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Special Effect Charity Makes Games Accessible to All

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Video-games are a great way to spend time together as a family, but not necessarily everyone has access to them. This is particularly true for people with physical disabilities. Special Effect is a charity dedicated to using technology to enhance the quality of life of people with physical disabilities.

They use technology to enhance the quality of life of people with all kinds of needs, including stroke and road traffic accident patients, individuals with life-limiting conditions and injured soldiers returning from overseas. This aims to "enable anyone, whatever their physical disability, to enjoy video games and leisure technology".

As they put it, "we’re not just doing it for the sake of fun. By giving people the means to participate, we’re kick-starting rehabilitation, self-esteem and, most importantly, inclusion."

One such person they have helped was Minty. Her mother tells the story. "For years my daughter has had to watch her brothers play on countless PlayStation games, but now she can join in. It’s fantastic that at last someone is thinking about people who can’t use these games because of a disability."

I'm supporting Special Effect this year with a sponsored 32mile run across Dartmoor. If you'd like to sponsor me you can do that here. (Along with Gift Aid, Family Gamer TV have pledged to match any donation.)

If you have any stories around Video-Game charities or fund raising, let us know so we can spread the word.

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Andrew Robertson
Andy Robertson is the editor of AskAboutGames and has written for national press and broadcast about video games and families for over 15 years. He has just published the Taming Gaming book with its Family Video Game Database.