This is a W3C registry of symbols used in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). It is co-published with Blissymbolics Communication International and contains their full set of authorized symbols. With over 5000 symbols, this set can function as a basis for semantic mappings between different AAC symbol sets in use around the world, using the entries in this registry to identify common meanings. This functionality is necessary for interoperable implementation of the WAI-Adapt: Symbols Module (draft symbols module, currently part of the WAI-ADAPT: Content Module [[adapt-content]]). This registry is available for other use cases as well.

Introduction

The symbol attribute identifies the concept for symbols used in AAC devices, etc., for users who comprehend content more effectively when AAC (rather than just natural language alone) is used to convey meaning. The symbols are an alternative vocabulary, and multiple symbol sets exist today.

The symbol attribute accepts a numeric reference number.

A personalization agent can then augment or translate User Interfaces by:

• converting text to symbols,
• facilitating symbol-set translation: loading alternative, locally stored symbols that the user is familiar with, so they do not have to learn new symbols across different applications.

In some languages words and symbols are conjugated with sex or tense. In these cases more than one value may be needed to map to a symbol. Authors should join values that map to a single conjugated word with a plus (+) sign (with no spaces between the values). See best practices for symbol values.

When there is more than one concept that is not part of a single conjugated term, multiple concepts can be referenced by separating them with white space. The order of multiple concepts should be the same as used in typical speech in the natural language of the content.

This document provides reference numbers and symbols for symbol attribute.

Symbols Entry Requirements

This W3C Registry specification relies on the de facto industry standard for associating verbal and textual concepts with specific symbols in commonly used Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) symbol sets as developed by Blissymbolics Communication International (BCI). Additions and extensions to the symbol and concept cross reference index are performed by time-tested BCI processes before they are migrated into this W3C Registry.

There are three elements to this registry, two of which may have multiple representations as described below.

1. A fixed integer numeric value denotes an index reference by which the following two other elements may be reliably cross-referenced. This is the BCI index value.
2. The BCI index value references a text-based expression capturing the concept being indexed. At this time we provide only English-based concept equivalents, but support for other languages is anticipated in future revisions of this specification. This expression assists authoring tools in identifying the appropriate index value to be associated with some span of text such as a word or a phrase.
3. The BCI index value also cross-references at least one SVG image, or pointer to an SVG image, capturing the concept being indexed in a specific Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) symbol set. This identifies which symbol a user agent should display with, or in lieu of text content. As there are multiple symbol sets in use (which are not mutually comprehensible to AAC users), it is anticipated that the user agent will preload a library of AAC symbols for the set indicated by the user's configured preference.

Symbol Registry

JSON registry data