The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa esports program launched a groundbreaking camp aimed to engage students with disabilities through video games and esports.
The four-day program in July featured nine students from Leeward Community College, Windward CC, UH Mānoa and UH West Oʻahu. Participants learned to build PCs, create in-game avatars and practice online gaming safety.
Sky Kauweloa, director of UH Esports, partnered with the UH Mānoa Center on Disability Studies to create the camp. Kauweloa’s goal has been to provide opportunities for marginalized students and communities, starting with supporting women and LGBTQ+ players through the Women of UH Esports program, and forming the first varsity mobile esports team in North America via the game Mobile Legends: Bang Bang.
“Now, we have extended the core mission of UH Esports to become a venue for students with disabilities to find a home across our system campuses,” Kauweloa said. “The esports disability camp is possibly one of the first in North America, which reinforces the core mission of UH Esports to be inclusive of marginalized student populations on our campus when it comes to access to video games and gaming and digital technologies. I believe this camp could be a catalyst for collaborations with other universities interested in supporting their own students with disabilities.”
A key feature was the introduction of Microsoft’s adaptive controllers, which assisted individuals with physical limitations. Leeward CC is planning to purchase these controllers for their esports initiative.
Social impacts
Moshe Karabelnike, the main camp organizer and UH Mānoa communication and information sciences PhD alum, highlighted the social impact.
“Many of the students we work with struggle to make friends, and it was beautiful to watch how a shared interest immediately brought the students together,” Karabelnike said. “My proudest moment in camp was seeing a student with no previous gaming experience use an adaptive controller to participate in competitive gaming, cooperate with teammates, and score for her team.”
The camp employed coaches from UH Esports, UH Mānoa and Leeward CC. Kauweloa hopes the camp will continue to be offered every summer.
UH Esports receives funding from the Academy for Creative Media System. Visit the UH Esports team’s X and Discord. More stories on UH’s esports program.
