6.1 The "Boardmaker" Noun The success of the Boardmaker CD was so profound that the brand name became a genericized trademark in the education sector. Teachers often referred to any visual support as "the Boardmaker," regardless of whether it was made with the software. This linguistic shift highlights the software's monopoly on the visual support market for decades.
6.2 The Role in Literacy Critically, Boardmaker moved beyond disability. The PCS library was adopted in early childhood education and ESL (English as a Second Language) classrooms. The simplicity of the icons served as a scaffold for emerging literacy, helping neurotypical children associate text with images.
6.3 The Counter-Movement: Open Source and Diversity While Boardmaker remained dominant, the cost of the CD (often hundreds of dollars) spurred the creation of open-source alternatives. Projects like OpenAAC and free repositories such as Arasaac began offering Creative Commons-licensed symbols. This movement challenged the proprietary nature of communication symbols, arguing that language—especially for the disabled—should not be owned by a single corporation.
Product: Boardmaker (CD-ROM Edition)
Developer: Mayer-Johnson (now Tobii Dynavox)
Era: Late 1990s – mid 2000s (peak) boardmaker cd
A legendary tool that transformed low-tech AAC. Clunky by today’s standards, but in its prime, Boardmaker CD was as essential to a special ed classroom as a laminator and a Velcro dot. If you find one in a school closet, keep it for nostalgia – but for daily work, use Boardmaker Online.
Would you like a shorter version for a review site or an excerpt for a blog?
The versatility of the Boardmaker CD is what made it legendary. Here are the most common ways it is used: A legendary tool that transformed low-tech AAC
Today, Boardmaker CDs are obsolete. They require Windows XP/Vista/7 or Mac OS 9 / early OS X. Modern 64‑bit Windows and macOS cannot run them natively. However, some dedicated educators still run them inside virtual machines (VirtualBox with Windows XP) to access the classic PCS library without a subscription.
In the 2010s, the Assistive Technology industry underwent a massive transformation driven by two factors: the ubiquity of mobile tablets (iPad) and the transition to Software-as-a-Service (SaaS).
5.1 Tobii Dynavox Acquisition Mayer-Johnson was acquired by Tobii Dynavox, a leader in eye-tracking technology and SGDs. This acquisition signaled a shift in philosophy. The Boardmaker software was no longer just a desktop publishing tool; it was to be the content engine for high-tech devices. Would you like a shorter version for a
5.2 Boardmaker Online and the Death of the CD The launch of Boardmaker Online marked the beginning of the end for the Boardmaker CD. This cloud-based platform allowed users to create materials on any device with a browser. It offered features impossible on a CD: real-time collaboration, shared global libraries, and instant play on iPads. The transition was not without controversy. The subscription model (paying monthly/annually) replaced the one-time purchase of a CD. For many districts, this shifted budgeting from capital expenditure (CAPEX) to operational expenditure (OPEX), creating financial strain despite the improved functionality.
For the sake of archival education, here is the workflow a teacher would follow in 2002 using the Boardmaker CD:
That printed board could last for five years. That is the legacy of the CD—durability.
Mayer-Johnson has updated the PCS library significantly, adding diverse skin tones and modern technology (smartphones, laptops). However, many therapists argue that the old CD symbols were more concrete. The classic "computer" symbol looked like a beige CRT monitor. For a cognitively impaired student, that old symbol is actually more recognizable than a modern tablet icon. You cannot download the 1998 symbol set legally except via a vintage CD.