SpecialEffect is an award-winning UK-based charity that make life better for people with physical disabilities, whether it’s by unlocking the magic and inclusion of video games, introducing vital eye-controlled communication into intensive care wards, or reconnecting medically isolated children with friends and education.
They ensure that the amazing life-changing technology they use is exactly right for everyone they help – maximising fun, friendship and independence. And everything they do is free!
Play video games
For people with a physical disability who want to play video games, SpecialEffect is there to do all it can to help.
Since 2007, SpecialEffect has been helping gamers of all ages with physical challenges to play to the very best of their individual abilities.
Its team of experienced specialist occupational therapists and technologists provides individual assessments, accessible equipment loans and lifelong support, taking into account each person’s specific circumstances and physical abilities. SpecialEffect does this for as long as needed and completely free of charge.
Stargaze
SpecialEffect provides the introduction, support and loan of technology when it matters most: in intensive care, right after an accident or sudden illness.
Its StarGaze service helps people who are in intensive care due to a traumatic injury or illness and are unable to communicate or control technology of any kind.
Through assessments, technology loans and ongoing support, SpecialEffect helps them to “speak” and access a computer for independence and leisure.
BubbleBusters
SpecialEffect’s BubbleBusters service tackles long-term medical isolation through the use of small, friendly, home-controlled desktop robots that place the child’s eyes, ears and voice right back into the classroom and playground. It provides life-changing reconnections that help overcome loneliness, reunite friends and rekindle access to education.
Sharing what SpecialEffect knows through free resources
SpecialEffect shares what it learns from its assessment work through extensive free online resources, inspiring video stories and presentations in the UK and internationally. Its resources include free-to-play eye gaze games, their GameAccess information website, and its DevKit for game developers. These are all dedicated to making video games and other digital entertainment more accessible to people with complex physical disabilities.
Get Involved
To find out more, refer someone for SpecialEffect’s services or get involved, visit their website.
Read about some of the inspirational people SpecialEffect has helped on its stories page.
Email SpecialEffect or call 01608 810055.