Gleason Institute helps users experience the joy of adaptive gaming | WSU Insiders

For people with disabilities, video games can be a social lifeline. Victoria Perkins saw the impact on her son, Ethan, who is a quadriplegic.

“It was a big quality of life issue” when Ethan was able to play Minecraft, Fortnite, Star Citizen and Nintendo using an orally operated controller, said Perkins, who works part-time at WSU’s Steve Gleason Neuroscience Institute. Those with neurodegenerative disorders have tried different types of adaptive equipment.

The institute’s Adaptive Technology Center holds game night sessions twice a month to give people like Ethan a place to try out gaming equipment, home automation tools, wheelchairs and other technology to see what works best for them.

Ethan, now 13, uses the same Quadstick controller that enables him to play video games and do homework on the computer, and he is able to do it all independently.

“Some of the benefits are gaming, some of it is the independent process, but it’s all very important,” Perkins said.

A variety of equipment helps people with poor motor skills in some way. There are sticky controllers, controllers with very large buttons, and controllers operated by foot, voice command, or eye tracking.

Perkins said she is self-taught in adaptive technology, which is often the case for families of people with neurodegenerative disorders.

That’s why the Gleason Institute’s Center for Adaptive Technology exists, said Teresa Whitlock Wild, the institute’s program director.

“The burden of technology often falls on caregivers, and that’s not fair,” she said. “We want to help people live well, improve their quality of life, and show them ways to implement the tools in the toolbox.”

The center also offers individual counseling and support groups.

Adaptive gaming allows users to experience the joy of gaming, while also increasing the ability to use computers for other tasks, said Ken Isaacs, director of the Gleason Institute.

More importantly, he added, it “allows people to experience living in an environment of mutual support and understanding.”

Visit Steve Gleason Neuroscience Institute website for more information. For a calendar of events at the Institute, including upcoming Adaptive Gaming Nights, visit Institute activities page.