Communication Aid for Non-English Speaking Newcomers

This research work is intended to assess the usability of Pictogram symbols and other visual symbols in an audio-visual strategy to facilitate and enhance the use and learning of English as an additional language for Arabic-speaking Syrian refugees, with a potential for generalizing the process to speakers from other linguistic backgrounds. The adopted software for the project is PICTOPAGES, a versatile tool with 2,200 symbols, 78 animated symbols, and the potential for customization with photographs, thus augmenting its capability for personalization and relevance. While PICTOPAGES is the intended basis for this research, the concept and software will be adapted and modified as may be required. PICTOPAGES includes text, recorded speech, and symbols and is currently available for iPad. In the future, it may be adapted for use on iPhone. A preliminary design using PICTOPAGES has been created for this research. The focus group includes, but is not limited to, newcomers who may have limited to no English skills, limited resources, limited education, and potentially limited literacy in their native language, and perhaps high levels of distraction and frustration related to their recent experiences. Enhanced communication capability and confidence should enhance the participants employment potential. Extensive interaction with respect to communication requirements, selection or development of readily understandable symbols, and real-world testing would be undertaken with an intended user group. A potential subset of the focus group could involve members of the refugee community that, in addition to English language limitations, also have developmental or acquired disabilities that affect their ability to communicate verbally (per the original intent of the software).