GIRAF
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History

Project Timeline

2011 - Project Founded

GIRAF began as a semester project at Aalborg University’s Department of Computer Science. The initial focus was creating digital tools to replace physical schedule boards used in autism care facilities.

The project was established in collaboration with local institutions including Egebakken Specialskole, a school specializing in education for children with autism.

2011-2019 - Weekplanner Era

The flagship application was Weekplanner, a visual weekly scheduling tool that helped children understand and anticipate their daily activities. Development continued across many semesters with contributions from hundreds of students.

Key partnerships during this period:

2019 - Flutter Transition

The project transitioned to the Flutter framework to improve cross-platform functionality and modernize the codebase for future development.

2024 - New Directions

The project expanded with two new application branches:

Foodplanner - Addressing selective eating, which is common among autistic children. The application helps caregivers plan structured meals using visual representations, based on principles from the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS).

Visual Tangible Artefacts (VTA) - A digital communication tool. Children express themselves through boards of visual artefacts (an image, a label and a sound), shared live with a caregiver, with text-to-speech and built-in video calling. Includes AI-generated images for personalised artefacts.

Multi-Project Model

Since 2011, GIRAF has operated as a multi-project involving 16-60 students per semester. Originally exclusive to software engineering students, the project now includes students from Information Technology and Interaction Design programs.

This model ensures continuous development while giving students real-world experience working on assistive technology with actual end users.

Looking Forward

GIRAF continues to evolve each fall semester. New student teams build on over a decade of development work, contributing features, research, and improvements that directly benefit children with autism across Denmark.