ReacTickles for Smart Table

"ReacTickles provides a series of interactive Tickles through which pupils with autistic spectrum conditions and other special learning requirements are encouraged to use technology.

In the original version pupils can develop mouse, keyboard, whiteboard, switch and screen skills whilst being encouraged to communicate, to use fine motor skills and to work together.

SEMERC and the University of Wales Institute Cardiff have together developed a new version for the SMART Table embracing the multi touch and collaborative opportunities.

The software also works well within mainstream early years settings enabling very young children to interact and learn to communicate as individuals and within small groups."

Via: ReacTickles Twitter feed. Download free ReacTickles here.

Maps

Axe Cop

Axe Cop: Written by a 5 year old and illustrated by his 29 year old brother. Delightful free on-line comic with barmy imaginative story lines galore.

Newport State of Mind

Wonderful parody of the brilliant Empire State of Mind. Via BBC.

Electronic Soup Podcast: Low Vision Gaming

Part four of the Accessible GameBase Electronic Soup Podcast has arrived packaged up tight with the latest Access Collective. This closes the ESP's on Audio Games for the time being, dealing with Low Vision gaming. Again, this comes in two stylees, a full-length version by Dark of AudioGames.net, and an abridged re-worked version by me.

You can listen to all of the ESP's over at the Accessible GameBase and also at the excellent Access Collective. There'll be a help-sheet with quick-grab MP3 links, list of top 10 audio-games for beginners and Design Tips for Low-Vision gamers to neatly round off these ESP's soon-ish.

JazzBall

JazzBall was written after a suggestion was made to the Accessible GameBase by Sandra Robertson. She wondered if the old Microsoft game JezzBall might suit a more accessible interface and could perhaps become a fun game that both her children could play (one being Helen of "Game for Helen" fame). Thanks to Graeme Singh taking up the challenge, they now can.

The game has speed control, two excellent one-switch modes, a point and click interface and an eye-gaze aimed interface that requires no clicking at all. To blow my own tiny trumpet, I picked the photos and music for the game. Once you've got bored of the supplied photos, you can even use your own, which can be a huge grin. Have fun!

Reviewed at the Accessible GameBase and added to the OneSwitch game library.

The Ambiomat

I've long rued how little Switch Accessible Art devices and software there are available. Needless to say, I was absolutlely chuffed to bits, when Rob 'OddBob' Fearon offered to create something to help fill this gap a little. He came up with the splendid "Ambiomat"...

"The Ambiomat is an ambient art package designed for use with a single switch. It is an 11×8 canvas designed to produce abstract block artwork that can look decent regardless of your ability to interact."

With the effects turned off, it's a really effective art creation tool. With the special effects turned on, it's also a really effective cause and effect activity.

Step over to "Bagfull of Wrong" for the current version. It's a work in progress as I understand, so if anyone has any suggestions for further development, please let him know. More please other programmers!!

Added to the Switch Accessible Art section.

Switch Water Pistols Back In Stock!

Finally, I've got a nice supply of switch adapted water pistols back in stock. The "Sig Sauer Saturator" is a really fun switch accessible water-pistol. It makes a racket, stands up on its own, and most importantly, gets other people wet rapidly.

Take a pop over to the One Switch Shop to read up more, where you can view the above video in English this time (I'm spoiling you I know!).

Yuck: Nasty Switches

"Katrin Baumgarten has fourteen switches that are made to gross you out. From a button that retreats into its hole as your finger approaches, to a mysterious goo-oozing faceplate, to a hairy housing that gets aroused as your try to flip it on, the intrigue is enough to get you to try out the next creepy node in the network. There’s a clip of several different switches [above] and if that’s not enough she’s got more on her Vimeo channel."

