There are Categories on the touchscreen from which the Individual may choose the activity they want to do. Examples of the different categories may be Grocery Shopping, Banking, Choices of Recreational Activities, as well as Meal Preparation. In this last example, the Individual will first be able to choose a recipe from a variety of picture choices. The touchscreen will show every ingredient to get out, every utensil that is used in the recipe, and every step to prepare the recipe until the Individual has completed the meal successfully and independently.  [Demonstration]

The Picture Prompting System also prepares the Individual for community activities by providing picture and voice prompts that help the Individual remember certain materials needed for the community activity before leaving home, such as getting checks and deposit slips when going to the bank. In some instances, the prompt may be very specific, such as "get $5.00 out of the purple bag" or may help in the preparation, such as "sign your name at the top of the check". This allows the Individual to be more successful in the community. [Demonstration]

Finally, the Picture Prompting System offers the opportunity to make choices that is usually so limited in a person’s life. For example, an Individual can have up to 8 recreational opportunities on the touchscreen monitor at one time and choose one of those activities and then have the prompts to prepare for that activity. In another example, a person could utilize the touchscreen monitor to choose their restaurant from a variety of restaurant pictures on the screen and know what they will order and how much money to take.  [Demonstration]

Visions for Independent Living has identified 85 popular categories that have been used over the years in Visions Picture Prompting Systems. Standard step-by-step picture and voice prompts have been developed for each of these categories that will be tailor-made for the individual. Choose only the categories and corresponding prompts for each category that fulfill the needs of the Individual. These pre-made categories for the picture prompting program, along with Visions Presentation ® software, form the basis for Visions Basic Design and your own picture prompting system.

Visions Basic Design Picture Prompting Program comes standard with up to eight Main Categories, shown on the front page of the touchscreen monitor. These eight Categories can be chosen from all 85 pre-made categories, although there is an extra charge for any Specialized Category [PP Cost]. Two of the 8 Categories may be Choice Categories, if so desired. Each Choice Category can contain up to eight additional categories. Therefore, a maximum total of 22 categories could be chosen.

          Main Categories = 6

       +Choice Category = 8

       +Choice Category = 8

 Total # of Categories = 22

Visions for Independent Living separated the 85 categories into 6 selection groups to simplify the process.  4 out of the 6 selection groups are Choice Categories. 

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Below is a description of these groups. If you want to see a complete list of the Categories in each selection group, see Category Checklist.

General Categories-16: A "General" Category is an activity that a person would do at a specific time (not recommended as Choice Categories). These are activities that must be done at a time that in most instances is influenced by daily life. For instance, one does not go to the barber until a haircut is needed, or to the bank until there is a need for money or a need to deposit a check.

Choice Categories [(1) Entertainment-16, (2) Community-16, (3) Home Recreation-16, (4) Outside Recreation-16]: A "Choice" Category gives a person the opportunity to make choices in their life by choosing from a collection of activities or places. These are activities that a person might desire to do at any given time. For example, one can choose whether to go to the park, go swimming, take a bike ride, or play basketball. (Although a person may want to have a choice of activities, any of these categories may be chosen singularly – Go to the Gym weekly, not as a choice.)