A Big Thank You to AbleGamers Foundation

As some of you may know, my partner Catherine’s little guy Thad was born without a right hand. He has never let this define him, but of course challenges do present themselves throughout his life. One of them is that, although games are a big hobby of his (one that he and I share, and share together!), manipulating the controller can be difficult on the right side. Working the trigger, shoulder button, face buttons and right control stick with one hand is tricky to begin with, but without fingers it’s impossible.

Luckily, there is a nonprofit org out there called The AbleGamers Foundation, which helps people like Thad acquire tools and solutions that allow them to enjoy this past-time fully as they advocate for accessibility in games for all. They sent Thad an Elite controller for the Xbox One, which has paddles you can attach behind the left side to stand in for other buttons; now, he can use his other left-hand fingers naturally to stand in for the right trigger and bumper and not have to try and move the right stick with his chest while reaching for the right trigger, or any of the other awkward “solutions” he’s had to rely on.

Catherine and I are extremely grateful to AbleGamers for doing this work, which may not seem like a lot to someone on the outside, but for Thad will make a world of difference. If you’re looking for a new charity to add to your donation list, give them a look. I know I’ll be keeping up with their work.