Since 2013 the Florida Disability Access and Awareness Foundation (FDAAF), a
non-profit has strived to assist individuals with disabilities. This is apparent through their company mission to develop media products that promote disability inclusion and challenge stereotypes and perceptions. Headed by Ralph Strzalkowski, President of FDAAF and Attorney, FDAAF is currently working on developing two video games. “The philosophy of FDAAF regarding these games is create engagement and discussions on disability in the society because we do strive to raise awareness of things like accessibility and participation of people with disabilities in the society,” states Strzalkowski. Engaging the community is just one goal, by using a new approach such as video games FDAAF hopes to highlight issues with disabilities using modern tools to, “do something that may have been done differently 20 years ago but the disability issues have to move with the times,” states Strzalkowski.
Content is key and engagement is the goal. FDAAF’s staff is very diverse. Strzalkowski has cerebral palsy. His Lead Developer, Zachary Taylor was plagued at a young age with meningitis causing both his hearing and balance to vanish.
In the upcoming months FDAAF hopes to roll out the first game, a social media game online. The next goal will be able to release the larger game to the national community. Regarding the overall goal of community involvement and the diverse team working behind the scenes to make it possible Strzalkowski stated, “A bunch of strangers with diverse perspectives coming in to build something for the greater good I think there’s nothing better.”
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