AbleGamers Founder Accused of Fostering Abuse, Say Former Employees and Community

In 2004, AbleGamers was established as a nonprofit dedicated to elevating disabled voices and improving accessibility in the gaming industry. For nearly two decades, the organization has delivered impactful presentations at industry events, raised significant funds through annual charity events, and served as a trusted resource for developers and players alike. Over time, AbleGamers became synonymous with video game accessibility, widely recognized as a key force driving progress in this area.

Founded by Mark Barlet, the organization collaborated with major studios like Xbox to develop the Xbox Adaptive Controller, PlayStation to create the Access Controller, and even partnered with Bungie for exclusive merchandise. Beyond industry partnerships, AbleGamers also offered consulting services to developers, educating them on implementing accessibility features in their games. Although they once distributed adaptive gaming equipment to disabled individuals, they have since discontinued that initiative as the accessibility movement evolved.

Advocating Under Strenuous Conditions

Mark Barlet’s mission was to establish a charity celebrating disabled inclusion in gaming. According to a post on the AbleGamers website, Barlet guided the organization to provide services such as peer counseling for clients, fostering a sense of community among disabled individuals, and offering consulting services. However, behind the scenes, sources paint a starkly different picture.

A former employee, who wishes to remain anonymous, recounts that Barlet’s behavior became problematic a few years into their employment. During their approximately 10-year tenure, the source details multiple instances of sexist and emotionally abusive comments directed at them. “He kept telling me I was HR for the charity because I’m a woman,” the source said. “At this time, I was the only woman in the charity. He then sent me to work on a literal HR case that I now know was really illegal of me because I didn’t have those credentials.”

The source claims that Barlet occasionally mocked this HR case for several weeks, creating an uncomfortable atmosphere for numerous employees. He would repeatedly tell the source they were HR because they were “the woman of the group.”

Throughout their time at the charity, the source witnessed numerous behaviors they deemed aggressive, both directed at them and others within the company. They recount overhearing racist remarks about colleagues, breaking up a conflict between Barlet and another coworker, and observing several inappropriate comments from Barlet, such as, “We need to get the most f\*\*\*ed up disabled person to be on our marketing, the one with real multiple disabilities.” In this instance, Barlet reportedly made obscene gestures, mocking individuals with physical disabilities.

Barlet also made sexually explicit remarks and comments about the source in front of others, especially during staff meetings or when working together in person.

“During an all-hands internal meeting, I was two months postpartum, and before the meeting, everyone was either in call or in the conference room physically, and he said my jugs had gotten so big that he wouldn’t know how to handle them,” the source said. “About a week later, we were walking past each other, and he went up to me with his hands outstretched hovering over my \[chest\] and said ‘Haha, they’re so big, I wouldn’t know how to handle them because I’m gay.’”

The source acknowledges that Barlet initially showed support and befriended new employees but began harassing them as they progressed within the organization. Each time Barlet was confronted about his inappropriate behavior, he would deflect, claiming he was merely joking. The source notes that Barlet’s behavior became increasingly hostile whenever they spoke out against him.

Toxicity Outside the Charity

Barlet’s allegedly hostile and inappropriate actions extended beyond AbleGamers. The source notes that Barlet consistently belittled or insulted other accessibility advocates in the space. To them, it seemed Barlet wanted AbleGamers to dominate the accessibility field, and when others gained prominence, he would disparage them at best and threaten them at worst.

“Especially at \[The Game Accessibility Conference\], he said something about almost every speaker that came up,” the source said. “Anyone that either spoke or was an advocate, just how they are idiots. One woman that I know worked closely with Xbox Accessibility, he would tout that she only got there because of her father, and she doesn’t know what she’s doing.”

An anonymous accessibility advocate corroborated Barlet’s behavior at industry events. At a business meeting discussing major initiatives, the source recalls Barlet becoming increasingly irate. Whenever accessibility was mentioned, Barlet would loudly interrupt, shouting “Shut up, shut up, you don’t know what you’re talking about,” and then speaking over them for the entire 30-minute presentation.

Another accessibility advocate, who wished to remain anonymous, also confirmed Barlet’s behaviors. After discovering the source was interested in pursuing accessibility, Barlet allegedly stated over a call, “You are a drop in the pond of accessibility. And I own the pond.”

Finally, another accessibility advocate noted that upon discussing a collaboration, Barlet demanded the source hand over all their work, asserting that AbleGamers would claim ownership. Barlet allegedly threatened to sabotage the project through his “deep industry contacts” if the source refused.

Financial Mismanagement

Barlet’s negative impact extends far beyond his interpersonal relationships. As the founder and former Executive Director of AbleGamers, Barlet helped launch new initiatives and programs for the organization. Under the guise of supporting disabled players, the charity received millions in donations from studios and players alike. However, new questions have arisen about how these funds were utilized.

According to a former AbleGamers employee who wished to remain anonymous, Barlet’s spending habits caused internal tension. Allegedly, his access to funds rarely aligned with the organization’s mission, instead leading to wasteful expenditures.

“In the fourth quarter of 2023, senior leaders at the org had been talking about \[finances\] for quite some time,” the source said. “We were really wanting to get a sense of how to develop our budgets as pillar leads. This came to light where a lot of the senior directors had knowledge about the finances, and that the revenues were not great, and that expenses were out of control.”

The source notes that funds were frequently allocated for first-class tickets for certain leadership, hotel rooms before or after designated events, and even expensive meals for office staff, despite the majority being remote employees. Internally, employees regularly questioned these non-essential expenditures, especially when Barlet purchased a van for taking AbleGamers services on the road. According to the original source, Barlet “bought a van one day, wrapped it, and said we’re doing this. The money just sank. The van did nothing for us.” The purchase of the vehicle occurred during the pandemic, and as the source explains, it couldn’t be properly utilized due to quarantine and work-from-home orders.

Both former employees we spoke to noted the purchase of a Tesla vehicle charger for the headquarters. According to the original source, some members of leadership directed their teams to be more frugal with their budgets, citing funding concerns. The source explains that “Mark paid to have a Tesla charger at the headquarters. None of us drove a Tesla except him.” The second source notes that the independent board of AbleGamers began combing through credit card statements or bank transfer statements within the past year. They discovered the Tesla charger and expressed frustration with \[Barlet\] using AbleGamers' money to install a Tesla charger.

Aside from non-essential expenditures, the second source notes that internally, there was discrepancy amongst staff regarding salaries. Leadership regularly questioned why members of the organization were being paid more than those in higher positions, especially since Barlet controlled salary amounts. According to the source, salaries appeared to target alleged favoritism, with some employees earning far more for doing far less within the company.

“A lot of the directors including senior directors did not agree that Mark should be drawing that much of a salary, that was always a point of contention,” the source said. “There were people that were not directors making more than directors. There were senior directors making less than directors. There were people doing next to nothing making almost the highest amount, minus \[Barlet\]. There was a lack of consistency with raises here and there.”

Leadership Failures

To coincide with Barlet’s financial mismanagement, the original source explains that AbleGamers’ board ordered the hiring of a Certified Public Accountant who was granted the role of Chief Financial Officer. For approximately two years, the source was told by leaders that the CFO “rang the alarm, saying ‘Something is terribly wrong with our finances.’” Despite his concerns and warnings, the source notes the board failed to act on them, and according to the source, the CFO left toward the end of last year, but allegedly returned to the organization (IGN reached out to the CFO via email but did not receive a reply).

Despite Barlet being the primary source of issues at AbleGamers, both former employees note that others in leadership positions, especially the nonprofit’s independent board, failed to protect employees and act within a timely manner. However, according