Black and white clip art depiction of audio being turned into a transcript. On the left, the sound is depicted by a pair of headphones with an audio wave going between the two ears pads. A simple black arrow goes from left to right. On the right, the transcript is represented by a stylized typed document.
In order to make these transcripts as accessible as possible, each one is produced in four formats: as an online post for access convenience, in a word document with a low vision friendly font (Veranda), in a pdf with a dyslexia friendly font (OpenDyslexic), and a low contrast blue on black pdf as an access option for people with migraines (Veranda).
- Audio link (includes the show notes): https://writingalchemy.net/podcast/collaboration-1/
- Main transcripts page: https://writingalchemy.net/podcast-2/transcripts/
- Word doc of this transcript: Writing Alchemy Collaboration 1 Transcript
- Pdf of this transcript: Coming soon!
- Blue on black transcript: Coming soon!
- Transcribed by: Rhi and Fay Onyx with the help of Otter.ai
Writing Alchemy Collaboration 1 – Accessibility in RPGs
[Happy, bouncy, electronic music plays.]
Fay Onyx: This is a special collaboration episode that was created for the 2019 International Podcast Month event. This diverse and inclusive event is all about celebration, building community, and sharing our love of podcasting. I highly recommend checking it out.
Rhi: Happy International podcast month. In this episode, we’re going to be talking about accessibility and disability in tabletop RPGs. There are a lot of systemic, society-level barriers that can block disabled people from participating in games. These barriers can range from poor PDF design to lack of space for wheelchairs to ableist content in the games themselves. So today, we’re going to shine some light on these issues and on what the RPG community can do better. My name is Rhi, pronouns are she and her. I am the GM and producer of the Magpies Podcast, a Blades in the Dark actual play. I also run Skill Check, which provides copy editing and digital document accessibility services to the RPG community. I will be acting as moderator for this conversation. And I’m joined by some really fantastic people from the RPG community.
Fay Onyx: My name is Fay Onyx and I use ze and hir pronouns. I have an invisible physical disability, and I’m also neurodivergent. And so I do for a bit of work with disability in my podcast, which is called Writing Alchemy. And currently, it’s focused on a tabletop roleplaying game series that does one shots and short games in a range of different genres that center heroes with disabilities, chronic illnesses, and divergent minds, which are then played by people with disabilities, chronic illnesses, and divergent minds.
I also create a lot of resources around disability and accessibility in tabletop roleplaying games and storytelling that are on my website, writingalchemy.net. This includes pages of links to various accessibility resources for tabletop roleplaying games, a series of articles about addressing ableism and tabletop role playing games. And I’m also collecting a list of disability consultants for geeky projects that I’m always looking to add more people to, in the hopes that we can help further the conversation and help make more amazing content that is fully accessible. I am also working on a rules light, high fantasy, whimsical and humorous game system called Magic Goes Awry that is designed to be accessible to a wide range of people.
Rhi: That’s awesome. So much going on! (laughs)
Fay Onyx: I have a lot of projects! (laughs)
Mimsy: Well, hi everybody, I’m Mimsy and I use they/them pronouns. I’m one of the moderators for the largest 5th edition group on Facebook, we’re about 130,000 members strong at the moment, so that takes up a lot of my time. I have multiple disabilities and neurodivergencies, and I’m starting work soon as an American Sign Language Interpreter in a school system. So I deal with other disabled students and people like every day, that’s kind of my job now. So that’s really exciting, providing access that I didn’t always get growing up. I’m also nonbinary. It actually sounds like most of us are at this point.
Rhi: (laughs) I think I think I’m the odd one out.
Mimsy: Oh, you can be our token cis.
Rhi: Yeah. (laughs)
Mimsy: So I don’t have a lot of official projects going on, I guess. But I am working with Jess Dempsey with DOTS RPG project for blind and visually impaired gamers and I work with Misty Vander with ASL for RPG, where we’re finding American Sign Language signs to go with tabletop RPG concepts.
Rhi: That’s awesome.
Mimsy: So, great projects that I’ve been working on behind the scenes for a while. Doing stuff now.
Rhi: Yeah, I’ve done a little bit of work with DOTS. I did some mailing around to game stores in the Chicagoland area. And yeah, they do awesome work.
So to start our conversation off, kind of the first question and topic to discuss, how do each of you define an accessible tabletop RPG experience? What–What does that include? Continue Reading »
Tags: ableism, accessibility, ASL, deaf, disability, Fay Onyx, game, game design, games, hard of hearing, Mimsy, neurodivergence, neurodivergent, neurodiverse, neurodiversity, representation, Rhi, RPG, RPGs, tabletop, tabletop role-playing, tabletop role-playing game, ttrpg, writing alchemy
