๐ Arevya (she/her) ๐ณ๐ด
Disabled and chronically ill accessibility advocate, public speaker and content creator from Norway, with a burning passion for accessibility in gaming! ๐ฅ
๐พ
๐ Arevya
@gmail
.com
โจ
To all my Norwegian followers, it will be a peaceful protest in support of the Black Lives Matter movement at Festplassen on friday at 4pmโค๏ธ
It will also be a peacefull protest in Oslo outside the U. S Embassy at 4pm โค๏ธ
Please, if you know any Norwegians, give them this info โค๏ธ
Time for a long RANT, becuase I have NEVER been more disappointed in Nintendo then I am today, this is a huge step back for accessibility in gaming...
Today Nintendo released a new "Community Tournament Guidelines" that will take effect on November 15th, 2023 (1/10) ๐งต
Gaming is for everyone (except disabled gamers that need third party accessories?)
Xbox I urge you to give a statement on if this will affect the disability community and if so, how is this in line with your vision for accessibility in gaming!
but the reason why it is, is because MANY disabled gamers (like myself) use third party accessories to be able to game.
This can be anything from controllers you can use with your feet, tools to make the game work with a straw you can blow in to move your character,
all the way to 3D printed specialised equipment that let you use a regular Joy-con or Pro controller.
ALL of this is equipment we NEED to be able to game, to be able to join like everyone else, to be able to access games, consoles, and a hobby we LOVE!
Because here is where they are crossing the line with their answer:
"Use of game consoles, accessories and software not licensed by Nintendo"
If you are not familiar with game accessibility this might not seem like a big deal...
I can somewhat understand Nintendoโs need to protect their IP, but this is taking it so far that it will exclude children, youth and grownups that NEED accessibility to play games like everyone else.
This is not something that will help Nintendo have control over their own design, this will literally just EXCLUDE a bunch of gamers solely based on the fact that we are disabled.
But what is devastating me more than anything in this document is under question 16:
"What do "tournaments that are illegal or inappropriately conducted or that could be viewed as offensive or otherwise inappropriate refer to?"
THIS is why accessibility in games matters!
Today I felt like a gamer, just that... not a disabled gamer, not a chronically ill gamer, not a gamer with a brain injury.... I was just a gamer โฅ๏ธ
@Ubisoft
cognitive accessibility in the new Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown 1/2
In this document they lay out guides and rules for people and organisations that want to host community tournaments.
The document has some strict rules about use of their games/console/IP, price pr ticket, tournament prize and so on.
I would highly recommend anyone that sees this to repost it, and get the information out there. There is ways Nintendo can rewrite their rules and guidelines that still protect their IP and also let everyone be able to join, no matter their ability or disability.
It's time for the monthly reminder to PLEASE not use the ALT text as a meme...
ALT text is a way for people that use screen readers to understand what is shown in the picture without being able to see it.
Stop misusing accessibility options...
So today it was confirmed, that my current job is giving me a year of leave to pursue my dream of working in the game industry ๐ฅนโค๏ธ
They acknowledged both that my work in accessibility is in line with their values, and that it can be really hard for disabled people to find 1/3
Who is going to tell Twitch that the Norwegian word for Disabled, is NOT deactivated ๐
@Twitch
please fix this, Iโm not โdeaktivertโ (aka deactivated) I have โNedsatt funksjonsevneโ (aka Disability)
Please retweet this so it can get some traction and hopefully get fixed!
And this is why Iโll never stop talking about accessibility in gaming.
Because some people think the solution to disabled gamers needing accessibility is just to tell us to not play video games at allโฆ
Sorry but I have as much right to game as anyone else ๐๐ฅ
#a11y
My experience as an accessible badge holder at
#TwitchconEU
a ๐งต! ๐๐ป
It's never easy to ask for accommodation as someone with invisible illnesses/disabilities ๐ and that sometimes showed... But other times it worked great! Let's talk about it
1. Badge pickup - went great
The most ironic thing happening to me so far this year was a man telling me he didn't care about accessibility and people needed to just "get over their weaknesses" while wearing glasses in his profile picture
permanent position in new fields, so they want to be a safety net for me (if I want to I can go back to that job next year) to ensure my transition in to a new industry will be as smoothly as possible โค๏ธ
I canโt even start to tell you all how much I appreciate this! 2/3
Well, the cat is out of the bag! ๐
I'm going fulltime with game accessibility work as Arevya โฅ๏ธ๐๐ป
This fall has been an incredibly fun journey! Aktive Gamere was my first big step into the gaming industry, and I'm endlessly grateful for their support!
