Just wanted to share this. A friend of AbleGamers was bring interviewed on her new book, and she game us a nod.

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Hi i am Jay's Mom.Jay passed away feb11th 2010 most likely due to a faulty bi pap machine. This site and all the friends and people here meant alot to Jay. It was a safe place to be himself without judgments due to his limitations.His best friend in real life was Eric who is on this site.This site is a wonderful place and I hope it will continue to grown and give disabled people more enjoyment and information. Thank You, Maureen mjmc314@yahoo.com

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There comes a time in the life of an organization when change is not only inevitable but essential. Ablegamers.com has continued to grow by leaps and bounds, especially in the past year . The membership has grown and the mission has grown. Therefore, Ablegamers.com will be making changes today that will help to further their goals for the future.  

Effective immediately, Stephanie Walker will no longer be working at Ablegamers.com so that she can assume a new position within The Ablegamers Foundation (ablegamersfoundation.org). She will be shifting her priorities from the gaming news and membership side of the organization to working on the nonprofit side. Stephanie will be using her time to spread the message of The Ablegamers Foundation to businesses, organizations, and individuals that will be helpful in supporting the overall mission of game accessibility. She will also be more involved in the day to day activities of The Ablegamers Foundation.  

The Ablegamers organization believes that expanding their nonprofit arm will benefit them as a whole. Ablegamers.com will continue to be a source of the best game accessibility news and resources. They also offer an ever expanding catalog of game reviews with a focus on accessibility.  The Ablegamers Foundation will press forward even harder with its nonprofit mission to work on the business side of things and help to make the desires of accessible gaming a reality through its outreach. Ablegamers has made a necessary change today that they believe will help the disabled gaming community reap greater things in the long run.

You can expect to still see her around the site, she is not going anywhere as a member, she is just focusing more of the other side of the house.

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So, I work at as a cashier at a small mom and pop hardware store. When it's slow (like is has been this past week due to all the snow), I tend to work on other things such as homework or articles while at work.

This past Wednesday night I was working on an article that I am working on for AbleGamers... just writing away in my notebook... letting the silence in the empty store clear my mind so that I could think clearly.... then it happened. The new guy at work asked what I was doing.

I tell people about working with and for gaming accessibility all the time. I love it. It gives me such a good feeling. I love making what I love available to other people. And I normally get really supportive responses. "Oh, wow. That's awesome. I hadn't even thought about that stuff." "It's so awesome that your helping to educate people on this." "It's cool your willing to help others." It's always been something supportive that made me smile... until Wednesday.

My coworker isn't the brightest person... he's a little selfish... and it was clear this day. His response was... I don't even know. It made me so angry and so sad and I swear if I wasn't at work I may have simply jacked him in the face. Twice.

"Is it really important for handicaps to play video games?"

First off his tone of the word handicap was ... offensive... like someone with a disability was sub-human... then the question itself.

Really?  REALLY?!

Is it important? What does that even mean? It's it really important that I play Zelda? To the world no... to me, of course. I would be so upset if I couldn't play. How is anyone else another game any different?

I tried explaining it to him, but I could have probably gotten just as much through to him if I was speaking in Japanese.  I had never been so angry before. Is it important? Is it important that he has all of his front teeth? 'Cause I was about to punch them out.

Sigh. Luckily that was near the end of my shift... and I felt better when my other co-worker came over and confirmed that he was uneducated and probably no empathy for any other people on the planet. It was the interesting experience, and the first time someone has flat out reacted negatively towards gaming accessibility. Hopefully it never happens again.

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I have not failed, I have been VERY sick. I am going to blame it on my friend Rob (who also lives down the street), mainly because he is not a member of the site therefor will never know I blamed him. Anyway he got a killer cold. And if you read last weeks you would know that the last few weeks at the AbleGamers HQ has been snow with a chance for snow. Rob was feeling better and said, "Hey, I am tired of being in the house, can I walk over to you?"

So needless to say, I spent the last week trying not to expire from this world and into another. I have hacked and ripping at my poor throat to the point were I was almost swigging that throat spray. I went to the CVS and swept whole shelf of cold meds into my bag.

So... I was forced to take a week and put it on hold because I just did not have it in me. So I hope that I feel well and I can get started again...

Sorry if I let you down, but I have recovered and I getting back into it... tomorrow.

