This article is a sponsored by TetraLogical Neurodivergent needs are often considered as an edge case that doesn’t fit into common user journeys or flows. Neurodiversity tends to get overlooked in the design process. Or it is tackled late in the process, and only if there is enough time. But people aren’t edge cases. Every person is just a different person, performing tasks and navigating the web in a different way. So how can we design better, more inclusive experiences that cater to different needs and, ultimately, benefit everyone? Let’s take a closer look. Neurodiversity Or Neurodivergent? There is quite a bit of confusion about both terms on the web. Different people think and experience the world differently, and neurodiversity sees differences as natural variations, not deficits. It distinguishes between neurotypical and neurodivergent people. Neurotypical people see the world in a “typical” and widely perceived as expected way. Neurodivergent people experience the world differently, for example, people with ADHD, dyslexia, dyscalculia, synesthesia, and hyperlexia. According to various sources, around 15–40% of the population has neurodivergent traits. These traits can be innate (e.g., autism) or acquired (e.g., trauma). But they are always on a spectrum, and vary a lot. A person with autism is not neurodiverse — they are neurodivergent. One of the main strengths of neurodivergent people is how imaginative and creative they are, coming up with out-of-the-box ideas quickly. With exceptional levels of attention, strong long-term memory, a unique perspective, unbeatable accuracy, and a strong sense of justice and fairness. Being different in a world that, to some degree, still doesn’t accept these differences is exhausting. So unsurprisingly, neurodivergent people often bring along determination, resilience, and high levels of empathy. Design With People, Not For Them As a designer, I often see myself as a path-maker. I’m designing reliable paths for people to navigate to their goals comfortably. Without being blocked. Or confused. Or locked out. That means respecting the simple fact that people’s needs, tasks, and user journeys are all different, and that they evolve over time. And: most importantly, it means considering them very early in the process. Better accessibility is better for everyone. Instead of making decisions that need to be reverted or refined to be compliant, we can bring a diverse group of people — with accessibility needs, with neurodiversity, frequent and infrequent users, experts, newcomers — in the process, and design with them, rather than for them. Neurodiversity & Inclusive Design Resources A wonderful resource that helps us design for cognitive accessibility is Stéphanie Walter’s Neurodiversity and UX toolkit. It includes practical guidelines, tools, and resources to better understand and design for dyslexia, dyscalculia, autism, and ADHD. Another fantastic resource is Will Soward’s Neurodiversity Design System. It combines neurodiversity and user experience design into a set of design standards and principles that you can use to design accessible learning interfaces. Last but not least, I’ve been putting together a few summaries about neurodiversity and inclusive design over the last few years, so you might find them helpful, too: ADHD Autism Children Colorblindness Deafness Dyscalculia Dyslexia Legibility Left-Handed Users Mental Health Motivation Older Adults Screen Readers Teenagers A huge thank-you to everyone who has been writing, speaking, and sharing articles, resources, and toolkits on designing for diversity. The topic is often forgotten and overlooked, but it has an incredible impact. 👏🏼👏🏽👏🏾

Strategies to future-proof UX that meets EU legal standardsThe EAA requires digital accessibility to accommodate all users with different needsAccessibility for digital products is no longer optional — it’s a necessity with the upcoming enforcement of the European Accessibility Act (EAA).Until now, European standards such as EN 301 549 have required only the public sector to comply with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). So only government agencies or businesses that sell information and communication technology (ICT) to government agencies have needed to meet accessibility specifications.As of June 2025, this will be expanded into the private sector in the European Union (EU) — including e-commerce, restaurants, and banking services.Are you thinking any of the following?Does the EAA apply to me or the business I work for?What is the WCAG and what does it require?How much work is needed make my UX designs compliant?I get it — it’s time-consuming to understand the grueling details of a legislative act, but it’s vital to realize how it directly impacts you and your business (whether you’re an employee or employer).What is the European Accessibility Act (EAA)?The EAA is a “directive” that aims to improve accessibility in products and services in EU member states. This ensures people with disabilities can successfully access any digital product — ranging from writing an email on a laptop to checking-in at the doctor’s office with an iPad.The directive was enacted in 2019, but will become enforced on June 28, 2025 for any new products.The EAA is a EU directive that follows EN 301 549 and WCAG 2.1 requirementsEAA requirementsTo comply with the EAA, you need to follow the European “standard,” EN 301 549. EN 301 549 includes many clauses covering accessibility for a broad range of ICT — from native mobile applications to electronic hardware.The clauses circling the web and software incorporate the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, Level AA.Who does the EAA apply to?The EAA impacts all 27 member states of the EU. This includes countries such as France, Spain, and Sweden.Not only do EU member states need to comply, but