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The in Toronto is one of seven GAME Checkpoints, a network of partner organizations led by Neil Squire’s program that help people with disabilities access adaptive gaming.

“[Adaptive gaming] can have a significant positive impact on the well-being and quality of life of individuals with disabilities. It promotes inclusivity by providing opportunities for people of all abilities to engage in the same activities, fostering a sense of belonging and social integration,” explains Zianna Manji, a recreational therapist at West Park. “It also adds a dimension of fun and excitement to patient lives, beyond just addressing medical needs.”

“Our goal in recreation is to assist patients in finding activities of leisure and quality of life that they can engage in on their own with minimal assistance,” says Bonita Nagendran, a recreation therapy assistant.

Through the GAME Checkpoints initiative, Neil Squire’s Makers Making Change program has donated over $10,000 worth of equipment to West Park Healthcare Centre, including consoles, games, controllers, and assistive technology, and provided training and set-up.

While the West Park Recreation Therapy department had previously provided patients with adapted gaming opportunities, it was mostly in a single-player setting in their rooms, rather than as a group activity.

“There wasn’t a ton of opportunity to play against each other with the limited equipment we had at the time and there weren’t a lot of games to pick to play either,” says Catalina Hayden-Anderson, a recreation therapy assistant.

Thanks to the donated equipment, the Recreation Therapy department now hosts weekly hour-long sessions where patients can play a wide variety of games with each other in the auditorium, well outside of the patients’ rooms. Recreation Therapy works with the Occupational Therapy department, as well as Rehab Engineering, to trial new equipment and develop gaming set-ups that work for each individual clients’ needs.

“The patients love it, and attendance is consistently full,” says Bonita. “[They] love playing with one another.”

For patients like Brian and Karen, adapted gaming allows them to socialize and have fun.

Brian, who had a stroke, enjoys playing racing games that allow him to control a vehicle, even though he is no longer physically able to drive. In Mario Kart, he picks vehicles that remind him of the smart cars he owns.

He enjoys gaming because it gets him out of his room, and says gaming makes him feel “like a young boy.”

Karen had a car accident in 2003, which left her a partial quadriplegic with a trach and feeding tube, she cannot speak.

With gaming, she says, “I can do the same things my friends are doing.”

She particularly enjoys playing racing games like Mario Kart and Supermarket Shriek, as well as puzzle games. Karen has her own set of Buddy Buttons with vibrant colours — pink, purple, and yellow, with a smiley face on the yellow one — that she loves to use.

Karen says the adaptive gaming is one of her favourite programs.

Some of the clients have enjoyed the adaptive gaming sessions so much that they have purchased their own devices to play in their rooms.

The Recreation Therapy team at West Park hopes to continue expanding the adaptive gaming program, and look forward to connecting with the other GAME Checkpoints to share resources and knowledge.

“It has been an interesting journey thus far bridging the gap between accessibility, disability, and technology. I look forward to the expansion of the adaptive gaming program at West Park,” says Zianna.

Looking to start or enhance your adaptive gaming set-up at your clinical center, library, community center, or game studio? Contact our Adaptive Gaming Lead, Tyler Fentie, at tylerf@neilsquire.ca and find our GAME Checkpoint Resources on our Adaptive Gaming page (new window). Are you a gamer with a disability? Contact Tyler at tylerf@neilsquire.ca to learn more about adaptive gaming resources near you.

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