Flip It and Slider (Sensory Software)
by Gerry Kennedy
For PC Compatible Computers running MS Windows 95/98
Flip It and Slider
From Sensory Software
Flip It and Slider have been designed to encourage and stimulate aspects of visual development and prediction. They cater to all ages. They were created to support children with disabilities, but can be effectively used with a wider audience. The focus is toward children, yet some adults with intellectual disabilities may enjoy and benefit from these activities.
There are 19 pre-programmed files to load in the package from Sensory Software. Each program works on a grid containing a picture. Each activity provides a particular type of activity:
- Flip It: jumbles the picture by flipping the areas vertically or horizontally. The user has to find the jumbled areas and select them. They can use a mouse, trackball or Touch Window.
- Slider: creates sliding puzzle type games with the pictures.
Activities can be set up in one of the many styles available, including loading your own pictures, using bitmap (.bmp) and metafiles (.wmf). Users can therefore load and manipulate PCS, COMPICS and digital camera/scanned images of their own. The real strength of this package is in that you can select and import your own images as well as import sound files (i.e. .wav files). These are powerful and useful facilities as you can customise and determine content that is age appropriate, stimulating and interesting. It is a very useful software application that will suit older students as well as adult users as you can present media that caters directly to their interests and learning/recreation needs.
If clients have had customised images previously created and stored in libraries for use with programs such as Writing with Symbols 2000; they can be gainfully accessed again using this program. In addition, you can change, edit, load and customise sounds and cursor as well. A user configuration can be saved to disk and loaded again later. This saves time setting up conditions each time you play. You simply set up an activity, locate the File menu, choose ‘Save Configuration’ and name the file.
Flip It and Slider will work well with a touch screen or other access/ input systems that control the mouse. Therefore users can access this software with IntelliKeys using the standard Arrows Overlay or a customised one. The sample graphics are appropriate as starting activities and ideas (e.g. the apples are large and have good figure ground) so they are ideal for vision impaired users. The ability to change background colour is a useful feature. You can provide choice and improve colour contrast for users if required.
There are three menus where you can tailor each activity. The Style menu includes flipping or sliding the image horizontally, vertically or both (available in Flip only). In Slider you can flip and jumble the image both horizontally and vertically. Sounds can be programmed upon each “flip” or “slide” and on total completion of the activity. The image can be ‘held’ onscreen until the sound reward is played. A grid size can be set (e.g. 3×3 creates elements that are one ninth of the screen). In the Sound menu, you can set up or import sound files for when a part of the picture is displayed or when a colour changes. In the Cursor menu you choose the Default Pointer, No Pointer (more useful when using a Touch Window) or Custom, where you can choose a different icon for your mouse pointer).