Connect with members of the disability community

The previous unit introduced you to foundational concepts about working with players with disabilities to inform accessible development. In this unit, learn potential ways to connect with members of the disability community so you can begin forming these partnerships.

Identify ways to connect with members of the gaming and disability community

Factors like confidentiality and geographic location can play a role in who can review your unreleased products or interact with them in person. Based on these factors, you can take different approaches to connect with players.

Connect with communities within your company or organization

The competitive nature of the gaming market means that it's not always possible to share ideas or concepts with individuals outside your company or organization. But you can still gather accessibility feedback.

Consider reaching out to fellow employees for feedback. It's possible that these individuals have visible or invisible disabilities and are willing to share their experiences. Every workplace is different in terms of disability disclosure and representation. However, with proper permission, consider these approaches to start the conversation:

• Contact general employee distribution lists or post on internal company forums.
• Contact disability-focused or accessibility-focused employee resource groups.

Be sure to include detailed information about the product or experience that you're seeking feedback on. Include a description of the types of users and accessibility perspectives that you hope to gather. For example, you can include statements like:

"Our game studio is looking to gather feedback about a new user interface layout from employees who regularly use screen readers."

These opportunities can foster active collaboration with the disability community throughout development while adhering to confidentiality restraints.

Connect with local or global communities

When possible, collaborate with members of the disability community outside your company or organization. This effort can produce a more comprehensive set of perspectives, because the number of potential individuals with disabilities who are willing to provide feedback is larger than the number of fellow employees.

Consider using the following platforms and channels to form connections with members of the gaming and disability communities:

• Social media: Social media platforms provide opportunities for disability community members to come together and discuss common interests, including game accessibility. Creating social media posts that contain information or links to upcoming accessibility research studies, surveys, play tests, and more is a great way to reach broader communities.

  Tip

  Including tags like #accessibility, #GameAccessibility, or #A11y (a numeronym for the word accessibility) in your post increases the visibility of the post among the players that you're targeting.

• Disability nonprofit organizations and advocacy groups: If your team is looking for feedback from players who have a specific type of disability or experience, nonprofit organizations and advocacy groups can be a great resource.

  For example, let's say your team is looking for feedback from players with low vision on a new high-contrast feature in development. Organizations that support individuals with visual disabilities, like the American Federation for the Blind, might be able to share survey links or study information with the members that they serve to increase visibility.

  If you don't have a specific player base in mind, you can still take this approach. There are many game accessibility advocacy groups and general disability-focused organizations that might be able to connect you with members of the gaming and disability community.

• Testing services: Consider using companies or organizations that provide accessibility testing services. One option is the Microsoft Game Accessibility Testing Service for games that ship on Xbox consoles and PC platforms.

  Developers can submit working game builds or released titles to the program. A test team that consists of multiple players with disabilities plays through and assess their accessibility experience. The development team produces a report that details this accessibility feedback and suggestions for improvement.

  Note

  It's important to use testing services that include players with disabilities as part of the test team. Testing services that offer automated accessibility checks or services performed by individuals outside the disability community would not be considered true "community collaboration for accessible design."

• Preview ring opportunities: Preview rings are another way to gather accessibility feedback. The Xbox Accessibility Insiders League (XAIL) is one example of a preview ring for content on the Xbox platform. Members of the XAIL preview ring consist of players who self-identified as having a disability.

  When you submit your new feature, experience, or game to a preview ring like XAIL, it gives players with disabilities an opportunity to assess new gaming experiences and easily submit accessibility feedback from their own homes.