Symbols
How widely are Symbols used?
Symbols have been used in almost all special schools for approximately 20 years and are very well established. They are used to support children with communication and learning difficulties. In turn, this improves their confidence and literacy skills.
So anyone who has attended these schools will be familiar with symbols. Many adult centres and service providers also use symbols as an essential aid to information.
The Widgit Literacy Symbols are used extensively throughout Europe, North America and Australasia. The WLS database has been translated into 15 languages.
Now, the Widgit Literacy Symbols are becoming more popular in mainstream education, to support inclusion and help struggling readers. The Symbols Inclusion Project (SIP) is a partnership between Widgit and Warwickshire Local Authority, looking at the effects of using symbols in a mainstream setting. For more information on the SIP project, you can download a copy of the SIP booklet:
www.widgit.com/SIPpamphlet.pdf
