Our Story

Made at a kitchen table, for families like ours.

Michele and Luke at the kitchen table with the original Choiceworks board — Where it began: the kitchen table, 2005.

Hi, I’m Michele Walker, founder of Bee Visual. Choiceworks began at our kitchen table with my sons, Matt and Luke.

I couldn’t find visual supports that met their everyday needs, so I made my own: photographs I laminated and attached to a magnetic dry erase board. I wanted to help them understand what came next, follow everyday routines, manage their feelings, and become more independent.

I brought those supports into the classroom, where other children benefited. The work expanded beyond the classroom into hospitals, clinics, and universities. Those handmade boards became the original Choiceworks Visual Support System, laying the foundation for the Choiceworks and Choiceworks Calendar apps.

A Family Company, Built Together

The two kids Choiceworks was first made for grew up with the company and now they help run it.

Michele Walker with her sons Matt and Luke, and their dog Piggy, at the kitchen table, Thanksgiving 2025 — Thanksgiving 2025, at the same kitchen table where it all began. Matt, Luke, and Piggy all appear in the App Store screenshots.

Matthew Walker has tested every Choiceworks release for years, drove both apps’ expansion to Android, and helps guide Bee Visual’s day-to-day decisions. He earned his bachelor’s degree magna cum laude with a double major in Psychology and Holocaust and Genocide Studies.

Luke Walker’s recorded voice guides children through Choiceworks, and he helps shape how the apps look and feel. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Psychology and is pursuing a master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling.

I continue to design, build, and ship the apps.

Milestones

2005 · The Original Boards

The first Choiceworks boards were handmade at our kitchen table. Early prototypes, built on the backs of the boys’ Disney books, developed into a physical system with picture cards, boards, timers, and companion books.

The 2005 Disney-book prototype with cut card windows beside the production Choiceworks system and card library — The original kitchen-table boards, prototypes, and production Choiceworks Visual Support System.

The Choiceworks schedule board mid-morning: cards placed, three flipped to All Done, the timer running at 2 minutes 5 seconds, dry-erase marker at the ready — The original kitchen-table boards, prototypes, and production Choiceworks Visual Support System.

2011–2012 · The Blood Draw Learning Kit

Bee Visual partnered with Children’s Hospital Boston and Carol Gray’s Gray Center for Social Learning and Understanding to create a kit that helped children preview and practice a blood draw before the real appointment. Hospital researchers reported blood-draw success increasing from about 86% to 96% with the program in place, as reported in Autism Spectrum Quarterly, Spring 2012. The kit’s story and practice materials remain freely available.

The Blood Draw Learning Kit box, front and back, on slate: clinically shown to reduce anxiety and increase success, developed with Children's Hospital Boston and the Gray Center

2012 · Choiceworks Launches and Wins Gold

Choiceworks brought the visual support system to the app format. That year, it received the Gold Stevie Award for Smartphone or Tablet App of the Year.

Michele Walker holding the Gold Stevie trophy at the Stevie Awards for Women in Business

2013 · Apple Collaboration

Apple selected Bee Visual among the top 1% of its developers and invited us to New York to collaborate. Other organizations selected included Smithsonian, Scholastic, Merriam-Webster, and HISTORY Channel.

2013 · National Recognition

Parenting magazine named Choiceworks one of its five “Au-Some Apps” in its July 2013 issue.

The Au-Some Apps page in Parenting magazine featuring Choiceworks

2014 · Recognition for the Invention

The Boston Patent Law Association recognized my invention, “Method and apparatus for developing a person’s behavior,” through its Invented Here! program.

The Invented Here honorees on stage, Michele Walker front row

The Boston Patent Law Association certificate: Invented Here! 2014 proudly recognizes Michele A. Walker for her invention, U.S. Patent 8,740,623, assignee Bee Visual, LLC

2015 · SXSWedu

Cristen Carson Reat, co-founder of BridgingApps, invited Bee Visual to present Choiceworks at the Inclusive AppRoom at SXSWedu. Matthew’s account of the experience, “Role Reversal: Viewing Apps Through Disability,” remains published by BridgingApps.

The Inclusive AppRoom presenters at SXSWedu 2015 — The Inclusive AppRoom presenters and Matthew and Luke participating at SXSWedu, 2015.

Matt and Luke at a workshop table at SXSWedu — The Inclusive AppRoom presenters and Matthew and Luke participating at SXSWedu, 2015.

2025 · Recognition for Resilient Leadership

I received the Silver Stevie Award for Most Resilient Female Business Leader. Judges wrote that I “scaled through force of will” and that my entry “sets a new standard for integrity in the tech industry.”

Michele Walker holding her Stevie trophy at the 2025 Stevie Awards for Women in Business

2026 · A Clearer Visual Language

A family trip to Italy offered a reminder of why recognizable pictures matter. When we encountered unfamiliar words, familiar symbols provided a way forward. That experience helped inspire a rebuilt card library with sharper artwork and content in seven languages: English, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, German, French, and Portuguese.

An airport departure board in Italy, illustrating the challenge of unfamiliar written language — A family trip to Italy, 2026: familiar pictures offered a way forward when the words were unfamiliar.

Luke following pictogram signs in an Italian airport — A family trip to Italy, 2026: familiar pictures offered a way forward when the words were unfamiliar.

2026 · Choiceworks Comes to Android

Choiceworks and Choiceworks Calendar expanded to Android, bringing the apps to more families, educators, and the children they support.

2026 · Webby Recognition

Choiceworks was named a Webby Awards Official Honoree for Accessibility & Inclusion.

2026 · Alphabreaths Joins Choiceworks

Dr. Christopher Willard, psychologist and Teaching Associate in Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, brings his recorded Alphabreaths practices directly into Choiceworks. Children can watch, listen, and practice breathing techniques as part of their everyday routines.

The Alphabreaths sample board open in Choiceworks, teaching a breathing practice — The Alphabreaths sample board and board library inside Choiceworks.

The board library in Choiceworks on iPad: all the sample boards, including the new Alphabreaths schedule — The Alphabreaths sample board and board library inside Choiceworks.

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