A teacher at the Illinois School for the Visually Impaired (ISVI) was seeking adapted games to play with her students. One game that most of her students like to play is Chess, although they had limited access to an adapted version that did not work for every student with some still learning how to play. Since the students would be the ones playing the game, they all provided their input on what they felt would be the best adaptations.
The ideal Chess board would contain magnetic playing pieces and some type of way to distinguish between both the playing pieces and black and white tiles. The teacher was able to purchase an existing magnetic Chess board that the Makers program could make adaptations to. Even though the board is magnetic, the students would still have the challenge of knowing what playing pieces are theirs and the tiles they are currently stationed on.
The Makers engineer team designed a 3D printed, magnetic, raised border to fit around all the tiles and distinguish the black from white tiles. The additional magnetics provided extra strength for the pieces and border to rest securely while the students played. While the existing board came with playing Chess pieces, the Makers also fabricated both sets of magnetic playing pieces containing tactile features, such as raised dots and shapes, to distinguish between both player sets.
The students instantly tried the Chess game once they received it and provided positive feedback on the final design. They appreciated the collaboration and effort to fabricate such a durable and tactile gameboard that they enjoy playing.
