A mother of two autistic children creates a picture-based app that helps non-verbal individuals find their voice

Launched in 2010, Grace App is a picture-based communication tool designed for people with autism or speech delays who struggle with traditional methods of expressing their needs. Before Grace App, families often carried heavy folders of picture cards—difficult to manage and hard to keep updated. Lisa Domican, a mother of two children with full autism, learned this firsthand. Her son, Liam, found his voice using picture exchange cards, speaking his first words after months of careful practice. But her daughter, Gracie, took much longer and relied on a large collection of picture cards to express what she wanted—such as “eight black triangle toast.” Inspired by this experience, Lisa looked for a more portable and flexible solution.

The result was the Grace App, which stores a basic vocabulary of foods, places, colors, shapes, and more on an iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch. Users can add their own photos to customize the system. By selecting images to form a sentence and showing the device to a listener, the user prompts the listener to speak the words out loud. This encourages the user to attempt the words too, turning each exchange into a clear, rewarding communication. Over time, users learn that expressing themselves leads to understanding, comfort, and independence. With its lightweight design and the ability to take and add photos on the spot, Grace App remains accessible and useful wherever they go. Rather than replacing speech, it supports the gradual, steady growth of real spoken language and social interaction.

Adapted from:
https://www.socialentrepreneurs.ie/lisa-domican-grace-app/
https://www.autismawareness.com.au/aupdate/the-story-of-the-grace-app

For more information:
http://www.graceapp.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYe2Vp6YxK4