A new initiative in Australia and New Zealand has launched to better support developers with disabilities in the local games industry.
Accessibility Unlocked is a new group that wants to “connect disabled developers within the community to each other as a support system, network, and reminder that we’re not alone.”
The team has also launched a new website that will gather resources, primarily focused on the Australia and New Zealand markets, that offer information and guidelines on various accessibility issues — from employment in the industry to the depiction of disabilities in games.
Finally, Accessibility Unlocked aims to connect abled developers with both players and fellow developers with disabilities in order to discuss barriers current present in games and how they can be overcome.
In a Twitter thread announcing the launch, the group says it classes disability as “anything affecting individuals day-to-day existence — from chronic illness, mobility issues through to anxiety and depression, neurodiversity, or more temporary accessibility issues.”
“There is no one way to be disabled but there are so many ways to be supported,” the group adds.
Accessibility Unlocked has been founded by a core team of four: Film Victoria’s Meredith Hall, composer Cameron Hopkinson, game designer Zala Habib and Starcolt’s Calliope Ryder.
