Haven: a tour
About three minutes, part by part. Slow and quiet, with captions. It only plays when you press it.
Read what it says
- This is Haven. A free, calm computer, built around autistic people of every age and ability, and the people who support them.
- When Haven first starts, it asks a few questions about the person. How they talk, how they read, and how much support they want. Then it sets itself up. A child who uses pictures gets big pictures. An adult who runs their own computer gets everything, smaller, and their own settings.
- Down the left is the Haven bar. Home, Back, Talk and Calm. It has its own place on the screen, so nothing can cover it.
- My Day is the day in pictures. A ring shows the time going, without numbers ticking.
- Before something ends, a calm warning comes, as early as the person needs.
- There is a timer that shrinks as time goes, and a first, then board, for one thing at a time.
- Talk is a picture board that speaks. Quick phrases are always there, for when talking stops.
- Calm is a slow breathing circle, quiet sounds, and the person's own list of what helps. Calm visits are never recorded.
- Favourites keeps the things a person loves, on a shelf for each interest, arranged the way they like. A heart on any website keeps something, and it finds its own shelf.
- Websites can be open, filtered, or only the ones chosen. Flashing pictures are softened. And before buying anything, Haven asks first.
- A carer can add free games and apps. Each one opens full screen, with a way back to Haven.
- Ask Haven explains how things work, in plain words. Haven's helper runs on the computer itself, and it can only do a few safe things, always asking first.
- Carers set things up behind a PIN. Every change is shown to the person. Adults who run their own computer say yes or no to every change.
- Updates never install by themselves. A carer chooses them, they start at the next restart, and they can always be undone.
- Haven is free software, and it is still being tested. Try it, and tell us what would help, at havenlinux.org.