21 Oct 2013

My name is John

My name is John. I'm 30 years old and I have Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, which is a muscle wasting condition.

I'm able to play some games on my Xbox 360, but most of ones I'd like to enjoy - like first person shooters and other games that require multiple buttons to be pressed - are impossible for me to play.

I've been an avid gamer since I had my first SEGA console when I was eight, but as the years have gone by my ability to use controllers has become increasingly difficult as my condition has worsened.

I thought I'd never be able to play them again, but fortunately for me I stumbled across SpecialEffect. After seeing on their website what they could do to help disabled people play video games, I decided to get in touch, and later that same day I was contacted by Gavin. After I explained my difficulties he arranged a visit to see if they could help me.

Gavin and Gill came to my house in early October. After trying different switches and control sticks, they put together a setup using six switches and a mini super-sensitive control stick. They also got me using voice control to help with game commands, and now I can play Saints Row: The Third with ease and accuracy.

I'm now able to enjoy my games thanks to SpecialEffect.

Below: John's back in the game.