“‘I don’t think about being disabled when I’m in my gaming setup and talking to everyone,’ Reece, 33, said. ‘Just Jackson “pitbullreece,” just sitting here playing, and that’s what makes me me.’

“In the United States, one in four people have a disability, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Gaming allows many of them to do things in a virtual space they could only dream of in reality. It also helps them connect and overcome social anxiety and feelings of depression.

“‘It’s my escape,’ said Brian ‘Wheely’ McDonald, 31, who has arthrogryposis, causing the normally elastic tendons in his hands to stiffen. ‘I’m not disabled in video games. I have people telling me all the time how amazing I am at games.’”

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