Seeking Collaborators for Accessibility Best Practices

I have been asked by several people if there was one quick reference document for game designers and publishers that would help guide their decisions in regards to accessibility. To date, there hasn’t been one for me to point them to.

One of my goals for 2014 is to fix that. I am now beginning work on an Accessibility Best Practices document, which will be freely shared with anyone wishing to produce more accessible games and game-related documents.

It’s a huge undertaking, and I’m seeking collaborators to lend a hand. Here’s my roadmap:

Step one: Identify the needs of a Best Practices document

I have already begun work on this and have an active Google Doc available for anyone to view. Check out the Google Doc.

Step two: develop standards

After needs have been identified, we must develop standard best practices. This step will require research, testing, iterating, and finalizing.

Step three: develop a Best Practices PDF

Once the needs and goals have been identified, a fully accessible PDF containing all of the best practices will be generated. This will serve as the final deliverable.

Step four: Wiki support

After the final PDF has been developed, I would like to further support the project by creating a Wiki containing the same information. The Wiki will be easily searchable and serve as an easy reference guide.

Step five: continue support and iteration

Work isn’t finished just because version 1.0 of the Best Practices document has been developed. As with anything, this will be an ongoing process that will need to be re-visited from time to time.

Further changes and updates will be immediately posted to the Wiki and, when a sufficient number of changes have been made, a new version of the PDF will be released.

Interested in helping?

If you’d like to help with any part of this project, please contact me and let me know. I would be happy to accept volunteers from all walks of life; we all have experiences that can be shared.

Right now I am looking specifically for people who can help identify accessibility needs in relation to tabletop RPGs and board games. In the future, I’ll need help developing standards, putting together a PDF, and putting together a Wiki.

I recognize this is a big project, but it’s time our industry got serious about accessibility. Acceptance, education, and inclusion are the names of the game. Let’s see to it that everyone who desires a chance to share our hobby gets the chance to do so!