Philip Connolly’s Post

You are really telling on yourself when you say video gaming is a frivolous luxury. People with disabilities are 51% more likely to be socially isolated than their non-disabled peers. And isolation and loneliness are not beneficial to mental health to say the least. Video games and online communities provide friendships and social experiences that would otherwise be IMPOSSIBLE for people with disabilities to enjoy. So yeah. It's not just a game. It's a whole universe of possibilities. Gaming is a culmination of every art form into one interactive experience that when done right can allow people to connect, have fun, and enjoy building community together. Building healthy online spaces around video games and working to improve accessibility of games are pretty important roles. Ones that can change lives for the better.

It's #DisabilityPrideMonth! ♿🎮🤝 We'd love to highlight a few amazing UK-based organisations and initiatives dedicated to fostering accessibility and inclusion in gaming. Check out SpecialEffect, a charity that transforms the lives of people with physical disabilities through the innovative use of technology to help them play video games. We love Safe In Our World, a charity focused on raising mental health awareness and providing support within the gaming community, with a strong commitment to inclusivity. Everyone Can is a charity that helps disabled people through the power of technology, providing gaming opportunities and support. Game Accessibility Nexus is a community focusing on making games more accessible through awareness, collaboration, and advocacy. Blind Burners is a community dedicated to making gaming accessible for blind and visually impaired gamers, offering support and resources to ensure everyone can enjoy gaming. #Raisethegame is an initiative that aims to improve diversity and inclusion across the games industry, including promoting accessibility for gamers with disabilities. Playing Attention focuses on raising awareness and supporting neurodiversity in gaming and game development, providing resources and advocacy for a more inclusive industry. The Games Accessibility Knowledgebase is run by Harriet Frayling, Project Lead & Accessibility Consultant at Many Cats Studios. The knowledgebase is a live, centralised location for the endless and ever evolving information and knowledge regarding games accessibility. There are so many more and some we may not know about! Please share in the comments any we may have missed / any champions people should know about! 💗 (Links to all mentioned will be in the comments) #dei #raisethegame #inclusioningames #DisabilityPrideMonth #AccessibilityInGaming #InclusionMatters

🎮 Gaming for Connection: Breaking Barriers with Disability 🎮 Gaming isn’t just about entertainment—it’s a powerful tool for building community and creating connections, especially for people living with disabilities. This inspiring story highlights how gaming has become a lifeline for those like Michael, who lives with Maffucci syndrome, offering a space to interact, socialise, and thrive in ways that might not always be possible offline. 🌟 It’s a reminder of the importance of inclusion and the amazing possibilities technology offers for connection. 💙 Read more here: https://postly.click/tij #Inclusion #GamingWithDisability #CommunitySupport #Accessibility #ConnectionThroughGaming 🎮🌈

🏆 Today is the anniversary of the Americans with Disability Act (circa 1990), a landmark regulation that promotes equal opportunity for all. No one should be discriminated against when it comes to employment, regardless of mental and physical conditions. When it comes to the sphere of video games, there are 3B gamers but not all have an equal opportunity to engage with gaming products due to problems with accessibility or interpretation. NPR estimates that there are 46M gamers with disabilities and this estimate varies based on what one considers an impairment. Of hundreds of thousands of video games out there, it stands in the few hundreds of games that support accessibility in a conscientious and standout way. But who is moving this space forward? How are advancements in haptic feedback, voice recognition, motion sensors, hardware, and AI changing the cost profile for supporting accessibility? Alexander Dunn, Founder, and CEO of Cephable, is building an input mediation platform and a marketplace for games that support adaptive controls and joins me on air to talk about the state of adaptive gaming. 🔊 We discuss: What are impairments games ought to be looking out for? What are adjustments games can make to mitigate those impairments? The 1st party (XBOX and Sony) are pushing this space forward, but at a hefty price point for the consumer. Why? Why is this a good "demographic" (LTV's 2x-3x that of a normal gamer) What resources are there for studios to learn about how to lean in? (The AbleGamers Charity, Be Player One, International Game Developers Association (IGDA®) That and more! Listen to the full episode Naavik on Spotify, Apple, or YouTube in the comments.

