAC software for users of all ages and abilities. The concept of the app is simple - users press buttons displayed on the app which are then verbalized to their audience. Each button has a corresponding image, providing users with visual stimuli to help with understanding and acquiring new vocabulary. Use of the app allows users to engage with people and the world around them. Building on its predecessor, Proloquo2Go, AssistiveWare’s Proloquo provides users with more buttons in quantity, buttons that utilize more inclusive language, and a wider variety of buttons used by members of society each and every day. Proloquo2Go, utilized specific categories in its layout; for example, “bread” can be found by selecting things, then food, and then breakfast food. For many cultures, bread is eaten for lunch or dinner rather than breakfast. To respect the differing cultural and religious practices of its users, Proloquo categorizes its buttons in a more scientific way. Bread, for example, can be found under carbs instead of breakfast foods as not everyone eats bread for breakfast. The app, which earned the App Store Award for Cultural Impact in 2023, also includes more inclusive language, offering users buttons about nationality, disability, gender identity, religious affiliations, ethnicity, sexual orientation and race.

One important component not seen in its predecessor lies in the uniformity of Proloquo’s grid size. Users of Proloquo are presented with one uniform grid size that cannot be changed with buttons that cannot be removed. Although users can add as many buttons as they would like to customize the app, AssistiveWare felt it was important for users to have access to all of the same vocabulary they may need to engage with the world around them. Having the ability to change the grid size and delete buttons limits one’s access to communication, as it is typically communication partners of users removing buttons from the app for users without consultation.

Inspiration

To communicate is a privilege many take for granted. For some, communication is as easy as generating a thought and then verbalizing it; Product Manager, Olga Reutelingsperger, notes that for others communication is not so black and white. Reutelingsperger notes that AssistiveWare saw the need to “provide opportunities for persons to communicate who otherwise experience difficulty doing so.” Staying true to the company’s value of inclusion through accessible communication, AssistiveWare developed a high-tech AAC software known as Proloquo2Go, released in 2009 as the first high-tech Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) app released to the public with the goal of “democratiz[ing] access to AAC … [and making] AAC an effective and accepted means of communication” (Reutelingsperger). The app verbalizes words clicked on by the user, quite literally giving them a voice. These words are found in the form of buttons on the screen, which can be displayed to the user in a variety of layouts, 23 to be exact, from a grid of 2 by 4 (8 buttons) to 7 by 11 (77 buttons). Reutelingsperger explains that the software was made specifically for children, many of whom are Autistic; the software itself can be beneficial for persons of all ages and abilities, reinforcing AssistiveWare’s value of inclusion. The software can be used to communicate and to teach communication as well by modeling language for users they can use in their day-to-day lives. The layout of presented buttons can be changed based on the user’s age, skills set, interests, etc. Users can customize buttons with the names and faces of loved ones, their favorite catchphrase from a television show, the lessons they learn in school, etc. The options are endless.

AssistiveWare saw great success in Proloquo2Go, providing a voice for users across the lifespan. The company has made various updates to its app throughout the years given user feedback and acquired knowledge of all things communication. Even with the great successes of Proloquo2Go, with positive reviews from speech-language pathologists to parents and pediatrics alike, AssistiveWare continued identifying changes and improvements needed to make the software better align with its mission to be more inclusive, ethically and culturally sensitive. Rather than implementing big changes to the existing software and therefore “impacting already successful users of Proloquo2Go,” AssistiveWare utilized the knowledge it gained since 2009 to create a new app called Proloquo. This app is made with the “AAC user at the heart of everything [done]” and “make[s] communication accessible for all” (Reutelingsperger).

Overall impact

Simply put, Proloquo helps AssistiveWare create a more inclusive world. Proloquo is a tool “that makes it easy to start using AAC, but with everything in term for [the] long-term” (Reutelingsperger). The app supplements, promotes, frames, and generates communication for all regardless of age, ability, gender, and religion. Looking in the short-term, AssistiveWare aims to help people see the benefits of AAC for users and communication partners. It hopes to educate users about what AAC is, why it is important, and specifically how Proloquo is a solution for many out there who experience difficulty with communication, a process that is subconscious for many of us. The companion app of Proloquo, called Proloquo Coach, is a perfect example of educating others (parents and caregivers) about AAC, its versatility, and how the public can become better communication partners to AAC users.

