Our Staff
Our team of friendly staff are based in Charlbury, a small market town in the Oxfordshire Cotswolds. It's a great central location that allows travel to all parts of the UK to help disabled people discover the many real and hidden benefits of computer gaming and leisure activities. If you would like to contact us about any aspect of our work, please don't hesitate to call us on 01608 810055
Mick Donegan
Founder and Director
Dr Mick Donegan has many years of practice-based work as a teacher and an Assistive Technology specialist. He has extensive experience in assessing, teaching, training, and supporting people with complex communication difficulties. He has served over the years as PI on the InterFACES project and as Deputy Director of SMARTlab at The University of East London.
Prior to joining SMARTlab, he was Deputy Director at the ACE Centre, Oxford. He had previously been IT Coordinator and Deputy Head Teacher at Wilson Stuart Special School, Birmingham, one of the largest schools for physically disabled children in the UK.
Nick Streeter
Fundraiser
Nick is an experienced fundraiser who has been involved with the charity since it was formed. He is passionate about the charity and the difference it makes to people's lives.
Bill Donegan
Research and Development Coordinator
With several years of adaptive gaming technology expertise, Bill welcomes enquiries from developers and gamers about the specialist technology required to help people with disabilities to enjoy computer games. His expertise ranges from the latest FPS' to sports and casual puzzle games.
Gillian Taylor
Specialist Occupational Therapist
Gillian is a highly experienced therapist who has many years of experience advising on seating, positioning and assitive technology that helps gives access to computers.
"SpecialEffect is addressing the very important area of play, relaxation and leisure," says Gillian, "It’s a vital area that can easily be forgotten as it's essential to be able to help people find fun ways to spend their time."
Sally Donegan
Events Coordinator
Sally co-ordinates all events, both fundraising and non-fundraising. She's your first point of contact if you're planning an event for us, or if you'd just like to chat about the range of activities that we're running.
"The best thing about working at SpecialEffect is the satisfaction of seeing people with disabilities simply enjoying themselves and having fun," says Sally, "On the fundraising and awareness side I also enjoy the variety of events I get to be involved with. Our own events supporters also come up with the best ideas and it's really rewarding to support them!"
Pam Elkerton
Administrator
Pam is at the the heart of SpecialEffect, keeping our charity running smoothly and efficiently. She handles the accounts, the administration and the antics of our rowdier staff with quiet and diplomatic aplomb.
"I've worked for SpecialEffect for four years and have seen it grow from just three of us, working from our homes, to ten staff and our accessible games lab. It's allowed us to increase the number of people we're able to help, but it's very exciting and challenging to know that we're just beginning and there are so many more people to support. The team is great and the satisfaction in helping people to achieve something, often on their own for the first time, is a privilege."
Alison Hilborne
Supporter Care
Alison has had an incredibly varied career that has included being a reporter and assistant editor on a rock'n'roll magazine, a PA, and handling community relations at a radio station. She juggles many roles here at SpecialEffect, including grants and trusts fundraising and donor care.
Barrie Ellis
Technical Specialist
Barrie has been searching for ways to make the world of leisure and creativity more accessible since 1994 when starting work in an Essex day centre for profoundly disabled adults. The trek so far has been from enabling a handful of adults with the likes of ink-gun art, switch music and one-switch games on the PSone, to discovering a small world of like-minded people in 2002 after setting up OneSwitch.org.uk, to now reaching and enabling thousands of people by becoming a team member at SpecialEffect.
Shaz Hossain
Consultant
Shaz Hossain does a tremendous amount of Promotion & Marketing for us. He has a Masters in 3D Animation and has his own multimedia company: www.flipbookproductions.co.uk
Hannah Whittaker
Information Coordinator
Hannah, who's working with us as an intern, is a talented media and graphic designer who is assisting Bill with video production and other graphic-based elements of our research and information work.
Mark Saville
Web and Communications
Mark has worked in third sector communications for many years, and will be overhauling our online and other public faces of the charity.