From: Hack a Day

Skoog Developments

"[Above is] ... a short video about the Skoog and showing footage from a recent visit to Hillside school working with some of the pupils who helped to develop the Skoog technology." There's been some really exciting developments lately with the Skoog, and most are best explained by themselves over at Skoogmusic.com and at their Blog. Couldn't help but crib this though:

"...we've bundled in some fantastic bonus software that we think is really rather a lot of fun, both in and out of the classroom. Skoogmusic's unique Musical Play Technology allows you to use Skoog to gain expressive control over any pre-recorded sample or loop. Originally developed to help children to sing using their own voices, this bit of kit can do a lot more besides. Now you can be anything from an operatic soprano to a funky soul diva. Or maybe you'd prefer to talk like an animal? Blast like an angry elephant or baa like a happy sheep. It's your choice. "

Ben promises me that they'll be videos up soon of these fantastic features. I've had a tinker with the prototype of these, and found them then to be massively effective, fun, and quite unique.

TIG Duels

"Your Mother, taught you well!" vs. "You were never much of any thing!", the goading is a huge part of the fun in Tig Duels: For Extraordinary Gentlemen and Such Etc.

It's a really well balanced, thought-out, barmy fencing game for two one-switch players. Choose your control, choose your head, then duel. If that wasn't all good enough, you can also challenge people on-line by slapping their faces with a glove.

With thanks to The Wreck, you can now adjust the degree of verbal-jousting (some is a bit rude), and also turn comic blood effects on or off to suit your sensibilities. Personally, I have the lot switched on.

Reviewed over at the Accessible GameBase with short video.

Accessible Gaming in Qatar

I love to see how the reach of good accessible games spans the globe. Recently blind patrons of the MADA centre and the Qatar Social and Cultural Centre for the Blind in Doha, Qatar, got to grips with V.I. Tennis. Brilliant stuff and long may it continue.

Via: Dave Banes' Twitter feed.

España: Campeona del Mundo

Congratulations to Spain for seeing of the dastardly-Dutch squad, and deservedly winning the World Cup. One day England will win it again I'm sure, one day...

Via: RNT Blog

Brett Domino: Now! 75 Chart Medley

Link via Trabasack's Twitter feed.

DisabledGear.com

"DisabledGear.com - Home of Free-Ads for Used Disability Equipment. A FREE & easy-to-use [UK based] website designed to make buying and selling second-hand disability equipment painless.

If you like it, please tell others: the more people that use the site, the better it will work for everyone. And the free-ads section is, well…. FREE!!"

Happily added to the OneSwitch.org.uk Links page under "Shops".

Brutally Unfair Tactics Totally OK Now

B.U.T.T.O.N is a four-player, one-button party game for PC and Xbox 360, first revealed as part of the Kokoromi Gamma IV competition, and is due out soon. What ever happened to all those other games that never got a mention, I wonder?

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

iPad: "Near Miracle for my son with Autism"

I had a really nice article passed my way via Nick Streeter at SpecialEffect, entitled "The iPad: a Near-Miracle for my son with Autism". I think the iPad is clearly a lovely device, but it's very limited in some ways. I think the lack of USB sockets is just plain bonkers. Not great for alternative access, I have to say. This said, RJ Cooper is striving to find ways to make the device more accessible, and has a switch interface get-around in the works.

Living the Least Dangerous Assumption

I've not reblogged anything from Kate Ahern lately, so I thought I'd put that right. I absolutely love her latest post, "Living the Least Dangerous Assumption", and have added her very useful info on dwell clickers to the Accessible Gaming Shop.

V.I. Tennis

Imagine Wii Sports Tennis in the dark, and playable, and you have VI Tennis. It's a brilliant idea and happily, is well executed too. You'll need one or two Wii remotes, a Bluetooth equipped PC (I bought a USB Bluetooth dongle for 99p from eBay which works fine) and the free PC download of VI Tennis.

All game play is through sound, feel and motion. I did find setting up tricky on my Windows 7 machine, but once it was, I was away. Reviewed over at the Accessible GameBase. Over at VI Fit, they also have an audio Wii-remote version of Bowling, which will hopefully be a sign of many more games to come.