Communication & senses · England
Symbols and other ways to share a message
Your browser or device provides the reading voice.
You do not have to write by hand to share a message.
Different ways work for different people.
Your message matters
You may want to share an idea, a feeling or a question.
You can say no.
You can change your mind.
What is a symbol?
A symbol is a picture or shape with a meaning.
It can show a thing, an action or an idea.
You may need help to learn its meaning.
Blissymbols
Blissymbols use shapes to show words and ideas.
You can put symbols together to make a message.
The links below show examples.
Other symbol collections
Widgit and PCS are other kinds of symbols.
PCS means Picture Communication Symbols.
ARASAAC and Mulberry also have symbols you can explore.
Makaton and Talking Mats
Makaton uses symbols, signs and speech.
Talking Mats can help you show your views about a topic.
Ask for help to try these ways of communicating.
Photos and drawings
You might use photos of people and places you know.
You might draw a picture to share an idea.
Choose pictures that make sense to you.
Objects you can feel
Some people use objects to communicate.
An object can have a meaning you learn.
Ask for help if pictures are hard to see or understand.
Use a book or a device
You might use a book or board with symbols.
A device can speak a message you choose.
You might type or record yourself speaking.
Other people should listen
They should give you time.
They should check what you mean.
They should not choose your answer for you.
Ask for help to choose
A speech and language therapist can help.
Ask to try different ways to communicate.
Tell them what feels easy or difficult.
Check costs and rules
Some resources are free.
Some cost money.
There may be rules about copying and sharing symbols.
Keep learning together
People who support you need to learn your way of communicating.
Keep using methods that work for you.
Ask for changes when you need them.
What you can do next
You can explore the links with someone you trust.
Use the blank page to record what you want to try.
Find out about Blissymbols Web pageThis link opens another website.
It may use harder words.
More useful links
- BCI: what are Blissymbols? Web page
An introduction to the graphical language, with examples. Standard text.
- BCI: Bliss vocabulary and downloads Web page
Browse the 2026 authorised vocabulary and download reference files. Some files are large. Check reuse terms.
- BCI: learning how Bliss works Web page
Workshop material about using and combining symbols. Standard text; support may help.
- Widgit: symbol resources Web page
Symbol materials for different situations. Some are free; others require payment or software. Check age suitability and permission to share.
- Tobii Dynavox: PCS and Boardmaker symbols Web page
Explore Picture Communication Symbols and their licensing. Software and some licences cost money.
- ARASAAC: search for pictograms Web page
Search for communication pictures. Select English if needed. Non-commercial and other licence conditions apply.
- Mulberry: symbols designed for adults Web page
Free symbol downloads with attribution and share-alike requirements. Includes large files.
- The Makaton Charity: signs and symbols Web page
How symbols, signs and speech can be used together. Links to official information.
- Sense: objects of reference Web page
Using meaningful objects to communicate through touch and shared experiences.
- Communication Matters: getting an assessment Web page
Information about choosing communication support and finding an assessment service.
These links open other websites.
They may use harder words.
Blissymbols, pictures and alternatives to writing — Easy Read
Explore Blissymbols and other symbol systems, photographs, objects and communication tools. Find ways to share messages without handwriting and ask for suitable support.
England · Communication, symbol resources and alternatives to handwriting
More than handwriting
You can share ideas without writing by hand. Options include arranging symbols, choosing photographs, drawing, typing or recording a spoken message. Someone may help record your message, then check it with you in a way you understand. Communication aids can use pictures, words or both. Support with reading and spelling can continue alongside symbols; needing symbols does not mean you must give up learning written words.
What are Blissymbols?
Blissymbolics, often called Blissymbols or Bliss, is a graphical language. Simple shapes represent things and ideas. Smaller characters combine into words, and words can form messages and sentences. It includes abstract ideas and grammar, rather than only pictures of objects. It can be used by adults and children, including people who do not read conventional print. Its meanings and combinations need learning; do not assume a person understands a symbol just by seeing it.
Find Bliss examples and learning resources
Blissymbolics Communication International, or BCI, provides an introduction, a workshop and an authorised vocabulary. Its 2026 vocabulary page includes English labels, an online spreadsheet and downloadable files. These are reference and learning resources, not a personal assessment or a complete communication plan. Explore real examples with the person and someone who understands the system. Check BCI’s current licence and attribution requirements before copying or adapting its symbols.
Widgit and Picture Communication Symbols
Widgit symbols can support text and communication. Widgit offers software and ready-made materials, with a mixture of free and paid resources. Picture Communication Symbols, or PCS, are a different collection from Tobii Dynavox, used in products including Boardmaker and TD Snap. Both collections represent ideas as well as objects. Ask to see examples and check the software, printing and sharing costs before choosing. Buying access does not automatically allow unlimited public reuse.
ARASAAC and Mulberry
ARASAAC provides pictograms and resources, including English search. Its resources use a Creative Commons licence with attribution, non-commercial and share-alike conditions: free to download does not mean unrestricted use. Mulberry is an adult-oriented communication symbol collection available under Creative Commons BY-SA 4.0. It requires attribution and the same licence for adapted symbols. Both can be useful starting points to explore with the person. Check each resource’s terms and whether its pictures are meaningful to them.
