What's it all about?:
I wanted to promote knowledge around fun things severely learning disabled
people can get actively involved with. I now work one day a week on One
Switch.
I chose the name OneSwitch, as a lot of disabled people I worked for found
it easier to control devices using just one disability standard switch. These
are simple on/off push button switches that connect to adapted equipment by plugging
them into a headphone-style socket.
For example - a Playstation 2 can be used to stop/start music CDs
and DVD films. The standard Playstation controller
is too small and fiddly for many to use, but with an adapted
Playstation controller and a remote switch it's
no longer a problem. This kind of equipment is often called assistive technology
or enabling equipment.
When enabling people to use this equipment in the past, I have wondered if
they even understand the link between pressing the switch, and the effect it causes.
Sometimes there is value simply in trying, and in luck. If a person happily presses
a switch to roll a dice in a group game, even if they do not grasp the concept,
it is their luck that provides a result, and no one elses. This has value.
The most important thing this web-site may achieve is to promote the inclusion
of some of the most excluded people in society today. This of course needs the
co-operation of families, friends, professionals and the public.
The terms for describing disability seem to change around
the world and generations. I like the thinking that a person is disabled by their
environment rather than their condition. I also believe that there should be greater
celebration of difference in life - it makes the world a much better place to
be in.
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