You have been the champion of disabled gamers and accessibility in gaming for years!
This is a big change that is out of character for what you have been promoting, so please give us a clear statement of what is happening
The amount of support I have received for my passion in my current job is more than I would ever expect!
Gaming field, keep your eyes open, for in September Iโm coming for you ๐๐ฅนโค๏ธ 3/3
This is gonna make me really upopular with some people, but Nintendo; get a grip...
On Sunday I played Princess Peach: Showtime! and my stomach dropped when I saw that there were NO accessibility options... Nothing at all...
Are you seriously for real right now?! ๐ญ๐ญ
I'm nominated for the "The advocacy award" at GAConf Awards 2023! โค๏ธ๐ฅน
I can't, I'm crying so much, this means so much to be nominated next to the amazing
@helloitskolo
and
@sightlessKombat
๐ญโค๏ธ
We are incredibly excited to announce the finalists for the GAConf Awards 2023!
This year we have 19 categories, shortlisted by an expert panel, with winners decided on by a combination of public and jury vote.
๐ณ๏ธVoting is NOW until December 3rd!
Info -
We are using our voices to ask Twitch to highlight disabled content creators for the month of July during Disability Pride Month on both the front page of Twitch and their social media accounts. We deserve a platform to educate others about accessibility
#TwitchDisabilityMonth
Since TikTok didnโt want to show this to anyone, I will post it here where people actually see things ๐
@Xbox
has shown us this week at
#Gamescom
that they walk the walk when it comes to accessibility, and raise the bar on what to expect on a con!
You agree? ๐
@PirateSoftware
Well, now this tweet is going to blow up even more!
But yeah, agree! And if it makes more people play the game, due to it being more accessible, it's a win win for everyone!
I can FINALLY talk about this, my first job in the gaming industry ๐ญ๐
I will work with
@AktiveGamere
to promote their work to make a resource and knowledge center for gaming and esports in Norway!
I will work to promote accessibility in gaming and to make gaming for EVERYONE!
Endelig kan vi presentere for dere alle vรฅr nye rรฅdgiver: Elisabeth, bedre kjent som
@Arevya
๐
Elisabeth skal jobbe hos oss 50% med ansvar for vรฅre sosiale medier, samt vรฆre rรฅdgiver pรฅ inkluderende gaming!
Sammen skal vi gjรธre dataspill tilgjengelig for ALLE๐พ
So I see some people say they also got turned away for the accessible entrance at
#TwitchCon
and got told the line was just for people with mobility aid...
Okei, let us make this 100% clear: NOT ALL DISABILITIES ARE VISIBLE or NEED A MOBILITY AID ๐๐ป
is something I have never exsperience before! For the first time, I WAS IN CONTROLL, over how difficult things would be for me in every settings. I can not start to tell how importan this is for gamers like me.
For the first time I was not an afterthought, I was just a gamer โฅ๏ธ
I don't know who needs to hear this, but "just for fun" is a 100% legit reason to use easy mode and/or different accessibility settings in games โค๏ธ
It's a game and it's supposed to be for fun. So enjoy your time with it, you will find no gatekeeping of accessibility on my pageโค๏ธ
Pssst ALL game companies ๐
In two months itโs
#disabilityPrideMonth
and I highly recommend every game company to reach out to the Disability community to work together with us ๐๐ปโค๏ธ
Because the best content about accessibility in your game you get from us who are using it! โจ
@Dan13JB
@NovaNathanGD
Yes, something to that degree. Like this is for such small events anyways, 200 people is such a small crowd. So this will only effect like small events, clubs and other local things :S Like SCHOOLS! It's horrible
This is so nerdy, and accessible, and gaming, and everything I love! โค๏ธ
Today I was invited to have a stand at my local mobility aid / general aid conference to show off my accessible gaming set up and to talk about gaming accessibility with people โจ
Over 200 people 1/2
"But you're disabled, how can you do an 11 hours long stream?"
