In honour of National Disability Employment Awareness Month, Full Circle was excited to partner with the Neil Squire Society to host an assistive gaming device build-a-thon at Electronic Arts’ Vancouver office. Since 1984, the Neil Squire Society has been working to empower Canadians with disabilities through accessible technology and immersive educational programming.

Through their Makers Making Change program, Neil Squire partners with makers like Full Circle to build assistive technology for gamers with various functional needs. As part of the build-a-thon, the Full Circle team was tasked with assembling custom joystick toppers, devices that enable a more accessible gaming experience for those with disabilities.

The event was especially meaningful because it marked the 10,000th assistive technology device built through Neil Squire’s Makers Making Change program. To celebrate the milestone, the Neil Squire and Full Circle teams were joined by the Honourable Brenda Bailey, British Columbia’s Minister of Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation.

With assistive gaming devices and adaptors often costing hundreds of dollars, the donation of this technology will help lessen the financial barrier for those whose needs aren’t met by the standard gaming technology. 

“At Full Circle, we believe games should be for everyone,” said Mike McCartney, Executive Producer, skate.™ “As we work within our development process to make skate. a place where all are welcome, we’re thankful for organizations like Neil Squire for creating a more equitable gaming experience for those with disabilities through assistive technology.”

In support of this mission, Full Circle has made a $10,000 donation to the initiative’s #HackingForTheHolidays campaign, which aims to raise $100,000 and build 2,000 adaptive devices this season.