Makers Making Change (new window) Accessible Gaming Lead Tyler Fentie was honoured to receive the Alberta Therapeutic Recreation Association (new window) (ATRA) Community Partnership Award.
Tyler was recognized for his work with therapists at the GAME Checkpoint (new window) in the Foothills Medical Centre (new window) in Calgary. Foothills is one of three GAME Checkpoint locations in Alberta, along with the Glenrose Rehabilitation Centre (new window) and the Neil Squire Calgary Office. GAME Checkpoints serve to make adaptive gaming more accessible for gamers with disabilities by providing a space where they can trial assistive technology, instead of needing to commit to expensive equipment for gaming without trying it.
The Community Partnership Award recognizes a community organization or individual that has done something extraordinary to create inclusive opportunities for individuals in a community or has partnered with Therapeutic Recreation professionals to advance the field of Therapeutic Recreation.
On October 25th, Tyler was presented the award at the ATRA Awards Ceremony and Banquet in Edmonton.
Tyler joined our team in 2021, and has lead our adaptive gaming initiative. He has a lifelong passion to develop devices that were designed with the user at the forefront. Tyler has lived with type one diabetes since he was 7 and has used medical devices ever since. His frustrations with these medical devices not consulting users during the design process and having features difficult for users continues to inspire his work with Neil Squire’s Makers Making Change program.
This post originally appeared on the Makers Making Change (new window) website.