PECS related questions

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Am going to be using PECS full time as part of own alt.communication,but do not have many laminated cards,so was taken to a national autistic society HQ last week to use special PECS software there.
the software table colour was grey [though is that just a default windows thing anyway?] no idea what windows it was because it was using the classic design which any of them can be switched to.

The staff had sorted out the size needed,and all that was needed was to type a word in,which would then make a perfect colour PECS picture based on it pop up,sometimes there would be a few choices for that word which would appear to the side.
It was working with a touch screen crt monitor as well.
it didnt have any pictures for the type of words that get told off for,typical,it seems only BSL/ASL does and they're too difficult to learn.
The staff dont know what the software is called,am didnt think to look,want to know what its called so could use it here if available to public.

Does any WPers know what it's called or have used such a program?

Another question,what is the best item to hold PECS cards in?
The staff had said am need a bum bag for them [dont know why they're called bum bags as they hang over the front not back],
if could help it would prefer something smaller,but needs to be near front and easy to get to.

Thanks.

It sounds like Boardmaker. It's a very useful program, but also very expensive (over 300 dollars).

What you call a "bum bag" sounds like we call a "fanny pack" in the US. It's the same deal- it hangs over the front, but "fanny" means "bottom" here (although I am aware it means something else in the UK- and actually that meaning makes more sense for a fanny pack, albeit rather impolitely). Anyway, they're super-handy, so it sounds like that would be a good place to keep your PECS cards. People here often use binders to carry their PECS around in (notebooks lined with Velcro), but if you are looking for a smaller solution, that would not be the way to go.

If you only needed to carry a few cards at a time, you could probably make a bracelet or something lined with Velcro that you could stick the cards too, or maybe a strip that you could hang around your neck, but you wouldn't be able to fit many.

One more note: if the program is Boardmaker, you can actually import any picture you want. So if you could find images of the signs that Boardmaker doesn't have (which should be easy), you could just import them into the program. Your staff could even take a picture of you making a sign and then import it.

Have you ever thought about an alternative to PECS such as text to speech? I usually use text to speech or written wwords to communicate in areas where I cannot use or understand verbal communication.

There's this site that had some PECs advice, and sources on it: http://www.polyxo.com/visualsupport/makingpecs.html

I know I used to have a lot more sources than that, but I can't find them at the moment. We keep my son's PECs in a binder. It's cumbersome, but that's the only way that I've seen it done. Is is possible for you to have a computerized version of PECs? It's way easier to lug around, and it would have more flexibility. There's some well known ones here: http://uk.dynavoxtech.com/default.aspx