Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) is a great time to raise awareness of the importance of digital accessibility and inclusion, and to celebrate the 400+ million gamers with disabilities playing and creating around the world. Today I’m excited to share some of the work Team Xbox has done in partnership with the disability community to bring the power of play and connection to more people. Because only when we all come together, have a conscious focus on accessibility year-round, and push for more representation in our games and the people who make them, can we truly make Xbox a place for everyone to have fun and experience can enjoy playing. For us this means
- Foster inclusive communities, connections and support. Gaming has the power to bring people together and share experiences that they might not otherwise have had. We want to make it easy to find and connect with a community, partner with game developers so you can influence the next game, and provide support for accessibility features.
- Enable accessible design and development. Incorporating accessibility and partnerships with the disability community from the start of a project results in experiences that more people can enjoy. But sometimes it’s difficult to know where to start or what resources to consider. We want to make it easy to include and understand game accessibility by sharing our insights so we and others can do more.
- Continuous investment in accessibility. Accessibility features help gamers with disabilities play, create, and connect in their own way. We strive to continually innovate and work with the community to consistently incorporate accessibility features and innovation into our products, games, and services.
Nothing should come between players and the games they love, which is why we’re dedicated to finding accessibility solutions that help break down gaming barriers and make it easier to connect with others. In celebration of Global Accessibility Awareness Day, Xbox is excited to share some ways gamers can connect with the community and developers, new resources for game developers, and more accessibility features available to gamers.
Join us in celebrating GAAD and celebrating the creators and gamers with disabilities who are part of our community.
Foster inclusive communities, connections and support
Minecraft: Educational Edition Accessibility
new this month, BuildAbility starts a Minecraft: Educational Edition, a new accessibility theme developed in partnership with the Peel District School Board in Ontario, Canada. Students explore barriers people with disabilities face by meeting a range of characters that reflect our real world and learn to identify and remove barriers to accessibility in their school and community. The Minecraft learning experience encourages inclusive design thinking and problem solving grounded in empathy and social-emotional learning. Check out all the details about what’s new Minecraft: Educational Edition World.
American Sign Language (ASL) Xbox Twitch Channel
We’ve launched an Xbox channel in American Sign Language (ASL) on Twitch at /XboxASL! Every day, the Xbox Plays team goes live on the Xbox Twitch channel, playing the latest and greatest titles from the world of Xbox. In April they partnered with Sorensona communications company with the largest interpreter base in the world, launched a new ASL Xbox channel with interpreters live streaming about 25 hours a week. Visit the new channel here and Learn more about Xbox’s partnership with Sorenson here.
Partnership between the Xbox Accessibility Insider League (XAIL) and the Windows Insider Program
That Xbox Accessibility Insider League (XAIL), which has grown to more than 163,000 members since its launch last May, is a streamlined way for anyone who identifies themselves as a disabled person or ally to submit accessibility feedback directly to Xbox engineering or game development teams. The Xbox team is now working with that Windows Insider Program to share new accessibility features in Windows 11 preview builds. We encourage XAIL members with Windows 11 to try this and provide feedback! Get started today by joining XAIL and keep an eye out for announcements via the Xbox Insider Hub on Xbox or PC.
Enable accessible design and development
Xbox Accessibility Guidelines (XAGs) 3.0 update including new mental health guidelines
Based on community and developer feedback, the latest Xbox Accessibility Guidelines (XAGs) The update released this month includes a brand new mental health policy, as well as guidance on motion sickness reduction, on-screen text readability, contrast and input guidelines. New samples and implementation details have also been updated in this release.
New gaming accessibility resource hub
In collaboration with the gaming and disability community and subject matter experts at Unity, Unreal & Coherent, the Gaming accessibility resource hub recently launched, offering a comprehensive resource of game accessibility guides in one place. This resource includes training, lectures, testing tools, and popular game engines, and was created to support game developers at all stages of their game’s accessibility. The content is regularly updated in collaboration with the community.
Learning path on the basics of game accessibility
The one launched in November 2021 Gaming Accessibility Basics Learning Path is a free 5-module course that introduces a wide range of topics including basic accessibility fundamentals, working with the disability community, assistive hardware and software technologies, and best practices for gaming hardware development. The course is designed for those who are new to learning about game accessibility, and upon completion participants will receive a badge to celebrate their newfound knowledge. Get your badge today and share it on social media to celebrate GAAD2022!
Continued investment in player accessibility
Facilitates the search for accessible games
Last fall, Xbox announced the addition of Accessibility Feature Tags to games in the Xbox Store, making it easier for gamers to find games that have one or more of the 20 accessibility tags defined in collaboration with the disability community and user research . Now with over 400 titles tagged and over 100 with 5 or more tags, we’re excited to share players now search and then filter after one or more tags to find their next game! This feature is based on community feedback and we look forward to incorporating suggestions in the future.
Console and platform access features
Console and platform accessibility features make gaming easier by creating customizations for your gaming experience. In recent months, this has included features like the Console Silent UI for muting additional audio, the ability to remap the release button over 22 commands, and the ability to increase the size and add tooltips for remapping on the Xbox Adaptive Controller, which has been especially helpful is when a user has remapped the toggle buttons on the controller.
ForzaHorizon 5 – Adding ASL/BSL and other accessibility features
In collaboration with the disability community, Playground Games added American Sign Language (ASL) and British Sign Language (BSL) support inside ForzaHorizon 5‘s in-game cinematics. The team used the Xbox Accessibility Guidelines and feedback from the disability community to incorporate additional accessibility features ForzaHorizon 5 including game speed changes, high contrast mode, color blindness mode, screen reader voice acting, ability to disable moving backgrounds and more. For more information, see the accessibility features in ForzaHorizon 5.
Game. Connect. Influence.
Xbox is proud to celebrate Global Accessibility Awareness Day and will continue to support the power of play and make gaming accessible and welcoming for all. Today we’re sharing an example of how we support the community and how you can too.
Game ForzaHorizon 5 to collect and donate Microsoft Rewards points
Earn Microsoft Rewards points this May by unlocking any achievement in Forza Horizon 5. Use the Microsoft Rewards app on Xbox to donate the rewards with the option special effectan organization that supports people with physical disabilities through the innovative use of technology, and Plajfirst outreachempowering hospitalized children through video games.
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