No Barriers to Fun!

We met our friend Giddeon at the AbleGamers Accessibility Arcade in Atlantic City, New Jersey. When he first sat down with the AbleGamers crew, Giddeon didn't want to play any games. He told us that with his disability gaming was difficult. Giddeon has a rare disease that caused the growth of his arms .. Read More
A Window to the World

Shepherd University invited the AbleGamers Foundation to come on campus and do one of our Accessibility Arcades for the students and local disabled community. The event was a roaring success with hundreds of children and adults coming out to see the technology and in some cases experience gaming the first time. Read More

About the AbleGamers Foundation

Since 2004, the AbleGamers Foundation, a 501(c)(3) public charity, has served more than 56 million members of the disabled community by advocating greater access in video games. Today, AbleGamers is a leader in the development of equipment, programs and services to those living with disabilities, hardships, and quality-of-life issues that are a result of chronic illness or trauma. It is our goal to ensure that all people, regardless of their disability, can use gaming as a tool to have enriched social experiences with friends, family, and the world at large.

Game Accessibility in Videogames Wins National AAPD Award

Written by Steve Spohn

Published on 14 February 2012

Mark Barlet, President of the AbleGamers Foundation, Wins the Hearne Award for Leadership Excellence

The AbleGamers Foundation is proud to announce Mark Barlet, President and Co-founder of the AbleGamers Foundation, has been selected as one of two winners of the 2012 Paul G. Hearne award from the American Association of People with Disabilities. Barlet won the award for his demonstration of excellence in leadership.

The annual award gives two leaders who exemplify leadership and advocacy in the disability community $10,000 to further their organization and a chance to meet with other leaders in various national organizations at the award dinner held March 21, 2012, at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, DC.

“Words cannot express how honored I am to receive the Hearne Award,” said Mark Barlet, “I see this not as a recognition of myself, but as further proof of the importance of videogames in the lives of those in the disabled community. I hope this raises the level of awareness for everyone fighting to get more accessibility options included in digital entertainment.”

“All of us at AbleGamers are extremely proud of Mark and his tireless work for the game accessibility cause,” said Steven Spohn, editor-in-chief of ablegamers.com. “Videogames can play such an important role in the lives of those with disabilities. We are very happy to see our efforts to get more children with disabilities and injured veterans returning from war into videogames being recognized as a vital part of their social and psychological support systems.”

"To have a national-level disability rights organization like the AAPD recognize the work of the AbleGamers Foundation confirms that we are heading in the right direction,” Barlet continues. “And that videogames are now part of everyday life, including the lives of disabled.”