Welcome

Blissymbolics is a semantic graphical language that is currently composed of more than 5000 authorized symbols - Bliss-characters and Bliss-words. It is a generative language that allows its users to create new Bliss-words as needed. It is used by individuals with severe speech and physical impairments around the world, but also by others for language learning and support, or just for the fascination and joy of this unique language representation.

Blissymbolics Communication International is a non-profit, charitable organization that holds the perpetual, worldwide rights for the use and publication of Blissymbols. BCI provides leadership in the development of the system of Blissymbolics. Blissymbolics is offered for all to use under a choice of two generous licensing schemes - either a free, copyleft license, or a proprietary license agreement. See under Licensing for more information.

Blissymbolics Archival Collection at OISE

Blissymbolics Archival Collection at OISE (Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto) is ready for visitors!

It all began in 2019 with a generous donation from Peg and Rob Rooks for the preservation and digitization of publications and communication materials from over 50 years of Blissymbolics serving as an Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) system. There is now a collection housed in the OISE Library and access to an online digital collection in the Internet Archive. There have been six OISE staff and students working (part-time) on the collection over the past four years, and Rebecca Chan and Shirley McNaughton have worked throughout that time, sorting materials to send to OISE. The Toronto materials were expanded by materials from the Nordic countries, hand delivered by Margareta Jennische in November, 2019.

Thanks to all those who donated materials and to the OISE team who have made this archival collection possible:

Monique Flaccavento, Jenaya Webb, Bethany Lepp, Emma Thomas, Natalie Johnson-Tyghter, Andrew Sandock.

Here are the three key links for accessing the collection:

  1. The OISE Library’s introductory page for the Blissymbolics Communication Institute – Canada collection (provides an overview of the collection)
  2. The Blissymbolics Communication Institute – Canada collection in the University of Toronto’s Discover Archives (archival records and descriptions)
  3. The OISE Library collection of Blissymbolics on the Internet Archive (these are all the materials that have been digitized)

It's been a long 4 years, but the collection is now complete!

Take a look in Internet Archive (#3) when you have a few minutes!

Additional information