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    Infinity Ward has made many mistakes involving Modern Warfare 2. They irresponsibly marketed their Fight Against Grenade Spam, they neglected to put in a colorblind option, and angered Pakistanis by showing their ignorance to Pakistani culture. Their biggest mistake of all though? Excluding the much anticipated N0M4D feature. 
    However, the publisher got things right with C.O.D.E. The Call Of Duty Endowment was started by Activision Blizzard to "provide our former service members with job placement, training, and educational services in their post military careers." Back in November, C.O.D.E. pledged to donate $1 million from game sales toward various programs that help military personnel return to civilian life. Along with this pledge came an initial donation of $125,000 to Paralyzed Veterans of America, a Congressionally chartered veterans organization dedicated solely to serving the needs of SCI/SCD veterans. This past Thursday, C.O.D.E. announced that it will donate $100,000 to Wounded Warrior Project," to establish a Transition Training Academy. TTA provides training to veterans to pursue a career in IT. 
    It's nice to see that Activision Blizzard has their heart in the right place. They are one of the few gaming companies that are trying help veterans return to civilian life. Perhaps when EA launches Medal of Honor next year, they will also start a veterans fund. 

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Ah, leave it to the Japanese to make the cutest kitty cat commercial ever! Enjoy your minute of kitty zen! :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Kwkgh3Zo1E

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I caught a story this morning that I personally  have been waiting a long time to see come to fruition. Yeah this isnt about gaming but I know many ablegamers here to whom this story will apply. 

Basically, if you have sustained an injury classification of  PTSD while serving in the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan, you might be able to get a higher % disability rating than you currently have right now. You can also get an expedited new review of your case if you were discharged for PTSD and not given benefits. You should be getting a letter that will let you opt in to the lawsuit that was brought against the VA which has made all of this possible.

To anyone this applies too - make sure you get a letter and opt in before the July 24th deadline. I want you all to receive all the benefits to which you are owed.  You can go to the link below and read the story for yourself.

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2010/01/25/us/politics/AP-US-Veterans-Lawsuit.html?_r=1

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Barrie Ellis over at OneSwitch.org.uk has compiled a great list of one-switch games from 2000 to 2009. You may not be familiar with what a one-switch game is, so I will do my best to explain it. It is a game that uses one switch! (button, lever, basically something that is ON and OFF).  So no joystick, no D-pad, just a single button or switch.

My favorite is Number 2 on the list, Strange Attractors 2

Anyway, go check out the list here.

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I have been thinking a lot about 2009 and how to describe what kind of year its been. Ever since Jan 1st, I keep getting the question and I havent really been sure what to say. There are reasons for me to really love it and reasons to really hate it.

My MS decided to give me some serious problems last year - pretty much all year long. Moving my life and family from Texas to Nevada was more difficult than even I had imagined. Add to that the stresses of remotely buying and putting together a new house, and it just was all so much to deal with.

Despite all of those things though, I think last year was probably the best I have had in a very long while. Sometimes I stare at 2 full address books and the notebook I bought to put names in because address books just dont have enough space for me anymore. So many names, so many people, so many stories that have been entrusted to me. I am humbled. I feel honored that so many people, some of them fantastic ablegamers, would feel comfortable enough with me to open up about your lives the way you have.

I have learned much about life in general and about myself  through you. At the very least, you have affirmed that choosing to be in counseling was the right path for me. At the most, you inspire me to be a better person everyday. Your stories are often full of hope, or can be funny, and occasionally they even bring us to tears. We have been through the full gambit of emotions together. It has been real in a way that few things are anymore.

I never cease to be amazed at the power of the human spirit. Many of you endure things that I would have thought would break even the strongest of people. But there you are, still strong and refusing to be brought down. You do make me try harder in my own life and ,for that, I cannot say thank you enough.

I love hearing your thoughts and the stories of your lives. I am so glad you have given me that opportunity to hear you out and to help when I could. You have changed me for the better this last year. That is what has made 2009 one of the best years of my life. Even taking into account all my trials, I wouldnt trade this last year for anything.

I am looking forward to 2010 and the challenges it is sure to bring. The troop increase in Afghanistan this year will, unfortunately, probably mean that I am just as busy in 2010 talking to the war wounded. They need your thoughts and prayers.

That said, I am still available to anyone who wants or needs to talk about anything you need or want to discuss - living with disability, games, family, or whatever else you want to talk about. I even take anonymous email if you just need to get something off your chest and you dont want to give a name. I seem to be getting more of those lately. I can give a reply or not - its all up to you. I try my best to reply the same day but sometimes it might take a little longer depending on how much mail I have that day. Somedays are light and other days my  eyes bug out at a stuffed full box. I love it though. :)

I wish you all a good 2010. I know Ablegamers will continue to grow and be a force for positive change this year. A big thanks and lots of love to my best friend Mark for all his hard work. Thanks to all the staff of AG for a great year. We have come so far from the beginning. I appreciate all of you. Keep up the great work!

Stephanie/Camilya  :)

stephanie@ablegamers.com

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