National Center for Healthcare Advancement and Partnerships
HAP Partnership Impact
Disabled Veterans use Xbox controller to connect with gaming equipment for therapy and rehabilitation
Disabled Veterans have a high-tech tool to access gaming equipment for therapy, rehabilitation, and recreation. Microsoft’s Xbox Adaptive Controller, designed in consultation with people who have disabilities, helps advance the future of gaming to become more accessible for disabled Veterans.
“Adaptive controllers opened up the door for access, where Veterans with complex physical limitations [like difficulty with fine motor skills] are able to participate,” said Dr. Leif Nelson, the director of National Veterans Sports Programs and Special Events for U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
This tool adds to the many resources Veterans Health Administration (VHA) offers Veterans with spinal cord injuries, amputations, and traumatic brain injuries. VHA grows those resources thanks to its partnership with Microsoft, which expands opportunities for education, recreation, and other activities of daily life for Veterans living with disabilities.
The Xbox Adaptive Controller has oversized buttons for easy use, and it also connects external buttons, switches, and joysticks. Its expandability allows users to create a custom setup tailored to their individual needs.
Research indicates that video games provide multiple types of rehabilitation like cognitive therapy, socialization, pain regulation, and recovery for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance abuse disorders.
Dr. Nelson said one Veteran shared that the Xbox Adaptive Controller helped him manage his pain and socialize with his kids when playing their favorite video games together. “The way video games are being used today allows Veterans to connect with people, whether it’s with other Veterans, folks out there in the world, or within a family unit,” Dr. Nelson said.
He added that gaming is sometimes considered an isolating activity, but their program found it to improve social interactions across all generations. With the help of Xbox Adaptive Controller, Veterans have a community through online gaming and physically gaming together at VA medical centers. Since the partnership with Microsoft began in 2019, 80 Xbox Adaptive Controllers have been distributed across 36 VA medical centers nationwide for Veterans to use for free.
“Microsoft is pushing everything that's possible in technology and is showing a commitment to working with individuals with disabilities,” Dr. Nelson said. He added that he is excited to continue helping this partnership expand as technology changes and grows.
In addition to this collaboration, VHA also offers Veterans with disabilities additional therapeutic and rehabilitative services and resources, including creative arts therapy and services using virtual reality—which is virtual, augmented, and mixed-reality technology that can help with pain management, physical therapy, and the treatment of PTSD.
These services and tools are an important part of the healing process for Veterans, which is why VHA dedicates their efforts to providing these valuable resources to Veterans and the military community.
The partnership with Microsoft was facilitated by VHA’s National Center for Healthcare Advancement and Partnerships (HAP). For more information on HAP’s initiatives and partnerships, please visit https://www.va.gov/HEALTHPARTNERSHIPS/index.asp.
To learn more about the Xbox Adaptive Controller, please visit https://news.microsoft.com/features/how-the-xbox-adaptive-controller-is-helping-va-medical-centers-support-veterans/.
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Posted April 29, 2022