Because of 2 things:
1. I have an extremely supportive partner that loves that I'm so passionate about things! We are a team, and while I was streaming, he was taking care of the dog, fixing me food and drinks,
I was speaking at a gig today about disability inclusion in gaming
One of the speakers after me decided to point at me sitting in the audience and say "we had gamers that looked handicapped, unlike you, hehe"
My jaw DROPPED! I had talked about disability inclusion for 20min...
Hi every devs and social media manager out there ๐
Iโm looking into doing more accessibility reviews of games on my channel, so please consider me when you are sending out review copies of your game โจ
"But why do YOU need accessibility, you don't look disabled?"
"You are just playing with your feet for show, you are faking it!"
I have heard it so many times, so many times that I sometimes believe it myself...
And then I try playing games in my living room, away from my
We have an update on the statement from Microsoft:
"Microsoft and other licensed Xbox hardware partners' accessories are designed and manufactured with quality standards for performance, security, and safety....
So my talk yesterday went well ๐ญโค๏ธ
So glad to be able to talk about accessibility to a full room of game devs, artists and sound designers โค๏ธ
And I hope I could inspire someone to be more accessible ๐ฅนโค๏ธ
Thanks for having me
@NordicGameJam
โค๏ธ
#ngj23
My creator friends; anyone of you who want me to send indie games devs your way? โจ
I get a lot of people asking me if I want to try their indie game! Sadly many are not my cup of tea, but the dev seems like a really good person with a great game.
Would you be ok with me
This is why accessibility matters โค๏ธ Tomba is getting a remake for the PS5, which means that I will be able to play this game for the first time since my hands got worse, due to the fact I can now play it by using the PlayStation Access Controller โจ
Make art accessible <3
I did not know this was a thing, that blind people can touch part of the collection at some museums! But it make sence, museums are there to learn people about art through history, so it need to be accessible <3
Only blind people can touch ancient treasures at the
@BritishMuseum
, but this jealous sightie canโt handle it.
A thread, plus video description below.
#Accessibility
1/n
We have more exciting news to share! Check out our Blog post for an update on Unity Guilds, including details on international expansion and intersectionality support:
Well, it turns out I actually have my hands on the Xbox Adaptive Joystick already ๐
So Game Accessibility Hive Mind: What questions do you have, and what do you want me to test out for a review? โจ
Time to be honest; I have made myself unpopular with some people, because when they send me a request to make content/speaking/consulting work for them, I often reply with something in the line of โis this a paid opportunity?โ ๐
And some people get really upset about that 1/x
I think creators need to start being more honest with themselves and their communities, and admit that they do actually like money.
It'll make it way easier when it comes to making this a career.
I cannot believe I'm saying this, but I HAVE BEEN SPONSORED BY PLAYSTATION NORWAY ๐ ๐ญ๐ญ
They were really glad to see me using the Access Controller and having so much fun with it, so they wanted to work with me ๐ฅน ๐
Also, they wanted to sponsor our next stream! ๐ฅน๐ญ 1/2
Shall we talk about something uncomfortable? Letโs talk internalised ableism, a ๐งต
Because sometimes you just need friends to put you in place!
I still have an active sick leave out this week, but was talking about going back to work for some hours, โso it donโt look badโ 1/6
So I have to constantly prove for the game industry that I'm ACTUALLY disabled...
Every single week, people in the industry question whether I'm really disabled... whether I'm really sick... whether I really need accessibility based on their own lack of knowledge...
Todays news
Unauthorized accessories can compromise the gaming experience on Xbox consoles (Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S.) Players may receive a pop-up warning that their accessory is unauthorized...
