It’s Chloe’s turn to play!
Sunday, July 5th, 2020
Chloe’s spinal injury means she has difficulty moving her left arm, and although she can play games on a tablet computer, she could only watch her family enjoy playing their console games together. Like most four year-olds, she wanted a slice of the action!
Now though, thanks to the loan and support of a custom control setup devised by our specialist occupational therapists Frankie and Joe, she’s firmly part of the family gaming fun.
Chloe has full use of her right hand, so by ‘swapping’ the controller joysticks over using options in the Nintendo software, turning on auto-acceleration and supporting the controller firmly with a Velcro-covered wedge and tray, she’s able to steer like a pro in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. And with a large button switch under her left hand, she can throw items really well using her bicep movement.
The setup has opened up a whole new world of gaming inclusion possibilities for Chloe, and our team have already sent her additional loan equipment including an extra button to try out as a foot switch. We’re looking forward to offering more specialist support to Chloe and her family when she’s ready to play more of her favourite games – and we’ve heard that Animal Crossing is high on the wish list!
In-person assessment visits aren’t currently possible because of COVID-19, so our occupational therapists are helping Chloe and her family via online support and video calls. It’s proving to be an effective temporary way to provide our life-changing support and one that’s enabling us to carry on helping many people like Chloe.