Twitch to Donate $1 Million to AbleGamers to Help Gamers with Disabilities

Twitch has committed to donate $1 million to the AbleGamers charity to help “change the lives of thousands of people with disabilities.”
Steven Spohn, the COO of AbleGamers, had a goal for his 40th birthday to raise $1 million for The AbleGamers Charity, a group that utilizes fun to “bring inclusion and improved quality of life for people with disabilities through the power of video games.”

As of a few hours before the announcement, Spohn’s initiative had earned over $150,000 in donations, and Dr. Lupo helped reveal that Twitch would be donating an extra $1 million to AbleGamers to help make a difference for so many around the world.

AbleGamers was founded in 2004 by Mark Barlet and Stephanie Walker after Walker began having troubles controlling a mouse to play video games due to multiple sclerosis. They decided it was time to make gaming accessible for people with disabilities so they could ensure, as they say, everyone can game.

AbleGamers has done incredible work since then, including working with Microsoft to help develop the Xbox Adaptive Controller.

Accessibility has been a much bigger focus in gaming recently, thanks in large part to the work Spohn and AbleGamers does, and it is seen as taking center stage in such games as The Last of Us Part 2.

Furthermore, the first annual Gaming Accessibility Awards is taking place tonight, November 15, at 8pm PT/11pm ET, and the show is being hosted by Spohn and IGN alum Alanah Pearce.

You can watch the awards show on either Twitch.TV/AbleGamers or Twitch.TV/Charalanahzard, and all proceeds will go towards charity to help make gaming accessible to all.

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Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

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