Geeks Making the World Better

That's the playful slogan for the University of North Carolina's "Maze Day," during which scores of blind and visually impaired children from across the state came out Wednesday morning to test drive computer programs especially designed for them.

The event -- held in a labyrinth of rooms on the first and second floors of UNC's Sitterson Hall -- featured about 20 software programs with state-of-the art video game equipment and, in some cases, innovative twists to conventional classics, such as "Braille Twister."

Audio Feedback

Cody Barbour, 10, laughed as speakers blared a triumphant tune after he correctly completed a sequence on "Braille Twister."

"It was cool," he said of the game, which helps children learn Braille while also improving their upper body strength. "It had this loud cat and this loud 'moo' that tells you the letter."

One of his favorites, though, was "Rockin' Safawii," for which kids sit on either a rocking horse or an exercise ball and rounded up virtual animals by following their sounds.

"I was cowboy Cody!" he exclaimed.

The program combines exercise with spatial listening skills and uses a Nintendo Wii remote, which has motion sensor capability, as the kids lean to the left or right toward the animal sounds they hear on a set of headphones.

Dance to the Music

Other programs included "SamiSays," a program for recording stories with sound effects; "Sweet Beat," a game for which kids arrange SweeTarts to control a drum machine; and "Simon," where players compete to match sequences of musical notes.

However, a colossal hit with many of the 71 children who excitedly traveled from one station to another was "Carolina Beat," an accessible version of "Dance Dance Revolution."

Osaze Riddick, 11, beat the record Wednesday morning with more than 2 million points dancing on an electronic dance pad to Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean," the fifth-grader's favorite song.

A bit out of breath from his vigorous step combinations, Osaze said he didn't think the game was that hard.

His 9-year-old companion Milan Novakovic was duly impressed.

"Man! You beat me!" said a grinning Milan, later confiding that he was "not a good dancer, but OK."

Exercise for Developers

"Maze Day," now in its fourth year, is the brainchild of computer science professor Gary Bishop, who focuses his research on developing software for people with special needs.

"We love our blind kids," said Bishop, rattling off the first names of a group of children lounging on a nearby sofa. "They come from all over, from Charlotte, from the coast; it's nuts. These kids, you just can't get better."

Diane Brauner, an orientation mobility specialist, teaches children how to use a cane and move around in what can be a scary world for the young blind and visually challenged.

"All of the games are fun, that's the first thing -- but they all teach something," said Brauner, who works with Bishop to develop software. "It's really a neat collaboration. Gary has the heart and desire to help the kids -- many people with his engineering skill level go in other directions -- and I have the inside information."