Makaton symbols and Talking Mats
Makaton uses symbols as well as signs and speech. Symbols can help someone who cannot or prefers not to sign. Talking Mats is a structured way to explore feelings and views using a topic, options and a visual scale. These approaches have their own guidance and training. A symbol collection and a way of using symbols are different things. Talking Mats does not replace every part of someone’s everyday communication. See the linked communication guide for more.
Photographs, drawings and objects
A photograph can show your own friend, home or favourite place. A drawing may help explain an experience. Some people use objects, or parts of objects, with an agreed meaning; this can be useful when pictures are hard to see or understand. Meanings need to be learnt through shared experiences. Ask for advice about touch and sensory access. Obtain permission before sharing private photographs, and choose images that respect the person’s age, culture and interests.
Use symbols to express your own ideas
Examples to explore include a message to a friend, a shopping list, a diary entry or wishes for a planning meeting. Make space for more than requests: jokes, opinions, questions, refusal and changing your mind matter too. A supporter should not choose the message for you. Ask them to check what you mean instead of guessing. A board with only two options may not include what you actually want to say.
Make the method accessible
Discuss symbol size, spacing, contrast, vision, movement, seating and tiredness. Some people select by touch, eye gaze or a switch; others use an agreed signal while a partner offers options. Ask for an assessment of the access method rather than assuming everyone can point. Familiar words can remain alongside symbols. Keep a usable alternative available when an electronic aid is charging or broken.
Try it with support
Ask a speech and language therapist to help you choose and try a system. Allow time for learning and use it during real activities. Supporters need to learn it too. Record what works, what is difficult and what the person wants changed. Do not replace a familiar system simply because a different one is available. Adding pictures to difficult text does not automatically make the information understandable.
Getting help and paying for support
In England, ask your local speech and language therapy service about an AAC assessment. Your GP or community learning disability team can help identify the route. Communication Matters explains assessment services. Funding may be local or through specialist services, depending on individual needs and eligibility. Ask about trials, equipment, software, staff training, maintenance and review. A particular product is not automatically funded. The linked staff training and therapy funding guides explain how to raise these costs in a support plan.
Words you could use
“I want a way to share my own messages without relying on handwriting. Please help me try suitable symbols or other methods, explain the costs and agree what support I need.”
More useful links
- BCI: what are Blissymbols? Web page
An introduction to the graphical language, with examples. Standard text.
- BCI: Bliss vocabulary and downloads Web page
Browse the 2026 authorised vocabulary and download reference files. Some files are large. Check reuse terms.
- BCI: learning how Bliss works Web page
Workshop material about using and combining symbols. Standard text; support may help.
- Widgit: symbol resources Web page
Symbol materials for different situations. Some are free; others require payment or software. Check age suitability and permission to share.
- Tobii Dynavox: PCS and Boardmaker symbols Web page
Explore Picture Communication Symbols and their licensing. Software and some licences cost money.
- ARASAAC: search for pictograms Web page
Search for communication pictures. Select English if needed. Non-commercial and other licence conditions apply.
- Mulberry: symbols designed for adults Web page
Free symbol downloads with attribution and share-alike requirements. Includes large files.
- The Makaton Charity: signs and symbols Web page
How symbols, signs and speech can be used together. Links to official information.
- Sense: objects of reference Web page
Using meaningful objects to communicate through touch and shared experiences.
- Communication Matters: getting an assessment Web page
Information about choosing communication support and finding an assessment service.
These links open other websites.
They may use harder words.
Where the information comes from
Links checked 7 November 2026.
These links open other websites.
They may use harder words.
- BCI: about Blissymbolics Web page
Meaning-based characters, combinations, messages and uses.
- BCI: authorised vocabulary 2026 Web page
Official vocabulary, reference formats and downloads.
- BCI: licensing Web page
Check current reuse and attribution requirements before reproducing symbols.
- Widgit: introduction to symbols Web page
Symbols, concepts and support for written information.
- Widgit: resource catalogue Web page
Free and paid resources and file requirements.
- Widgit: copyright guidance Web page
Conditions for distributing symbol materials.
- Tobii Dynavox: PCS Web page
PCS, Boardmaker, TD Snap and licensing.
- ARASAAC: terms of use Web page
Attribution, non-commercial and share-alike conditions.
- Mulberry Symbols Web page
Adult-oriented symbols, downloads and Creative Commons BY-SA 4.0.
- The Makaton Charity: how Makaton works Web page
Signs, symbols and speech; symbols for people who do not sign.
- Talking Mats: the visual framework Web page
Topics, options and a visual scale for expressing views.
- Communication Matters: communication without technology Web page
Objects, photographs and other communication options.
- Communication Matters: assessment services Web page
Assessment, access methods, services and funding routes.
- RCSLT: AAC overview Web page
Personalised systems, communication partners, learning and review.
- Sense: communication aids Web page
Paper-based and electronic communication, pictures and voice output.
- Sense: objects of reference Web page
Personal meaning, sensory access and consistent use of objects.
A page for you to fill in
You can type your answers and download a copy.
You can also print a page to write or draw on.
Someone you trust can help you.