Video Game Industry Leaders Partner With Leading Charity to Deliver Powerful Assistive Technology Packs to Allow Those With Disabilities to Walk, Run, Climb and Soar Virtually
Harpers Ferry, West Virginia – (February 3, 2016) – AbleGamers Foundation – the leading charity and organization dedicated to improving the lives of those with disabilities through the power of video games – is thrilled to announce today “Expansion Packs,” a new initiative born out of partnership with some of the video game industry’s biggest companies. Expansion Packs are filled with the best assistive technology and specialized controllers available, along with top notch video games and related swag. They are then delivered and installed in various locations that serve people with serious disabilities, including group homes, special needs daycare facilities and long-term living centers.
“For the better part of a decade, AbleGamers has been giving individuals with disabilities the equipment they need to play video games,” said Steve Spohn, Chief Operations Officer of AbleGamers. “Our Expansion Packs allow us to give that same equipment to a larger group of people, faster than ever, something impossible without the support of some of the brightest, best and most generous companies in video games, including Humble Bundle, SteelSeries, Electronic Arts, Jinx and Corsair.”
The first Expansion Pack arrived at the Pediatric Specialty Care long-term living facility in Hopewell, Pennsylvania. Arriving right before Christmas, the first Expansion Pack provided the many children and young adults in the facility’s care with new and assistive gaming goods.
“AbleGamer’s amazing Expansion Packs allow kids who have very limited mobility in the physical world experience what it is like to run, jump and play in a virtual world,” said Kristen Hussar, DPT Head Physical Therapist at Pediatric Specialty Care – Hopewell. “It gives them a good reason to wiggle their fingers and rotate their heads, whereas, before the gaming equipment, they may not have seen the value of the limited movement they can produce. The adaptive switches allow us to take whatever small movements a child is able to generate and augment them into something fun and meaningful to them, showing them that much is possible despite severe physical limitations.”
For details, pictures and the backstory of how Expansion Packs got started, please visit here.
About AbleGamers:
The AbleGamers Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity that provides news and reviews on the accessibility of mainstream video game titles, as well as consultation on assistive technology. Mainstream video games supply many disabled individuals and veterans with rehabilitation and social stimulation, particularly in situations where they may otherwise be shut out of society’s idea of normal, everyday life. To find out more about video game accessibility, check out AbleGamers’ Includification. For more information about the AbleGamers Foundation, to find out how your support or donations can help, or to read their reviews with an eye toward support for gamers with disabilities, please visit here.
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