This year, the GF Strong Rehabilitation Centre (new window) joined Makers Making Change’s (new window) network of GAME Checkpoints, helping people with disabilities access Adaptive Gaming.

“Play is a really fundamental part of life, and video gaming can have cognitive, physical, and social benefits. It can be used in rehabilitation settings, it can be used for pain management, and definitely improves quality of life, so it can be a really substantial part of a treatment program,” says Marie Brown, an occupational therapist with GF Strong.

GAME Checkpoints — with GAME standing for Gaming Accessibility Made for Everyone — is an initiative of Neil Squire’s Makers Making Change program, which enables partner organizations to become GAME Checkpoints with gaming gear, resources, and training for Adaptive Gaming.

“We started this program to establish accessible gaming spaces across Canada,” says Tyler Fentie, the Accessible Gaming Lead for Makers Making Change. “Through the GAME Checkpoints, we can support Canadians on their accessible gaming journey by providing opportunities to trial assistive technology with trained experts.”

Through the GAME Checkpoints initiative, Neil Squire’s Makers Making Change program has donated over $10,000 worth of equipment to GF Strong, including consoles, controllers, and assistive technology, as well as four days of intensive training and set-up.

They also become part of a network of GAME Checkpoints, which include the Stan Cassidy Centre for Rehabilitation in Fredericton, New Brunswick and West Park Healthcare Centre in Toronto, Ontario, as well as game developers like Eidos-Montréal, that can collaborate and share resources.

“The training with Makers Making Change was really helpful to just make us feel more prepared to play a wider variety of games with our clients,” says Marie. “And Makers Making Change makes it easier than ever for clinicians working with clients by giving the information they need about video games, and also some of the equipment they need to make gaming more accessible to a larger amount of players.”

For the clients at GF Strong, Adaptive Gaming can be a way to enjoy something they loved before their injury or illness, or a way to create social connections.

“I’ve been gaming since I was a kid. I loved it,” says Ryan, who only has movement in one hand because of a stroke and is re-learning how to game.

“During the pandemic, I was quite isolated, as we all were. Gaming maintained some sense of a larger world, and as my disease has progressed, my world has naturally become a bit smaller. It has been an outlet,” says Jan.

For the team at GF Strong, this is just the beginning of their journey with Adaptive Gaming.

“We now have a baseline knowledge of what exists out there in Adaptive Gaming, we have the equipment, the connections, and also the resources to show clients that, yes, Adaptive Gaming is possible, so let’s explore it together. We’ve got a lot to discover, a lot to learn, and lot of games to play,” says Jason Cheung, Assistive Technologist with GF Strong.

This post originally appeared on the Makers Making Change (new window) website.