SpecialEffect is a

charity Charity may refer to: Giving * Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of persons * Charity (practice), the practice of being benevolent, giving and sharing * Ch ...

based in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

founded in 2007. It specialises in helping

physically disabled A physical disability is a limitation on a person's physical functioning, mobility, dexterity or stamina. Other physical disabilities include impairments which limit other facets of daily living, such as respiratory disorders, blindness, epilepsy ...

people, specifically children, play

video games Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This feedb ...

. The organisation works with developers to create specialised game control devices as well as making their games more

accessible Accessibility is the design of products, devices, services, vehicles, or environments so as to be usable by people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design and practice of accessible development ensures both "direct access" (i.e ...

. This includes controllers using inputs from any part of the body that can move, such as small toe movements or the player's gaze. The ability to play video games, now seen as an almost universal pastime, can help improve the mental health of disabled people who otherwise could not play them.

History

SpecialEffect was founded by Mick Donegan, a former teacher, who remains its CEO. It was created to focus on the people with the most complex physical disabilities, allowing them to play games effectively and with the greatest chance of winning. The organisation uses a team of specialists including occupational therapists and a technical and software design team. The charity uses Eye Gaze, a technology that utilises eye motion for control input. They have worked with publishers to produce specialist equipment such as adaptive controllers.

Charity

SpecialEffect has organised charity events to fund its ventures such as GameBlast and One Special Day. Well-established companies as well as trending game designers have aided in creating charity events such as the 2020 video game developers of ''

Fall Guys ''Fall Guys'' (formerly known as ''Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout'') is a free-to-play platform battle royale game developed by Mediatonic. The game involves up to 60 players who control jellybean-like creatures and compete against each other i ...

'', who set up an event to award the highest donator during a specified time.

References

{{Reflist

External links

SpecialEffect website
Charities for disabled people based in the United Kingdom Organizations established in 2007