"For many gamers living with disabilities, their favourite virtual adventure is more than just data on a disc, it's a portal to an even larger community of gamers, many of whom also live with and understand the struggles of their specific disability." Wonderful piece ahead of International Day of Persons with Disabilities by Josh on the role video games can play in the lives of players with disabilities. Gaming is more than just a hobby - the communities and experiences built within virtual worlds can have a huge impact on so many aspects of a person's life! Games and hardware need to be accessible in order to remove barriers preventing players from having these experiences! https://lnkd.in/gxtmx_v6

I am excited to share a recent project of mine that I developed during my time at Thomas More University of Applied Sciences! Collaborating with a talented peer, we were tasked with creating an engaging game tailored for children with mental and physical disabilities. This endeavor was commissioned by Modem Expertnetwerk from Research Group Mobilab & Care, an organization dedicated to supporting individuals with disabilities. Upon connecting with our client Wim De Backer, we discovered that the primary challenge lay in embracing simplicity. It was crucial to ensure our game remained straightforward, considering the unique cognitive and physical hurdles our target audience faces. We removed complex game economies and the need for weighted decision-making, where one choice carries more weight than another. This decision was driven by the recognition that some individuals may find it difficult to differentiate between choices. Simplifying the experience was essential to ensuring accessibility and inclusivity. Despite encountering limitations, we were determined to create an engaging experience, leading to the development of our game, "Grow More". Drawing inspiration from the popular cookie clicker system, our game allows children to interact with virtual plants by simply clicking on them. Witnessing the plants grow with each click adds a sense of accomplishment. Once fully grown, players can choose a new spot to cultivate another plant, with increasing difficulty as the game progresses. The name "Grow More" reflects our mission: to foster growth and learning, while also paying homage to our alma mater, Thomas More University, for entrusting us with this impactful project. To ensure inclusivity in our game, we considered the diverse physical abilities of our audience. Working closely with our client, we aimed to make the game accessible to all. We implemented a cookie clicker system so children could play using a mouse. For those with limited mobility, we added features allowing interaction via the spacebar and sight-based input. These design choices ensure every child, regardless of their abilities, can fully enjoy and benefit from our game. Another challenge we faced was the need to minimize stimuli in our game for users who may experience sensory overload. To address this, we added a settings menu that lets players adjust or mute music and remove background visuals. These customization options allow players to enjoy the game comfortably without overwhelming sensory input. By prioritizing simplicity and accessibility, we kept the game enjoyable and stress-free. I'm thrilled to announce the successful completion of this project! We met our objectives and created an engaging game tailored to our audience's needs. As a Digital Innovation TM student at Thomas More University, I'm grateful for the chance to work on a project that significantly impacts these children's lives. #ThomasMoreUniversity #DigitalInnovation #EmpoweringEveryChild

There are still so many gaps in accessibility and equitable gaming, but where do we start and how do we close them? Alexandra Takei and I dive into all of this and more - checkout our podcast episode below! #accessibileGaming #a11y #ADA #SoEveryoneCanGame #GamingForAll #AI Cephable

Good news of the month on #accessibility: - Electronic Arts has filed several patents for barrier-free gaming. These patents can be used by other providers free of charge. - A guide explains the rights you have as a disabled EU citizen. - Google brings emotion to subtitles: They should not only show what was said, but also how it was said. - The Business Disability Forum offers eligible people free use of realistic images on the subject of disability. - The US city of Baltimore is investing $44 million to make sidewalks more accessible. Find more news on digital accessibility in the newsletter https://lnkd.in/eW4Y9MKU

People with disabilities face a higher risk of exploitation in human trafficking schemes. As a VR professional, your expertise in disability and ability to build trusting relationships uniquely position you to recognize and respond to potential trafficking situations. Together, we can protect and empower vulnerable individuals. https://ow.ly/LyEr50Uwfo3

When everybody plays, we all win. This month, we are proud to recognize the 425+ million players in the vibrant Gaming & Disability Community. By fostering inclusive communities, enabling accessible design, and continually investing in accessibility, we aim to break down barriers and ensure that everyone can enjoy the magic of gaming. Here are a few ways to support the cause: WATCH: Since 2014, Microsoft and Special Olympics have partnered to empower athletes through technology, evolving to include the annual Gaming for Inclusion event by Special Olympics and Xbox. This Saturday, the official Xbox and Special Olympics YouTube Channels and the Official Xbox Twitch Channel will broadcast the Gaming for Inclusion Showcase, where winners from the qualifying tournament will showcase their competitive skills in Forza Motorsport. GIVE: Rewards members in select countries can donate points to organizations supporting people in the gaming and disability community with Xbox. The featured organizations are: 1) SpecialEffect, which transforms the lives of physically disabled people across the world through the innovative use of technology. 2) Warfighter Engaged, whose mission is to improve the lives of severely wounded and disabled warfighters through custom adapted devices. 3) AbleGamers, which creates opportunities that enable play in order to combat social isolation, foster inclusive communities, and improve the quality of life for people with disabilities. PLAY: Celebrate the Gaming and Disability community through the power of play! Connect and play games that allow you to immerse yourself in a variety of perspectives and experiences. For Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members, explore the Xbox Game Pass Gaming & Disability community collection and the PC Game Pass Gaming & Disability community collection. Explore some of the featured titles below.