Two charitable organizations, the AbleGamers Foundation and Gamers Outreach, are pooling their resources and programs to provide gaming to those with disabilities in hospitals. The unique care packages combine AbleGamers’ Expansion Packs with Gamers Outreach’s mobile kiosks. Each unit contains special gaming devices and equipment, such as modified controllers, which help make games more accessible. The first donation will arrive at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.
Gamers Outreach provides mobile gaming kiosks, called GO Karts, to bring gaming to anyone in a hospital. Units are all-in-one kiosks equipped with consoles, monitors, controllers, and sometimes even VR devices.
“In the hospital environment, we support a wide array of patients, including children who have limited mobility,” said Zach Wigal, Founder of Gamers Outreach. “There’s an obvious synergy between our programs and the work of AbleGamers. The Expansion Packs equipped to our GO Karts will provide healthcare professionals with a diverse entertainment toolkit. Ultimately, we believe these devices will help ensure the joy of gaming is experienced by all patients, regardless of their circumstances.”
AbleGamers provides custom gaming set-ups to those with disabilities, using everything from modified controllers to advanced eye-tracking technology and voice control.
“The work we do to support people with disabilities is bigger than us,” said Steven Spohn, AbleGamers COO. “There are roughly 33 million children, adults and veterans with disabilities in America alone. Gamers Outreach has been a friend and ally since the creation of both organizations. It’s a natural fit, now that we both have generous supporters who believe in helping those in need, to come together and help even more people. Together, we will ensure that children inside the hospital and at home can enjoy a distraction from the sometimes scary hospital environment.”
Both organizations are 501(c)(3) charities that operate entirely on generous donations. Their partnership will be celebrated during TwitchCon 2017, taking place this weekend, October 20-22. Streamers and fans can learn more about their works and are encouraged to donate.
