A technology treat

Hi readers,

I realise that it has been a while since this fabulous blog has been updated, but there has been alot of happenings in the IDEAS office as of late. I'm not sure whether it's because the leadup to the silly season has begun, or it's just because we have so many new things happening.

Over my work on the newsletter I came across a really fabulous, new technology that I wanted to share with you. It's designed for people with vision impairment, and it's a program to be used on a Wii console. The great thing about this new technology is that it recognises that ok, adaptive technology that helps people lo live is great and essential for individuals, but this type of equipment allows people to live their lives with a greater level of enjoyment through participation with a technology that has become common to other children. It's all about forgetting difference, and remembering that inside everyone is exactly the same. Check out this little snippet we recieved:

Wii Sports is believed to be a new technological phenomenon that is getting children moving and encouraging activity. The combination of a video game with physical activity has left children and parents happy with video gaming. But what about people with vision impairment?

A video game research project at the University of Nevada, Reno, is in the process of creating Wii
Sports-based PC games that don’t require eyesight to play.

Dr Eelke Folmer and Tony Morelli of the University of Nevada in Reno, Dr John Foley of the State University of New York Cortland and Dr Lauren Lieberman of SUNY Brockport collaborated on the project. They had the goal of creating a gaming device that increases the participation of users with visual

impairments in physical activity, as a means to improve the health of those individuals.

The two games in the VI Fit line are very similar to Wii Sports games. Both VI Tennis and VI Bowling mimic their respective sports through use of the Wii remote. However instead of seeing the ball and visually lining up the strike, visually impaired players interact using their hearing and feel the games through the use of sound and vibrotactile cues.

VI Bowling uses the Wii remote’s vibration motor to help the blind narrow down when to bowl the ball. Voice effects relay how well the player has done.

Both games are available now for free at the Vi Fit website. Both require a Wii remote and a PC with Bluetooth support to play. If you have problems setting up the game or you have feedback, do not hesitate to contact the makers through the email: feedback@vifit.org.

For more information visit the website www.vifit.org/

Note: the article was taken from Vifit