The Film's Impact
During my research, people within the disabled gaming, and disability advocacy communities have been incredibly receptive to collaborating on the project. These communities are inherently built around the concept of inclusion and supporting others with exceptional needs, both similar and dissimilar to their own. Engaging audiences within the gaming and disability advocacy communities is important, because doing so serves as a means to elevate the emotional and cultural needs of each group.
Gaming Builds A Sense Of Community
This project directly enhances the sense of community around the subject, but it also serves as a catalyst for bringing this community to the attention of a broader audience, with the intention of spurring technological and social developments by those with the power to do so who in the past may have not known there was such a need. Early feedback from groups like our mentors Ablegamers, and speaking with and following disabled gamers directly, shows that gaming can be community-building, enabling, and socially connecting for disabled gamers. We’re hoping that by telling this story through a film, we are able to spread the message of this world wider than its current audience, and inspire disabled people and allies to find their way to gaming to better their lives.
Accessible Gaming Levels The Playing Field
Seeing as this is a project dominated by players who use digital platforms such as Twitch and YouTube to share their content with followers, those two platforms seem like the perfect vehicle with which to share these stories, funded in part by followers of each streamer or ad revenue from viewers in addition to corporate sponsors who want their products advertised.
Ultimately we hope to create a proof of concept that shows that with technology and allies, disabled people can find truly even playing fields. We dream that this film will inspire people in other areas to level their playing fields in ways we don’t currently imagine.
Our Team
Derek Dabkoski • Director
Derek Dabkoski’s films have screened at festivals around the world, including SFFilm Fest, SF Doc Fest, Indie Memphis, Imagine Science Film Festival, and Santa Monica. He won Best Director from the Courage Film Festival of Berlin and the Voices of Ability Award from the Portland Film Festival. Despite an attack that left him permanently paralyzed on his right side, he achieved his MFA from USC’s School of Cinematic Arts in film and television production, where he pursued directing. With a passion for telling stories about the disability community of which he is a part.
Makenna Tuttle • Associate Producer
Makenna Tuttle is a graduate of Ohio University with a degree in Film Studies. She has always had a passion for movies and spent weekends watching them with her father. Since then, Makenna has used her experience as a disabled woman to help amplify voices of disabled people and help directors understand best practices when it comes to accurate representation of disability, as well as how to make their films more inclusive for disabled viewers—all while making sure that the story is told accurately.
Nick Myggen • Cinematographer/Producer
Nick's love of Photography comes from his childhood memories of his Grandfather shooting and developing photos at home. In high school his passions accelerated for both photography and motion pictures, as the school had both a darkroom and edit suites. In college, Nick studied Motion Pictures & Television with a focus on Cinematography at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. Today Nick is actively involved in both the independent and commercial aspects of San Francisco’s film industry, working as a Producer & Cinematographer for Interface Pictures LLC.
Jazmin Jamias • Editor
Jazmin Jamias is a San Francisco Bay Area based filmmaker. She graduated from San Francisco State Cinema program with an emphasis in fictional filmmaking. Her senior thesis film “I Hate the Color Red” screened in 30 film festivals, winning an Audience Award and multiple student film awards. Her short student documentary “The Altered Lives of LaVonne Sallee’” screened in 18 film festivals and won two major Audience Awards. She served as a rehabilitation registered nurse for 16 years where she met Derek Dabkoski as her patient. She is an alumna of the American Film Institute, where she focussed on editing and is currently an Assistant Editor for the Sundance Institute Directors Lab.
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