Creating accessible board games provide opportunities to hone skills such as critical thinking, strategic planning, and practice social skills such as turn-taking, all while having fun! Additionally, board games are a valuable educational and recreation/leisure tool. However, board games often require modifications to ensure they are able to be accessed by all players. Furthermore, incorporating strategies to modify board games ensures that all players, can fully engage in an enriching activity.
Voice Output Switches
Firstly, embedding assistive technology, such as voice output switches(affiliate link), into board games is a great way to make the activity accessible. Voice output put switches allow users to practice cause and effect, and facilitators to record and store messages. These messages are activated by pushing the button.
Additionally, randomized spinners such as the one above from wheelofnames.com, is another easy tool that can be used to make recreation/leisure activities accessible. Bluetooth and USB activated switches can be used to activate the spinner. The spinner’s entries can be tailored to fit any game or activity with as many or few choices.
Ways to use assistive technology to make board games accessible:
- Making choices
- Taking turns
- Providing auditory prompts (ex: saying “Uno” or “Bingo”)
- Switch activated dice/spinner (affiliate link)
For more information, check out SSE’s blog “How to Use Switches in Special Education” to learn more about switches and how to use them in your classroom: https://www.simplyspecialed.com/using-switches-in-special-ed/
Tactile Objects
Next, incorporating tactile objects is another way to make board games accessible. Tactile objects allow students to engage and access the activity in a hands- on manner and make abstract concepts more concrete.
Ways to use tactile objects to make board games accessible:
- Distinguish between different elements (ex: 2D versus 3D) for students with vision impairments
- Easier to grasp game pieces to target fine motor skills
- Create raised or indented game features (ex: boarders) for students with vision impairments
- Expand on vocabulary and object identification
Velcro
Finally, everyone’s favorite…velcro! Velcro serves infinite purposes throughout the school day, but one of my favorite ways to use velcro is to make board games accessible.
Ways to use velcro to make board games accessible:
- Securely attach game pieces/ cards
- High contrast for students with visual impairments
- Provides texture for navigation around the board
