MyFootball Game and They Said It Couldn't Be Done.

AbleGamers has had the privilege to go to some major gaming events and talked to some big names in the gaming space. When we talk to them about game accessibility, they are on board with what we are talking about, until we get to one part, and that is the cognitively disabled gamer. We hear things like, “There is no way you can make a game that takes all these factors into account.” “That cannot be further from the truth,” said Chuck Bergen, President of VTree LLC, makers of My Football Game, a high quality game for the special needs gamer, “We have been developing virtual reality software for the special needs communities for 10 years now. What we have learned is that if you put in the effort; work with parents, teachers, and care givers they will give you the formula for success. Have them as part of your development team, they will help you develop software that is both fun, and provide inclusive participation for most children and adults with cognitive difficulties.”

Before we go on, we need to talk a little about what “cognitive disability” means. Cognitive disability is an extremely large and poorly defined term that describes any disability that originates in the brain. Why do we say poorly defined? So many things fall into the category. Relatively minor conditions from dyslexia, ADD / ADHD, and Dyscalculia are cognitive disabilities. Developmental disability such as epilepsy, autism, cerebral palsy and Down syndrome also fall under the cognitive disabilities umbrella. Then there are the non-generic causes of intellectual disabilities such traumatic brain injury, lead poisoning, stroke, brain tumors, Meningitis and even Alzheimer's disease. The approach to each one of these conditions is vastly different, making the term “cognitive disability” a poorly defined, but widely used term.

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