Who we are

AssistiveWare's journey started more than 20 years ago when Giesbert, a friend of our founder and CEO David, became paralyzed in a car accident. He needed a way to use his computer. David took on the challenge and developed an on-screen keyboard. Giesbert could now access his Mac, use Photoshop, and pick up graphic design again. This keyboard became our first product: KeyStrokes.

We're now leading assistive technology pioneers. We are committed to helping people with communication difficulties through technology and implementation support.

Our headquarters is a beautifully renovated historic building in the heart of Amsterdam. Our team spans three continents, with over ten nationalities and two office cats.

What we do

We want to help build a world without communication barriers. We are proud to collaborate with our community to make sure our apps best serve their needs. Our users play a crucial role in who we are.

Our key milestones:

  • 2002: Developed the first universal access solution for Mac OS X, KeyStrokes
  • 2009: Released Proloquo2Go, the first full-featured Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) app for iOS
  • 2012: Developed the world’s first genuine children’s Text-to-Speech voices together with Acapela Group
  • 2015: Created the first fully bilingual symbol-based AAC solution
  • 2016: AssistiveWare Core Word Classroom was born. Today over 10,000 people use this resource to learn AAC best practices
  • 2018: Following the latest research as well as our AAC user interviews, we launched Learn AAC, a collection of AAC articles delivered in 4 languages.
  • 2019: Released simPODD the first English PODD solution that brings the digital page sets and printing experience together into one app.
  • 2021: Released Proloquo and Proloquo Coach in Australia and New Zealand. This duo of AAC apps is designed to guide and support in expanding users' communication.
  • 2022: Launched Proloquo and Proloquo Coach globally in English with five data-driven, locally relevant vocabularies for United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, and UK and Ireland.

We know there is more to do, so we'll continue to innovate and collaborate. We look forward to sharing our progress with you!

Contact us

We welcome you to get in touch with us at any time.