Ablegamers Partners with Industry Leaders to Donate to Children's Hospital

The Ablegamers Charity, a charity designed to bring visibility and resources to gamers with disabilities, has partnered with leading games industry companies to donate $10,000 in assistive gaming equipment to Children’s Hospital in New Orleans.

Partnering with Microsoft, HyperX, and Humble Bundle, Ablegamers donated a number of custom controllers and accessibility devices, including the Microsoft Xbox Adaptive Controller which was developed in partnership with Ablegamers, HyperX headsets, keyboards, mouse and mousepad sets, as well as a series of family friendly games. Humble Bundle also contributed proceeds from the Humble Monthly Bundle to the package.

 “We’re so grateful for the support of AbleGamers and all the other sponsors who are donating items as part of this Expansion Pack,” said Rene Assetta Guilbeau, Director, Child Life and Creative Therapies at CHNOLA. “Hospitals can be a scary place for children and research has shown that playing video games can serve as a much-needed distraction - or even help as a therapy tool. Providing this specialized equipment will allow our patients to enjoy video games regardless of their disabilities, which will hopefully brighten up their days and allow them to have a little fun.”

“Everyone deserves to have fun,” said Mark Barlet, Executive Director and Founder of AbleGamers. “We believe with the right set of tools and training, every hospital can have the ability to use video games for fun and rehabilitation. Some patients have a permanent disability, some have a temporary disability, and others are just sick and need a place to retreat away from the pain. Video games provide that way to escape from your troubles, make new friends, or stay connected to loved ones. That's why I couldn't be happier we are able to help wonderful places like the New Orleans Children's Hospital."

The new equipment will be installed starting from today, serving the hospital's Gilda Trautman Newman Rehabilitation Center. Accessibility experts from AbleGamers will work with CHNOLA’s healthcare professionals to install and maintain the contents of the Expansion Pack throughout the life of the project. Additionally, through their partnership with Microsoft, local members of Ablegamers and patients of CHNOLA will be able to attend the upcoming Gears Pro Circuit and Halo Championship Series tournament taking place this weekend.