Celebrate Disability Pride, Uplift Gaming and Disability Communities and Creators with Team Xbox

Team Xbox recognizes Disability Pride Month in a unique way, lifting up the Gaming and Disability communities. As a member of the disability community and an Xbox Accessibility Program Manager, I’d like to highlight the importance of celebrating people with disabilities.  Disability Pride means acknowledging the uniqueness of each person’s experience with disability, as an integral part of humanity. This includes all disabilities – both seen and unseen. We have the opportunity to show off all of those involved in this moment. This includes past and current advocates working towards creating more accessible and inclusive experiences for everyone. This is an opportunity for Xbox to celebrate the more than 400 million video game players with disabilities around the world (source), as we aim to create a space where people with disabilities don’t feel the need to mask or cover their disabilities, but find connection among an inclusive gaming community that celebrates us as we are.

I am a person with invisible disabilities and the temptation to cover up or hide my disability resonates strongly with me. This barrier must be removed from those who believe they have to hide their disability to make other people feel better. This took a lot of work. Numerous years, but with the support of friends and family I’ve learned to embrace the importance of my mental health, chronic pain, and attention-deficit-related disabilities as key aspects of my identity. As many in the disability community, this is what drives my work. It has also led me to incredible opportunities to help with projects close to my heart. Our new section on Mental Health Guidelines in our Xbox Accessibility Guidelines was launched in May.   

This community was first connected to me by the non-profit work that my dad does for wounded vets through Warfighter Engaged. The connection to this community grew further as I went on to a career as an occupational therapist, before joining Team Xbox. It has been a great experience to see so many people navigate their journeys with permanent and temporary disabilities. Gaming was a key component in my own journey with a permanent disability. It allowed me to make connections and create a support network through engaging and fun media.  Gaming has become a part of our modern culture and should be accessible to everyone. As such, this inspires me and my team. Our commitment to making the community with disabilities feel included and supported allows us to continue our work in helping them access games that bring joy and community.

These are just a few of the ways Xbox will celebrate Disability Pride and lift up our Gaming and Disability communities in July and beyond.

Connect and Join Our Community!

Xbox team is thrilled to provide resources and features that enable and support the Gaming and Disability communities to play together and to be themselves. All players are invited to join in the excitement and connection that gaming brings. Find out more.

• American Sign Language (ASL), Xbox Twitch Channel – Two months ago, Xbox launched an American Sign Language (ASL) Xbox channel on Twitch at /XboxASL in partnership with Sorenson, a communications company with the largest interpreter base in the world.  Each day the Xbox Plays team plays the latest titles in the Xbox world on Twitch. This channel provides interpretation during approximately 25 hours each week of livestreams. Visit the new channel here and learn more about Xbox’s partnership with Sorenson here.
• Tags have filter capabilities that make it easy to locate the next game you love. – Last fall, Xbox announced the addition of Accessibility Feature Tags for games in the Xbox Store, making it easier for players to find games that have one or more of the 20 accessibility tags that were defined in partnership with the disability community and user research. We are proud to share that over 400 titles have been tagged with at least 5 tags. Players can search the store and choose to filter using one or more tags in order to find their next games. We are grateful for the community’s feedback and look forward to incorporating more suggestions into our future features.
• Family Gaming Database: Addition of inputs: Xbox is proud to support the Family Gaming Database as it makes it easier for players with disabilities to find games with control schemes that are well-suited for them. Their accessibility pages now lists the default required inputs to popular games to enable caregivers, occupational therapists, and physical therapists to more easily create adaptive gaming configurations for those in the Gaming & Disability Community they support.  You can find more information on the Family Gaming Database Accessibility webpages.   

Microsoft Rewards – Gaming and Impact

Microsoft Rewards Members in the United States, United Kingdom and Canada can donate and earn points for organizations that support gaming and disabled communities. These organizations will appear on the console during July.

• SpecialEffect:Helping physically handicapped people to play videogames brings joy and inclusion. Through the creative use of technology, we are changing the lives of people with disabilities around the globe. We are driven by the mission of maximizing fun and quality life through helping others control videogames to their best ability. UK and the USA
• AbleGamers Foundation: Creating opportunities that enable play in order to combat social isolation, foster inclusive communities, and improve the quality of life for people with disabilities. (US)
• Warfighter Engaged:Warfighter Engaged is a 501c3 nonprofit. They aim to make life easier for severely disabled and injured warfighters by providing them with customized video game controllers and recreational products that allow them to live more independently. (US)
• DAGERSystemDAGERSystem is a gaming journalist organization that focuses on accessibility. We aim to provide meaningful work for professionals with disabilities and educate gamers. US, feature mid-July

Xbox users can get Microsoft Rewards points by playing and purchasing Xbox games. Redeem points to get real rewards Register today and donate through Xbox. 

Xbox Ambassadors Feature Stories about GamingAnd Disability

Throughout Disability Pride Month, we will be spotlighting stories about accessibility in gaming from Xbox Ambassadors within the community with disabilities. Here are their stories.

Explore Games at Microsoft Curated By Disability and Neurodiversity Communities​

In the long history of games, people with disabilities or who are neurodiverse have contributed to and played in many games. During July and beyond, Microsoft Store on Xbox or Windows visitors and Xbox Game Pass members can easily access games created by and reflecting the experiences of neurodiversity and people with disabilities related to chronic or complex illness, mobility, hearing, vision, speech, learning, and mental health. 

Check out a few highlights from the Xbox and Windows games collection that include creators, leads, experiences, and character creation options that include features like prosthetic limbs. 

Citizen Sleeper (Available in conjunction with Game Pass) – Roleplaying in the ruins of interplanetary capitalism, this game explores the complexity of a body that functions differently than the mind. In order to keep your artificial body alive, you must acquire technology that is high in demand and hard to come by, creating a playable experience that is parallel to the obstacles of having a disability in today’s modern world.   

Forza Horizon 5 (Available with Xbox Game Pass) – Forza Horizon 5 improved character creation options to include prosthetic limbs and pronoun options. Accessibility features also include American Sign Language (ASL) and British Sign Language (BSL) support for in-game cinematics, a game speed modification setting, customizable subtitle options, High Contrast mode, Color Blindness mode, and more. 

The Vale: Shadow of the Crown – Play as Alex, a princess who was born blind, in this audio-based adventure created in partnership with people who are blind. This action-adventure game also won Best Blind/Low Vision Accessibility, and Indie Excellence Awards from Can I Play That? 2020. 

Fractured Minds – Created by Emily Mitchell with the hope of aiding in understanding and awareness of mental illness, this game explores anxiety and mental health through a journey into the human psyche. 

Psychonauts 2 (Available with Xbox Game Pass) –This action platformer is fun and explores the mind of its characters. It’s also praised for its positive approach to mental illness. Raffael Boccazzo, an autism advocate and mental health specialist was consulted.

View the collections in Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. Visitors to both the Xbox and Microsoft Store on Windows can find disability and neurodiversity community picks by searching for “Disability”, “Neurodiversity”, and related terms. The availability of content is dependent on the country.  

Celebrate with New Disability Pride Gamerpic, Profile Designs and Avatar Items

In partnership with gaming and disability communities at Xbox, we’re introducing a new gamerpic, profile themes, and avatar items! Both the Xbox PC and console apps will have both the profile and gamerpic themes. Find your avatar products here.Each country may have different availability.

To learn more about what Xbox is doing to making gaming more accessible and inclusive for everyone on the planet, check out the Xbox Gaming Accessibility Page for the latest resources,  discover the updates shad at GAAD or find support for accessibility features on our support page.