any company that does business with the member states — even if the company isn’t based in the EU. For example, if a person in Italy accesses an e-commerce website based in the United States, the website must comply with the EAA.What does WCAG require?WCAG offers internationally recognized standards for digital accessibility. These standards are developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and are constantly evolving to account for changes in HTML and assistive technologies.The EAA and EN 301 549 require conformance to WCAG 2.1, Level AA standards. But what does that mean exactly?WCAG versionsNew versions of WCAG are periodically released to accommodate to the internet’s evolution. As methods and technologies are deprecated and replaced, it’s important to update standards to ensure accessibility is met.The most current version of WCAG is 2.2, which was released in October 2023. Though the EAA and EN 301 549 currently require WCAG 2.1, it’s expected they will be updated to include the WCAG 2.2 version.WCAG has released 3 versions between 2008 and 2023WCAG conformance “levels”WCAG includes 3 levels of conformance: Level A, Level AA, and Level AAA. Level A offers guidelines for the most basic accessibility considerations, while Level AAA reaches the widest degree of accessibility.Each success criteria (SC) in WCAG has a conformance level. For instance, SC 1.1.1 (Non-text content) is Level A, while SC 2.4.12 (Focus not obscured–Enhanced) is Level AAA.To conform to a certain WCAG level, the digital product must also conform to the level below it. So if your website is Level AA, it passes both Level A and AA success criteria (which is what’s required to comply with the EAA).WCAG’s “levels” refer to the degree of accessibility your digital product complies withDesign strategies for EAA complianceWCAG standards are dense, and it takes time to incorporate them into your UX design process. But there are strategies you can start using now to meet most of the requirements to comply with the EAA.1. Color contrast ratioDesigners must create color palettes that support a high color contrast ratio for content like text or UI components. You can check color contrast ratios with tools such as WebAIM’s Contrast Checker.Small text (less than 18px) must have a color contrast ratio of 4.5:1 with its backgroundLarge text (larger than 18px) must have a contrast ratio of 3:1 with its backgroundUI components, like buttons, should have a color contrast ratio of 3:1 with its backgroundColor should not be used alone to convey meaning; semantic color also needs a text label or appropriate iconFor more details, visit WCAG 1.4-Distinguishable.Don’t use color alone to convey meaning, such as errors or warnings on text fields2. Keyboard functionalitySome users can’t use a mouse or their laptop’s trackpad. Users who are blind or have limited hand mobility use their keyboard or other assistive technologies, and must be able to operate the product with their preferred input method.All user actions are doable from a keyboard, except for freehand movements (I.E., digital painting)Keyboard users must not encounter a keyboard trap (I.E., the user can’t navigate away from elements like a modal)Keyboard users have a way to turn off or remap keyboard shortcuts made up of single-character keys (I.E., use “D” to delete an item)For more details, visit WCAG 2.1-Keyboard accessible.Example of keyboard tab/ focus order for a restaurant’s website3. Multimedia featuresAll users, whether they are blind, hard-of-hearing, or have a learning disability, must be able to access the information any multimedia provides (I.E., videos or audio).Provide captions for any pre-recorded audio that is time-based (I.E., syncing audio with text-based captions)Provide an audio description for pre-recorded videos (I.E., an animation without audio showing how to tie your shoes)Provide captions for all live video content (I.E., a news organization’s live broadcast)For more details, visit WCAG 1.2-Time based media.Example of a live news broadcast with closed captioning4. Headings and labelsWhen headings and labels aren’t used properly or aren’t used at all, users have a hard time processing content and completing tasks — from reading an article to filling out a form.Provide clear headings and labels that describe the page content or input fieldEnsure labels and headings that visually convey structure and relationships are programmatically associated to their content (I.E., the page heading includes a <h1> tag)Ensure individual cells in a data tables are programmatically associated to their parent column or row header (I.E., the cell named “Blue” is associated to its parent column named “Colors”)For more details, visit WCAG 1.3-Adaptable.Ensure the heading tags properly convey the web-page’s content structure5. Support screen readersMany people use screen readers, such as NVDA or JAWS, so they can use any website or software. Ensuring digital products are compatible with screen readers seem challenging, but there are ways to proactively support screen readers.Use semantic HTML elements, like <button>, and avoid non-semantic elements, like <div> and <span>, that don’t contain built-in meaningProvide a text alternative for meaningful images using the alt attributeEnsure all interactive elements have a corresponding name, role, and valueEnsure the focus indicator is always visible so the user knows where they are in the interfaceFor more details, visit WCAG 4.1-Compatible.Tools to use for an accessible design processTo help meet WCAG 2.1, Level AA standards, there are tools you can incorporate in your UX process to create accessible designs and hand them over to your development team.1. WAVEWAVE is a free accessibility evaluation tool developed by WebAIM. WAVE offers multiple browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, and