MKP - Assistive Software Products - Sensory

Magma has been developed to provide a multisensory environment (sound & images) for profoundly disabled people to explore.

It is the third in the Ameba and Plazma family of programs of Sensory software. Of the three it is the "quietest" and most calming. Visually it has much lower contrast and so may not be as suitable as the other two for users who have very poor sight - but try it out with them - you may be surprised. This package has been produced with a focus towards children. However, you should find it to be useful with adults too!

In our experience, all three programs can be very useful with some children who do not attend to the sensory world. They can work very well in "sensory stimulation" rooms - both white and black rooms.

Magma can be controlled by many different devices - all at the same time!
-Switches plugged into your PC will work (up to 10). These need to be switches that either press mouse buttons or generate keystrokes between 0 and 9.
-It also works really well using a mouse (including Head Mice) or Touch Screen. It is especially good with a Trackerball. With a Touch Screen you may want to turn of the ability for the Touch Screen to click mouse buttons.
-A microphone plugged in will find Magma responding to both volumes, fricative sounds (such as "sh" and "s") and also pitch.
-A standard games joystick, gamepad or steering wheel will give many options as users press the different buttons and move the cursor.

Sometimes things happen when you press a switch, sometimes when you release, and sometimes when you hold it down. Moving the cursor (even if you can't see it) always produces a result. You can even press several switches/ buttons/ keys together!