Harpers Ferry, WV (June 1, 2016) \u2013 AbleGamers \u2013 the leading charity and organization wielding the power of gaming to break down the barriers of economic and social isolation for people with disabilities \u2013 is thrilled to announce a winner has been chosen for the first AbleGamers Fellowship.<\/p>\n
As a first of its kind award, the AbleGamers Fellowship was created to help people with disabilities enter the video game industry by providing scholarship money and internship opportunities enabling new game developers with disabilities to affect real change from within.<\/p>\n
After carefully reviewing dozens of applications, the winner has been chosen from a select few elite finalists by the Fellowship\u2019s primary sponsor Trion Worlds.<\/span> Congratulations to Alex James Ryan!<\/p>\n AJ, as he is known in disability and gaming communities, is an extraordinary individual with the kind of drive and passion AbleGamers and all of the sponsors of the Fellowship were looking for. He uses a combination of assistive technology and superior feet-skills to destroy the competition in Mortal Kombat and one day the game development field. With dozens of independently released titles already under his belt, we know AJ will go on to do amazing things for the game accessibility movement.<\/p>\n \u201cAnyone who cannot use their arms and plays Mortal Kombat with their feet, and is setting up his own game studio is a winner,\u201d said Russ Brown, Trion Worlds Vice President of Production. \u201cThe world needs more Alex James Ryans.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAJ is the kind of person you want pushing for accessibility,\u201d said Mark Barlet, AbleGamers Executive Director. \u201cPassionate, driven and never takes no for an answer. People with disabilities like AJ can offer brilliant insight into the world of accessibility from first-hand knowledge and game development experience combined.\u201d<\/p>\n AbleGamers would like to thank Trion Worlds, Motiga, and the International Game Developers Association for helping begin this annual award. Without their help, none of this would\u2019ve been possible.<\/p>\n For details, pictures, and more information on the AbleGamers Fellowship, including dates for the upcoming application season, please visit AbleGamersFellowship.com. To learn more about AJ, please visit http:\/\/www.ablegamers.com\/ablegamers-fellowship-2016-winner-alex-james-ryan\/.<\/p>\n If you would like to arrange an interview with AbleGamers Executive Director Mark Barlet or Chief Operations Officer Steven Spohn via email, telephone or Skype, please contact Mario Kroll at pr@uberstrategist.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Harpers Ferry, WV (June 1, 2016) \u2013 AbleGamers \u2013 the leading charity and organization wielding the power of gaming to break down the barriers of economic and social isolation for people with disabilities \u2013 is thrilled to announce a winner has been chosen for the first AbleGamers Fellowship.<\/p>\n