Taking a quick flight across the internet to the Swiss Defitech Fondation will find you a brilliant site packed full of assistive technology work and ideas.
I especially enjoyed reading through their Handigeek blog which features some switch access ideas and do it yourself guides (click on "contacteurs"). Excellent!
Above is a quick and fairly easy hack I made to bring switch access to PS2 Konami Dance Mat games. The lovely thing about Dance Dance Revolution games is the range of accessibility options, including standard and alternative control methods, easier play options (including a play to the end of the song option) and contrast options for visually impaired gamers.This set-up has been added to the SpecialEffect loan library for people to borrow.
The video above links to support SpecialEffect are giving to a charming four-year old girl, Charlotte Nott, to help her find more games to play.The Wii set-up features an adapted Wii remote, similar to Ellie's mentioned before here, but with A,B,1 and 2 switches made accessible via switches. This adaptation is a royal pain in the back-side to do, but as with most D.I.Y. adaptations, the end result makes it worth it.The Kinect game is called Fruit Ninja by the way. Note to self: Stop using fat soldering iron tips. Life would be easier.
Musician Luke Lundin talking about performing and his use of the Yamaha Tenori-on. One-switch musicians can use something similar with the PC title "Tink" by William Pilgrim.
It was so nice to catch up with Ellie and family earlier this month. She uses a controller I modified for her a while back for SpecialEffect. Great to see it still working, and to hear from her what a difference it made. There's a video interview to follow with Ellie and her Mum later, for which they both did a top job.
Hands Up! is a ten episode mini-series broadcast by Channel 4 in 1990 to teach British Sign Language. It uses Teletext standard graphics and I have to say, I think it does a brilliant job.
In this month's Disability Magazine (due out 17th of February 2012) there's a feature of computer based assistive technology. I'm told my C-SID will be getting a slot too, so if so, thank you! Not sure if it will make the interview, but if ever anyone finds a way to make these simpler, cheaper but just as versatile, I'll honestly be delighted!The video above is of Enable Ireland's C-SID. Very tidy I have to say. A few more C-SID videos can be viewed in the main-post below.