@AirahThe2nd
If you think it's so easy to get a hold on someone to address accessibility issues, you are blissfully unaware of the industry. I wish it was just a way to send a mail and then things would change, but sadly that never happened. Getting eyes on a problem is more effective
#ad
@PlayStation_NO
๐๐ป
Finally I can tell you all, that I have been sponsored by
#playstationnorge
to talk about the accessibility features in their new game
#godofwarragnarok
๐ญโฅ๏ธ
An action-adventure video game with OVER 60+ accessibility features! ๐๐ป๐๐ป๐๐ป
Hi
@Twitch
๐๐ป It's Disability Pride Month this month, so why not make your amazing platform more accessible for EVERYONE ๐
Give us ALT text on the panels in our "about" section, and take a massive step in the right direction!
Streamer, don't you agree? โจ
I talk a alot about accessibility, and since it is
#DisabilityPrideMonth
next month let me just remind everyone of this:
Disabled people are allowed to also have their WANTS meet, not just their needs! โจ
Yesterday I played games with a kid who got to game FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HIS LIFE thanks to accessible game equipment! ๐ช๐ป
Today I got to see the power of gaming when it comes to giving a sense of calm to a kid that had ADHD โค๏ธ
I love my job!
Eventually, the unauthorized accessory will be blocked from use to preserve the console gaming experience. For a full list of accessories that are supported on Xbox consoles, please visit ...
Have you heard the rumours? ๐
@LaurakBuzz
and I have started a podcast about accessibility; Ctrl, Alt, Access โจ
Every other Thursday we will give you the latest news in game accessibility, guests and other funny conversation about all accessibility๐โค๏ธ
A teaser is live now๐๐ป
โจ Happy Disability Pride Month โจ
For this month I have taken on my BIGGEST project yet ๐ฅต Every single day of this month I will post a short video about accessibility and gaming ๐๐ป
I have been joined by so many talented creators that has made content with me ๐ฅน๐ 1/5
TOMBA IS BACK, BBY! ๐ฉท
And this time the game is accessible for me ๐ฅน๐ญ
So this Thursday I'm celebrating the release of the remake with a 8-12 hour stream!
And even better;
@easysurf_ca
has given us a PS Access Controller to give away during the stream! โจ Thank you so so
before they went on! About my story on how alienated I felt due to the fact that no one told me I was disabled!
Let me just say so EVERYONE KNOW:
- Many people live with invisible disabilities!
- Disabled is not a bad word!
Just have to say, it was really cool to be able to talk to parents of the next generation of gamers about the amazing progress
@Xbox
and
@Naughty_Dog
has done for accessibility in the industy! โฅ๏ธ
I had started to shake quite visible, and luckily I found a crew member that understood that I needed to get in, and let me use a line that was at this point almost empty...
Accessibility should NEVER rely on luck. This needs to be done better next time ๐ค
Question to everyone in the game accessibility / a11y space ๐
Does a sort of game accessibility newsletter exist out there? And if not, is that something people would be interested? Like monthly recap of accessibility news, tips and tricks, and so onโค๏ธ๐
Stop using your disabled kids as content!
ESPECIALLY when they have a meltdown, are in distress or getting invasive treatment.
The amount of autistic kids with meltdowns I see being filmed by the parents is horrendous
Person responsible for the shooting last night was an immigrant, and this need to be said: Do NOT let this fuel more hate towards immigrants in Norway! This is an action from ONE person, never use this to press down and spread hate towards a marginalised group, racism is never ok
I will play my FAV game ever on stream tonight and I'm so looking forward to iiiiiit ๐ฅบ๐
But how many of you have actully played more then the demo of Tomba! / Tombi!? It was a BIG thing on one of the PS1 demo discs, but not that many have played it!
@ShinobiPhoenix
@LaurakBuzz
If it weren't for people bringing attention to accessibility needs in gaming, we would be far far far behind in the industry. Many disabled gamers use unlicensed products, because it does not exist products that is good enough. Also it will be REALLY expensive if we need to 1/2
Thursday is
#GAAD
Global Accessibility Awareness Day 2024 and I'm celebrating by streaming with my amazing friend
@sightlessKombat
๐๐ป
We will be streaming Gears 5, he without sight, and I with (almost) only my feet ๐
This is a brilliant way to see game accessibility in action!
