Founder of accessibility nonprofit AbleGamers accused of abusive conduct and financial mismanagement
1 min read
Summary
Former employees at gaming accessibility charity AbleGamers have accused founder Mark Barlet of making sexist, racist and inappropriate remarks, as well as being financially mismanaged.
Barlet is alleged to have told female employees that they were effectively the company’s HR despite having no qualifications, and that their breasts had grown too large for him to handle.
Among other things, Barlet is said to have referred to a severely disabled person as “the most fucked up disabled person” in a racist manner and told an activist they were “a drop in the pond of accessibility”.
Following an investigation by HR firm ADP, Barlet was advised to be fired by the charity’s independent board, which allegedly chose to ignore the findings and carry out its own investigation instead.
Speaking to IGN, Barlet – who denies the allegations – said he was advised to cut staff numbers, and that the allegations are therefore “conveniently actionable”.
