I love games; board games, word games, solitary games but in particular games that allow for interaction between humans. Recently, I discovered a whole new set of games called Blindfold Games, which are designed to be accessible to those with visual impairment.
Have you ever thought about how the games you love to play might not work well for those with disabilities? Whether in the tangible world or the digital realm the games and applications that are most popular are not necessarily designed to accommodate all those game lovers out there. The creators of Blindfold Games re-imagine games everyone knows and loves to create an interactive and accessible experience. For example, the electronic Simon Says has been re-imagined to use sounds, not lights, which correspond to particular hand gestures. They have also created a word game similar to Words with Friends. These games give those with visual impairments the ability to partake in games they may not have experienced and allow those without any impairment to experience them in a whole new way.
Playing these games demonstrates the varying degrees to which we all use different senses and the experience is a good introduction into thinking about how we can make our world more accessible whether its games, public records, or the physical spaces around us. I think these games would make great tools in any classroom or library.
Check out Blindfold Games for yourself.