Game Accessibility in Videogames Wins National AAPD Award

Mark Barlet, President of the AbleGamers Foundation, Wins the Hearne Award for Leadership Excellence

The annual award gives two leaders who exemplify leadership and advocacy in the disability community $10,000 to further their organization and a chance to meet with other leaders in various national organizations at the award dinner held March 21, 2012, at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, DC.

“Words cannot express how honored I am to receive the Hearne Award,” said Mark Barlet, “I see this not as a recognition of myself, but as further proof of the importance of videogames in the lives of those in the disabled community. I hope this raises the level of awareness for everyone fighting to get more accessibility options included in digital entertainment.”

“All of us at AbleGamers are extremely proud of Mark and his tireless work for the game accessibility cause,” said Steven Spohn, editor-in-chief of ablegamers.com. “Videogames can play such an important role in the lives of those with disabilities. We are very happy to see our efforts to get more children with disabilities and injured veterans returning from war into videogames being recognized as a vital part of their social and psychological support systems.”

"To have a national-level disability rights organization like the AAPD recognize the work of the AbleGamers Foundation confirms that we are heading in the right direction,” Barlet continues. “And that videogames are now part of everyday life, including the lives of disabled.”