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Giving a voice to children who struggle to communicate.

SAW: Frequently Asked Questions

This page contains answers to the most commonly-asked questions about our SAW software. For technical support, try our SAW support pages.

Why is SAW free?

We took the decision to make SAW freely available so that it would be of benefit to those who needed switch access but couldn't afford the fees of a similar commercial product. It's also difficult for us to justify any large fee for such software as, unlike more task-specific software such as WordAid, we can't guarantee the kind of extensive backup and technical support needed for such a far-reaching utility.

What equipment do I need to use SAW?

If you're using switches with the SAW software, you'll need a switch interface. This is a box or cable that plugs into your computer's PS2 or USB socket. You then plug your switches into the interface box. Example of suitable interface boxes are the USB Box from Crick Software and Don Johnston's PS/2 Switch Box.

What switch scanning options are available?

Along with a choice of four different selection and scanning methods, you can fine tune all the scanning time and delay settings. The scanning methods available are as follows:

  • One switch Autoscan
  • Two switch Autoscan
  • One switch Userscan
  • Two switch Userscan with or without swap switch option
  • Two switch Single-step scan with or without swap switch option

What other input methods can I use?

Keys on the keyboard can be used as switches, and selection sets can also be accessed with a trackerball, mouse or headpointer by using either click or dwell select (where hovering the pointer over a selection set item for a set period of time will initiate a mouse click).

Can I use speech software with SAW?

SAW has speech capability (Microsoft SAPI 4 and SAPI 5 compliant), which encompasses many languages.

Which graphic formats does SAW accept?

More graphic formats than before: JPEG and GIF, WMF and EMF, CUR and ICO. Graphics are importable from anywhere on your computer system.

Can I use sound files with SAW?

Yes. WAV sound files can be added to selection set items.

giving the gift of communication