Beyond the Controller: Adaptive Tech and the Future of Inclusive Gaming

At this year’s Toronto Game Expo, one of the most meaningful sessions on our schedule comes from someone who has lived the conversation around accessibility.

Matt Brown, founder and CEO of WSEGL Canada (Warriors & Survivors eSports Gaming Lounge) will be leading the conversation for one hour on the main stage. Rather than a traditional panel, this session is designed as a live, interactive experience. Matt will bring a fully functioning adaptive gaming unit on stage and invite volunteers from the audience to step into a different kind of gaming setup: one designed for people who play through alternative controllers, switches, eye-tracking, and more.

This isn’t a showcase of gadgets. It’s a conversation about belonging, design, and the simple idea that gaming should be for everyone.

Matt’s session blends personal storytelling, live technology demonstration, and community discussion. He’ll walk attendees through real equipment used by gamers living with disability, chronic illness, or trauma, as well as the tools that make it possible to reconnect with play, community, and identity.

The session begins with Matt’s personal story, setting the stage for why accessibility in gaming is not just technical but deeply human. From there, he moves into a live adaptive tech demo where audience members can try the equipment themselves, followed by an open round-table discussion about inclusive design and community. The hour closes with a Q&A and a call to action for anyone interested in building a more accessible gaming future.

Accessibility in gaming is often talked about in terms of features and hardware specs. Matt reframes it as something deeper: a way back to community.

“This isn’t a product demo—it’s a movement. Every switch and joystick on that stage represents someone’s path back to connection. Every gamer deserves to play.”

WSEGL Canada works with partners like Logitech G, Microsoft’s Adaptive Controller Team, Makers Making Change, and the Electronics Recycling Association to build pop-up gaming lounges across Canada for people who are often left out of traditional gaming spaces.

If you’re a gamer curious about how others experience play, a developer thinking about inclusive systems, or simply someone who believes tech should expand access rather than limit it, this session will stay with you long after the controller is put down.