Accessibility Guidelines
These are sets of guidelines you may find useful in making your games accessible.
Game Accessibility Guidelines
This Web site is a reference for inclusive game design.
It provides guidance, examples, and advice on how and why to make games accessible to gamers with disabilities and other impairments.
It's presented by members of the International Game Developers Association, Game Accessibility Special Interest Group.
To go to Game Accessiblity Guidelines, click here.
Includification
This Web site is a resource tool to answer questions you might have about adding accessibility to your games.
It provides guidance, examples, and advice on how and why to make games accessible to gamers with disabilities and other impairments.
It includes a downloadable FREE PDF of Includification, an excellent book, written by Mark Barlet, founder of AbleGamers Foundation and Stephen Spohn, Editor of AbleGamers.com.
It's presented by the AbleGamers Foundation.
To go to Includification, click here.
blindcomputergames.com
For people who are blind who use games for entertainment, education, or training, this is the place:
- To find out how to get that game you can almost play made accessible to you.
- To send developers when they ask "What would it take?"
- To get information on how to make your games accessible to people who are blind.
- To learn how you can best get the user information you need to do this.
It's presented by 7-128 Software.
To go to blindcomputergames.com, click here.
Research
These are research papers or presentations related to accessibility in games.Accessibility for Silver Users
This is an update to our ongoing research into the aging gaming population.
See the slides presented at the 2012 Boston Accessibility Group A11y Conference.
To see Accessibility for Silver Users, click here.
Gaming on a Collision Course
This paper addresses the changing U.S. demographics and their effect on accessibility issues in computer gaming.
It is based on research conducted by Eleanor Robinson, 7-128 Software Chief Operating Officer and Staphanie Walker, of the AbleGamers Foundation.
This paper is part of a briefing book accepted by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.
To see Gaming on a Collision Course, click here.
Resources for Educators
These resources are intended to help educators.Accessible Learning through Entertainment and Recreation Tools
ALERT is a set of resources intended specifically for educators. The purpose of this project is to save you time and money.
If you're interested in applying computer games in a learning environment for people who have special needs, come here to get:
- Where to get accessible games
- What features to look for when choosing accessible games
- Suggestions as to how to apply accessible games
- Whom to contact for help with accessible games
Tools
These are tools we think might be useful to people who play our games.
DarkTimer - A FREE Self-Voicing Timer
DarkTimer is a simple timer that you can run on your computer.
You set the time, it speaks to you. You can set it to several levels of verbosity.
DarkTimer is self-voicing.
Note:
To use DarkTimer you MUST have the 7-128 Game Book or any 7-128 Software game installed.
That's because DarkTimer uses the same Java engine that the our games use.
To download the FREE DarkTimer program, click here.
DarkKeyboard - Identify the Keys on your Keyboard
DarkKeyboard is a simple program that speaks each key on your keyboard as you type, including the strange keys.
The nice thing about DarkKeyboard is that while you are running it, it intercepts your keystrokes and keeps them from doing anything at all to your computer, other than tell you what they are.
DarkKeyboard is self-voicing.
Note:
To use DarkKeyboard you MUST have the 7-128 Game Book or any 7-128 Software game installed.
That's because DarkKeyboard uses the same Java engine that the our games use.
To download the FREE DarkKeyboard program, click here.
DarkDice - Roll any number of dice with any number of sides each
DarkDice is a simple program that rolls any number of dice with any number of sides each.
DarkDice is self-voicing.
To use DarkDice you MUST have the 7-128 Game Book or any 7-128 Software game installed.
That's because DarkDice uses the same Java engine that the our games use.
To download the FREE DarkDice click here.
Color Blind Spectrum Charts
The British Telecomm Web site for a long time had some very useful color charts useful for developing software for people who are color blind.
They recently took those charts down. But not before we copied them to this Web site.
The charts cover all three major color blindness modes and include RGB values that can be put into user interface implementations.
We've used these charts ourselves to develop software that people who are color blind can use.
To view these color blind spectrum charts, click here.
Associates
These are folks whose products and services meet our Family Friendly standards and we are pleased to advertise.
Utter Command - By Redstart Systems
Utter Command is a speech command system for controlling computers. It works with the NaturallySpeaking Pro speech recognition engine.
UC commands work across all programs. No matter what programs you use, you’ll be able to do everything by speech that you can using the keyboard and mouse, usually faster.
UC commands are easy to say and easy to remember because they follow the way your brain works. They're also easy to combine, which makes for fast, efficient computing. Utter Command gives you one-step file, folder and Web site access, advanced Web search and email, and windows-handling abilities that outpace the keyboard and mouse.
www.redstartsystems.com
pin interactive
Pin Interactive AB creates concepts for communication and learning environments adapted to the users' needs.
We do this from a pedagogical grounding with a technical competence within digital media technology.
PIN Interactive offers the award winning accessible computer game, Terraformers.
The game is a visual / audio hybrid playable by both sighted and sight disabled / blind.
www.pininteractive.com
Other Sites
These are resources we think might be useful to people who play our games. Each entry is more than just a link. It includes our summary of what the site offers.
Visually Impaired and Blind User Group
VIBUG serves the blind and visually impaired computer users in Massachusetts. In addition to organizational information, their Web site includes: audio files of product demonstrations, classes, and past meetings. It also includes links to resources for their constituency. We're active VIBUG members.
Boston Voice Users
Boston Voice Users is an organization for those using or interested in speech recognition software. In addition to organizational information, their Web site includes: presentations and best practice examples for using speech recognition software. We're active BVUG members.
Family Friendly Sites
Our Web site is certified by Family Friendly Sites.
Their own site offers hundreds of similarly reviewed and certified links in 20 convenient groups. They also offer a nice certification graphic you can post on your Web site.
Family First
Our Web site is certified by Family First.
Their own site offers hundreds of similarly reviewed and certified sites in 40 catagories.
They also offer written reviews of each site.
Disabled World
Disabled World publishes disability, health, and mobility aid reviews and articles of interest to the disabled and elderly members of the community.
They have an extensive list of resources, including thumbnail descriptions, not just links.
They also include: News and articles, classified ads, a forum, a chat line, and even a dating line.
e-Bility Disability Information Resource
Their Austrailian site offers easy access to a wide range of information, resources,
services and products of interest to people with disability, their families and carers,
health professionals and service providers in the disability sector.
AbleGamers
AbleGamer's mission is to create a safe space for gamers with disabilities to be able to find the game that is right for them.
In addition, AbleGamers wants to help the gaming industry develop in ways that helps the disabled gamer.
This is a very active and expanding Web site that is a great resource for gamers with a wide variety of special challenges.
CPParent
In April 2000, a beautiful little girl named Sarah was born.
She had a difficult birth, and at about 9 months of age,
she was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy.
My name is Nathan, and I am Sarahs father.
By trade, I am an IT specialist working in the Financial Services industry for one of the largest companies in the world.
I created CPParent.com in April 2008 in an effort to provide a place for parents to connect with each other,
and share messages and information about Cerebral Palsy.
WonderBaby.org
WonderBaby.org, a project funded by Perkins School for the Blind, is dedicated to helping parents of young children with vision impairments as well as children with multiple disabilities.
Here you'll find a database of articles written by other parents, as well as links to meaningful resources and ways to connect with other families.
The Inspector Cyndi Fan Site
Come visit Inspector Cyndi's haus in Vienna, capital city of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.Learn about detection in the late 1890's and early 1900's.
Meet some of Inspector Cyndi's colleagues.
Peek behind the scenes from the making of the Inspector Cyndi games.
And certainly find some clues!