Last Wednesday, Oct. 23, Tools for Life hosted an adaptive gaming event, inviting friends, family, and Georgia Tech students to join them in exploring inclusive gaming technology.
The event, held at the Center for Inclusive Design and Innovation, featured an array of modified devices open for participants to view and test.
Aimed at bringing greater attention to adaptive technologies, the three-hour-long event focused on making gaming a more inclusive experience for people of all abilities to enjoy. Organizers gave attendees the chance to try their hand at popular games, including Minecraft, Rocket League, and Mario Kart on popular gaming platforms such as PS4, Xbox, and Nintendo Switches with specially customized controllers and devices. Christie George, Outreach Program and Operations Manager at Tools for Life emphasized the mission for the day’s event.
“Within Tools for Life, we have the opportunity to go out into the community and showcase the items that we have in the lab, as well as meet with people and let them know what we can offer,” George said.
While this event stands as Tools for Life’s largest at Tech to date, the program has held a significant role in increasing awareness and accessibility to assistive technologies across the state.
“Tools for Life is an assistive tech organization that represents the state of Georgia and services the state of Georgia,” George stated.
In their mission to better equip Georgians of all ages and abilities with the technology they need to live more independent lives, Tools for Life has been seen to make major waves. Partnering with organizations such as Able Gamers, a charity that provides it for the entire U.S. and Nerve Gaming, which is part of the United Spinal Association of Georgia and represents a community of disabled gamers who also attended the event.
Through these partnerships Tools for Life works to address not only disabled groups but also broader individuals throughout the state. Here, they work to highlight fun, recreational activities that might be disregarded or seen as impossibilities for disabled people.
Rachel Scarboro, an Occupational Therapist at Tools for Life and one of the leaders of the adaptive gaming program, highlighted the importance of gaming as a recreational and social outlet.
“One reason that I really enjoy the adaptive gaming stuff is because it’s just fun,” Scarboro said. “It’s about doing things that are meaningful and enjoyable, not just the necessities of daily life.”
Scarboro also noted that adaptive gaming has opened up new possibilities for those who may face physical challenges.
“For people, especially with physical disabilities, they might be limited in what kinds of things they can do with their peers, like traditional sports,” she said. “But gaming can open up a world of possibilities where, with the right setup and tools, they can game competitively with anybody.”
Beyond advancing adaptive technology, Tools for Life prefaces the social aspect that comes with gaming. Hosting events, workshops and educational sessions allows participants to immerse themselves in the world of adaptive technology and connect with those who share similar interests in its function.
“We’re building more than just gaming stations here. This is a community,” George said. “Gaming can be a very social experience, and it’s important for everyone to have the opportunity to participate fully. By bringing people together in an inclusive space, we’re breaking down the isolation that can sometimes accompany disabilities.”
In the future, Tools for Life hopes to expand its reach further out into the greater Atlanta community. With growing partnerships and rapidly progressing technology, Tools for Life has extended its reach from medical applications at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta to the realm of recreational Esports.
“I would love for us to get more involved with the Georgia Esports League and support students with disabilities who want to improve their gameplay or join esports teams,” Scarboro added.
At Tech specifically, Tools for Life looks to better involve and interact with students and faculty alike. As their work holds a clear focus on technical and engineering work, Tools for Life is always looking for students to include.
“We’re part of Georgia Tech, but we don’t interact with students all that much in our unit,” Scarborough noted. “So I think it’s that awareness piece… Just bringing that awareness because Georgia Tech has such a high reputation, and our graduates are going to go out into some really impactful roles.”
While Tools for Life’s next event is still to be decided, students and faculty are free to check out their adaptive technologies lending library at any time. Provided on their webpage, requests can be made for tools assisting with reading or enlarging text, listening to a book or lecture, using a keyboard or tablet, etc.