Want to test out accessible gaming equipment? Or maybe take a look at some accessible games?โจ
If you are Bergen on Saturday, stop by Spillhuset Bergen where I will have a stand showcasing accessible game equipment, and let you test it all! ๐๐ป
Because gaming is for EVERYONE! โค๏ธ
Accessibility hive mind ๐
Does anyone of you know about any games that are accessible for a blind boy without sight at the age of 9? โค๏ธ
I know ofc about God of War Ragnarรถk and The Last of Us being really good for blind gamers, but they aren't appropriate due to his ageโค๏ธ
Well everyone, I just sent a mail to the government to ask if I could stop by the Parliament and the department of culture to talk to them about the importance of accessibility in gaming ๐
So cross your fingers and wish me good luck โค๏ธ
Easy mode is not the end all be all of accessibility, and I can understand people are bored of having the same conversation
But saying easy mode is NOT accessibility is false!
Cognitive accessibility often get overlooked, but some can absolutely benefit from easy mode
Is this the future of accessible gaming? ๐
Well, it did make me cry ๐
Last month I travelled to Ireland to test
@ByoWave
Proteus Controller Kit! And all I can say is; wow!
Take a look at my first impression of the kit here;
There, so it seems like it all depended on who you met. This is not ok, as it makes both a huge cognitive barriers, and it makes a problem for us who do not look like we need accessibility due to our illnesses being invisible...
When I got back to the main line
"No wonder you are tired all of the time, you experience more pain in a week than most of us do in a year!"
I don't think anything has ever validated the struggle with chronic illness and pain just like those words โค๏ธ
You can now get an automatic reminder so you NEVER forget to add ALT text to your images ๐
#a11y
-> Meny
-> More (Three dots)
-> Settings and privacy
-> Accessibility, display, and languages
-> Accessibility
-> Check the box for "Receive image description reminder"
Tnx ๐
If you work at an event, and someone with accessibility access ask to use an ACCESSIBILITY entrance you do not turn them away!
You are not, nor will anyone ever be, qualified to see if someone needs accessibility by just looking at them... That is not how disability works, it's
Stop telling disabled people to put trigger warnings on their content where they are just showing their body/disability/illnessโฆ
Holy hell every time I see a comment like that it makes me want to scream!
Donโt like us? Then keep scrollingโฆ
The amount of work I have been expected to do for free after starting advocating for accessibility is ridiculous!
And sadly they OFTEN reply with โbut donโt you want it to be accessibleโ try and shift the โblameโ over at me! Yes I want accessibility, but I also want to eatโฆ
Them: We love your work and would love for you to talk about game accessibility!
Me: Thank you so much! Here are my rates.
Them: Do you think you can do it for free?
Me: No.
Them: (radio silence).
Pay your consultants for their expertise!
#Accessibility
#blind
#GameDev
It isn't every day you meet the Minister of Culture in Norway, and get to show her accessible gaming equiptment ๐๐๐ปโฅ๏ธ
Last weekend I was at Spillhuset Bergen, and got to showcase accessibility in gaming. I meet Lubna Jaffery! Here is what we talked about (๐งต1/4)
Online friends were my saving โค๏ธ as disabled person, going out isn't always available for me, so having friends I can connect with online were a lifesaver ๐๐ป This is why gaming is so important for me!
Best of all; many of my online friends are invited to my wedding next year โค๏ธ
There are NO online friends. They are just strangers who are on the same social media as you. Do not trust them. Do not share anything personal and stay as detached as you can. Do not try to develop a friendship.
7. I wish that the disabled toilets was marked in the
#TwitchCon
app! It was great with all the signs, but irritating when the app took you to the wrong toilet โค๏ธ
Since it is
#DisabilityPrideMonth
I want to talk about what I find to be hardest about being a disabled content creator, a ๐งต
โจ Lack of energy/time โจ
I often compare my journey with people that are healthy, and have normal amount of energy.
The signs were easy to follow, big legible text and all of the crew/staff knew what I was looking for and directed people to the correct line.
No question of WHY I needed it, and it all went smoothly. I had pre-booked this on Twitch webpage, but they did have blue stickers there