Dean's Story: The Special Effect
Using a computer by himself is very hard for Dean, who finds it difficult to control his movement due to cerebral palsy. A visit by SpecialEffect gave him the opportunity to try out an eye-controlled computer system to play a variety of exciting games and creative activities – such as playing music just by looking at notes on the screen! The image above shows the moment he realised that he had quick and easy control of a computer for the first time in his life. The look in his eyes says it all.
“Up to now he could only dream about doing this.”
SpecialEffect is a charity dedicated to helping ALL young people with disabilities to enjoy computer games. For these children, the majority of computer games are simply too quick or too difficult to play, and we can help them and their parents to find out which games they CAN play, and how to adapt those games that they can't.
The SpecialEffect GameBase contains a range of PC-based computer games and leisure software. We've been finding out if and how each game can be played using access technology like switches, headpointers and adapted keyboards.
But that's not all we do. We're the driving organisation behind the StarGaze project, which aims to provide gaze-controlled technology to people who suffer a sudden injury or illness that leaves them completely paralysed – unable to move any part of their body other than their eyes.
> Pictures from the January Launch
For more information about SpecialEffect, email info@specialeffect.org.uk or contact us by telephone on 01608 811909 or 0791 807 7177.
Registered Charity No 1121004