Thinking about the long-term, AssistiveWare hopes people using Proloquo will access more communication and a broader range of it in their day-to-day lives. Its static layout and foundational vocabulary bank (that cannot be deleted) provides users with the vocabulary to interact with the world around them daily. From words about animals and food, to more complex language regarding feelings and gender identity, Proloquo provides users with access to a vast amount of language, including words they know as well as those they are not yet familiar with. Proloquo is a powerful tool to help people become better communicators and communication partners to users, therefore reducing inequalities across the board. Users will finally have a voice to feel seen and heard, both figuratively and metaphorically. AssistiveWare promotes this by listening to the feedback and experiences of Proloquo users, communication partners, educators, and service providers.

Business benefit

AssistiveWare is a for-profit company whose revenue stream lies mainly in the revenue earned from selling Proloquo and Proloquo2Go. Since the release of Proloquo2Go in 2009, AssistiveWare has grown in size, products, services, and impact. Recognizing that no market is forever secure, AssistiveWare has a financial buffer in place to ensure salaries can be met even if margins are not necessarily met. Even with its immense growth since 2009, AssistiveWare as a company employs under 60 people worldwide as of June 2024, meaning they have less expenses for employee or executive salaries when compared to larger tech companies. Many of the company’s employees live in Amsterdam where the company headquarters are located. With a smaller group located in Ukraine and individuals working from home around the globe, AssistiveWare has employees in every timezone to ensure customers have 24/7 access to ask questions and seek help with products or services. The company’s main markets are found in the United States and Australia, serving customers in countries in between. Having users and employees worldwide has allowed AssistiveWare to improve global collaboration and increase cultural as well as religious knowledge.

While the app is available to the public for purchase, AssistiveWare has made Proloquo and Proloquo2Go available to educators and service providers for free. This business strategy allows professionals to introduce the app to users and utilize it in assessing or treating clients, increasing the likelihood that clients will go out and purchase the app for themselves or their loved ones. Proloquo has also recently shifted to be a subscription based app rather than a one-time payment app, meaning customers pay expected and consistent payments overtime to use the app instead of paying once to have it forever. Proloquo2Go has been available for purchase in the app store since its release, meaning there are users who paid a one-time fee and have access to all updates and 24/7 customer support that comes along with the app. Adopting a subscription format for Proloquo allows AssistiveWare to work towards increasing its market while meeting margins needed to pay salaries and stay in business. Of note, AssistiveWare has no stakeholders outside of the company owners. With no investors seeking grand margins/profits, AssistiveWare can make decisions with their values of inclusion and leading by example in mind.

Social and environmental benefit

With Proloquo, AssistiveWare strives to make both social and environmental impacts across the globe. Their actions are made with the environment in mind and society at its heart. For the former, it is important to note that Proloquo is not a device but a high-tech software, meaning the company is not selling a tangible good that can be discarded or end up in a landfill. Although the company knows it is impossible to be carbon neutral, AssistiveWare continues working to lessen paper files and tangible trails that could consume vital resources resulting from processes that harm planet Earth (e.g. paper from deforestation). Consumers will not be able to use Proloquo or see its advantages if there is no planet to house its users. As previously stated, AssistiveWare is headquartered out of Amsterdam with no other physical offices anywhere in the world. Employees who do not work out of the company headquarters work from their homes, lessening the company’s environmental footprint in building an office building, acquiring furniture containing non-recyclable resources, producing a greater carbon footprint in the form of utilities (e.g. running water, electricity), etc.

For the former, Proloquo’s earning of the App Store Award for Cultural Impact in 2023 highlights Proloquo’s work towards bettering society and promoting inclusivity for all. The product itself presents users with language not previously seen in AAC softwares, particularly regarding religion, sexuality, and religion. It encourages equality in giving users of all ages, sexual orientations, cultural or religious beliefs an even playing ground, presenting them all with the same core vocabulary, layout, and functions. More specifically, withholding the ability to delete core vocabulary ensures all users are provided with the same language across the board. These buttons are also presented in a culturally-sensitive layout that considers cultural beliefs and practices. Some, for example, consider chickens to be pets as opposed to food. On Proloquo, chicken is found under animals as well as proteins recognizing that some children have chickens as pets, some eat it at breakfast or lunch rather than just dinner, etc. Above all else, AssistiveWare listens to the feedback from users, communication partners, and professionals in Facebook groups, user checks, etc. that help create community amongst every person involved from product design to usage. The world is a better place with Proloquo in it.

Interview

Olga Reutelingsperger, Product Manager