Extraordinary Gamers: The AbleGamers Foundation

This week in our Extraordinary Gamers series, we bring to you The AbleGamers Foundation, a non-profit organization that aims to improve life for people with disabilities through the influence of video games. We discovered the empowering group through an event they host on Twitch last week where the AbleGamers stream 5 days out of the week and feature a different individual each day.

Each gamer demonstrates the ways that they have been able to overcome certain obstacles that come with playing video games with a disability and highlight some of the things that could be done to make the experience better.

AbleGamers strives for a world where a person’s disability doesn’t define them. The question of “Why use video games?” may come to mind when trying to wrap your head around what The AbleGamers Foundation is trying to do. It’s quite simple, really. When we plug into the fictional worlds in video games, we are no longer limited in what we can achieve mentally or physically. Mark Barlet, the founder of AbleGamers explains it perfectly.

“I believe that there is nothing more powerful for people with disabilities than the freedom that only videogames can provide. It is an art form that allows us to all run, jump, and be whatever we want to be."

- Mark Barlet, Founder of AbleGamers

Video games give us all an opportunity to walk, run, fly, and explore new realms. We can take the shape of whomever or better yet, whatever we want. The ability to do this has been monumental for many, especially those who are limited in what they can do in the world we actually reside in.

The AbleGamers Foundation utilizes video games for their cause in three different ways—outreach, consultation, and grants. Because AbleGamers boasts an incredible hub for gamers with disabilities from all around the world, it inherently lends itself to vastly improving accessibility in games.

Gamers and developers with disabilities come up with solutions on how to improve a game’s includification and then place them up against the Game Accessibility Guidelines. AbleGamers even provide consultations for improving accessibility in games free of charge for developers of AAA and indie titles alike.

They also give out a number of grants that aim to help various members of the gaming community fund the development of assistive technology.

When you donate to AbleGamers, you’re giving someone the ability to play a game they otherwise may have been unable to play. AbleGamers comes up with specialized controllers that are customized to aid individuals with their unique disabilities, utilizing a combination of buttons, switches, eye trackers, sensors and more.

AbleGamers has raised a little over $4,000 thus far and if you wish to join them in their amazing cause, be sure to register for their upcoming Ability events. You can start today and begin sharing your fundraising page with your family and friends. Make sure to add the #SoEveryoneCanGame hashtag to your posts to spread the word and garner more attention for AbleGamers and the inspiration work they're achieving each and every day.

AbleGamers Social Media:

Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/ablegamers

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AbleGamers

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ablegamers

AbleGamers Official Website:

http://www.ablegamers.com/

For more uplifting content on Indie Obscura be sure to check out the teenage duo who started their own company that is taking video game streaming to new heights, read the interview with the It’s Okay developer Clementia who helps us cope with grief, and help us decide if the gaming community’s toxicity outweighs its groundbreaking feats.

Felicia Miranda