So, the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). Let’s just say it’s an… experience. Often, it feels like navigating a labyrinth designed by someone who’s never actually met a person with a disability. We’ve all been there, right? Stuck in endless paperwork, battling for support, and wondering if there’s a secret decoder ring for all the jargon. And quite often we have found that the perfect tool does not exist.
That’s where our latest family project comes in: Axel’s Emoji Communication AI Assistant. It’s more than just an app; it’s a lifeline, a translator, and a big, bold statement that we’re not waiting around for the system to magically fix itself.
Axel, is awesome. He’s funny, bright, and our chief UX Consultant. But traditional communication methods? Not always his thing. Words can be tricky, but emojis? Emojis speak to him. So, we thought, why not build a communication system around that?
The idea is simple (the execution, slightly less so!):
- Axel’s Side: A phone app with a screen full of large, clear emojis. He taps an emoji, and the app speaks the word (thanks, text-to-speech!). Think of it as instant translation from emoji-brain to spoken word.
- Support Worker Side (Coming Soon!): A way for his support workers (and us!) to type messages that get magically transformed into emojis on Axel’s screen. It’s like having a universal translator, but for neurodiversity.
Enter Imogen: My Coding Prodigy (aka My Daughter)
This isn’t just my project; it’s a family affair. My amazing daughter, Imogen, has jumped in headfirst, tackling the crucial first phase of development. She’s the one building the foundation:
- The Emoji Brain: Imogen’s creating the “data model” (that’s coder-speak for the brains of the operation) that links each emoji to its corresponding word. She populated it with core vocabulary. She is ensuring the emojis are friendly and easy to understand.
- The Grid of Awesome: She’s also building the user interface for Axel – that beautiful, scrollable grid of emoji buttons you’ll see in the screenshots (coming soon!). It’s all about making it visually clear, easy to tap, and, most importantly, fun for Axel.
- And then connect it all to firebase.
It is so much fun coding side by side. I have been busy with other projects so she is getting a leap ahead on this one!
She’s got skills. And a healthy dose of teenage sass, which, let’s be honest, is essential for any project involving the coding.
Why Flutter? (For the Tech-Curious)
We chose Flutter, Google’s cross-platform framework, because, frankly, we’re not coding this thing twice. One codebase, two apps (Android and iOS) – it’s the efficient way to go. Plus, it’s fast, looks great, and plays nicely with Firebase (which we’re using for the backend magic).
And AI? (Because It’s 2025)
Yes, there’s AI involved! While the first version is all about basic functionality, we’re planning to use AI to make the emoji translation smarter and more personalized over time. Think of it as teaching the app to understand Axel’s unique communication style.
More Than Just an App
This project is about more than just lines of code. It’s about:
- Empowerment: Giving Axel a voice that’s truly his own.
- Self-Advocacy: Showing him that he can shape his own world.
- Family Collaboration: Working together to solve a real-world problem.
- System-Busting: Proving that sometimes, the best solutions are the ones you create yourself.
We’ll be sharing updates as we go, so stay tuned! And if you’re battling the NDIS, fighting for your own voice, or just curious about our emoji-powered adventure, drop us an email. We’re all in this together!
