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AbleGamers, a charity dedicated to supporting people with disabilities in using games to break down economic and social isolation, has opened a new facility in Charles Town, West Virginia. The AbleGamers Center for Inclusive Play is a result of a grant from the Level Access brand of the SSB BART Group, an organization dedicated to digital accessibility.
In a press release issued yesterday, AbleGamers said that the new facility will greatly increase the number of people with disabilities that it can reach. It will provide the non-profit with space to offer free, one-on-one consultations, live demonstrations of adaptive technologies and customization of gaming peripherals to meet diverse needs. The center even has its own 3D printing studio, so that it can manufacture specialized equipment on-site.
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“Thanks to the gracious support of Level Access, AbleGamers is now better equipped to deliver support to our nation’s community of 33 million gamers with disabilities,” said Steve Spohn, chief operating officer at AbleGamers. “Whereas in the past we have been limited to holding finite consultations off-site or online, the new AbleGamers Center for Inclusive Play vastly improves our ability to host in-person appointments, develop content for gamers with disabilities and to offer an impactful resource for the local Charles Town community.”
AbleGamers was recently featured on CBS News. The story profiled Christie Moyer, whose degenerative condition prevented her from playing games like The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim and Doom. AbleGamers was able to get her back to her hobby by customizing several off-the-shelf components, including a touchscreen keyboard and foot pedals.
