Involving Cognitively Disabled Young People in Focused Mini SGs Design: A Case Study

In this paper, we propose the design of a mini SG Il Negozio di Viola having as its objective the acquisition by disabled young people of the concepts of cost, revenue and gain in the context of a selling transaction, which are concepts very difficult to internalize by people with cognitive problems. This mini SG makes it possible to have a real experience, even if in a simulated environment, on the concept of gain. Moreover, we will show that the direct involvement in the design of the mini SG by M., a young with neuro-motor disabilities, has made it possible to identify and solve the semantic problems that disabled users may encounter in the use of the game, which is the greatest difficulty in the design of this kind of mini SGs. This involvement has also contributed to improve her cognitive abilities and awareness to have an active role in the development of software tools that can be useful for other people.