IEP Technologies :  ECC Games for Visually Impaired Students

IEP Plan

ObjectiveEd.com is our new company where we are building ECC interactive simulations for vision impaired students, based on each child’s IEP . 
The child’s progression in mastering skills in our ECC-based games will be maintained in a private secure cloud, visible to the IEP team in a web-based console . 
If you are a Orientation and Mobility specialist , press for more information on trying these types of games as part of maximizing student outcomes, relating to their 
Individual Educational Plan .

Upcoming Conferences

In addition to creating games, I continue to test different ways to spread the news about the Blindfold Games.  Word of mouth is effective, and I participate in podcasts or interviews whenever there’s an opportunity, but I know I’m still on reaching a minority of visually impaired iPhone and iPad owners.

There are several conferences going on this summer, so I’m trying something different in each of them.  At the ACB conference, I’m running an advertisement in the show newsletter every day, with a different offer each day.  At the NFB conference in Orlando – a reasonable short drive from my home – I have a table in the exhibitor’s room, and will have game info in both large print and braille, and I’ll be demonstrating the games.  In another show in the Massachusetts area, I put a brochure offering a free game everyone’s show bag.
Based on the results, there are other conferences, both in the US and in Europe, that may be worth attending.  The main consideration is the return-on-investment; between the cost of brochures, airfare, hotel and exhibitor fees, or the cost of advertising,  it’s critical that the conference generates enough new game downloads and in-app upgrades to break even.
I’ve run a handful of contests and give-aways with a few websites that provide services or products to the blindness community, but none had a significant impact.
One of my long term goals with Blindfold Games is to create a viable marketing and distribution channel to reach the visually impaired community.  Once this channel is well established, many other developers of games or related technologies will be less reluctant to address this market.  Right now, most developers shy away from this market because it is so hard to reach the consumer, and over the past decade, many developers have dropped out because of the marketing difficulties.
If you have ideas on how to spread the word, please write to me.  And if you’re going to the NFB show, stop by table “A” 19 and say hello.