Edge. After adding the extension to your preferred browser, all you have to do is visit your website and activate WAVE to get an automated evaluation.Note: Automated tools only find about a third of accessibility issues, so a manual evaluation is still needed after using WAVE.WAVE is a free accessibility evaluation tool that works on any live websitePros of WAVE:Offers multiple extensions for your preferred browserAllows you to easily see the tab order and structure of a web-pageProvides recommendations on how to correct accessibility issuesCons of WAVE:The icons representing potential accessibility issues are overwhelming and difficult to understand which icon goes to which element2. StarkStark offers a plug-in for both Figma and Sketch that designers can use to thoroughly check and annotate UX designs for developer hand-off. This ensures that developers know the specifics for alt text, tab order, and heading levels.Stark’s plug-in for Figma allows you to annotate designs and check color contrast ratiosPros of Stark:Offers a range of features to check designs for contrast and typography issues, as well as annotate for developer hand-offProvides color suggestions when the color contrast ratio doesn’t meet WCAG, Level AA requirementsProvides a vision simulator to test designs against different types of color blindness (I.E., protanopia)Cons of Stark:It can be difficult to select the correct layer when annotating designsSome advanced features in the plug-in are paid to use3. JAWSJAWS (Job Access with Speech) is one of the most commonly used screen readers. JAWS allows users with limited vision to access and use digital products, and is beneficial to test your digital product with to ensure it’s compatible with screen readers.Note: JAWS’ free version only allows you to use it for 45 minutes before restarting, and is best used on Chrome or Firefox browsers.JAWS screen reader running on a Mac through the Parallels virtual machinePros of JAWS:Ability to highly customize the JAWS settings, such as the voice synthesizerProvides output both through audio and braille devicesFreedom Scientific offers trainings to learn how to use JAWSCons of JAWS:Includes a steep learning curve compared to other screen readersOnly accessible through a Windows operating systemHas a limited free version–must pay to access the full versionConclusionReady or note, the European Accessibility Act (EAA) will be enforced on June 28, 2025. So any company (public or private) that provides ICT or operates digital products that an EU citizen can use is subject to the EAA.Any new product introduced to the market must comply with WCAG 2.1, Level AA to meet the requirements of the EAA and EN 301 549.Web accessibility is no longer optional — it’s essential. Though building inclusive products is the right thing to do, you may be subject to legal action if you avoid it. Is your digital product ready?SourcesWCAG by Level Access, “EN 301 549 Conformance: An Overview”Accessibility Works, “European Accessibility Act Compliance Requirements: The Next GDPR”WCAG by Level Access, “The European Accessibility Act: Technical Aspects of Compliance”European Union, “Types of legislation”W3C Web Accessibility Initiative, “WCAG 2 Overview”W3C, “WCAG 2.1 Guidelines”Ready or not, the EAA is here was originally published in UX Collective on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Botox injections used to be a secret for (largely) women in their 40s and 50s. But growing numbers of (largely) women in their 20s and 30s are turning to “baby Botox,” or smaller doses that are intended to prevent aging rather than combat it.Baby Botox is just one intervention that doctors say younger people now frequently seek, and some view the trend with concern. Dr. Michelle Hure, a physician specializing in dermatology and dermatopathology, says younger patients aren’t considering the cost of procedures that require lifetime maintenance, and are expressing dissatisfaction with their looks to a degree that borders on the absurd.Hure traces the demand for “baby Botox” and other procedures to the start of the pandemic.“Everyone was basically chronically online,” she told Vox. “They were on Zoom, they were looking at themselves, and there was the rise of of TikTok and the filters and people were really seeing these perceived flaws that either aren’t there or are so minimal and just normal anatomy. And they have really made it front and center where it affects them. It affects their daily life and I really feel that it has become more of a pathological thing.”Hure spoke to Today, Explained co-host Noel King about the rise of “baby Botox” and her concerns with the cosmetic dermatology industry. An excerpt of their conversation, edited for length and clarity, is below. There’s much more in the full podcast, so listen to Today, Explained wherever you get podcasts, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You told us about a patient that you saw yesterday, and you said you probably wouldn’t keep her on because her mentality really worried you. Would you tell me about that young woman?I had this patient who was mid-20s, and really a beautiful girl. I [didn’t] see a lot of signs of aging on her face, but she was coming in for Botox. There wasn’t a lot for me to treat. And at the end of the session she was asking me, “So what do you think about my nasolabial folds?”Basically, it’s the fold that goes from the corner of your nose down to the corner of your mouth. It’s the barrier between the upper lip and your cheek, and when you smile it kind of folds. Of course, the more you age, the more of the line will be left behind when you’re not smiling. And she was pointing to her cheek as if there was something there, but there was nothing there. And so I had to tell her, “Well, I don’t see that, you’re perfect.” It’s a phantom nasolabial fold. It didn’t exist.That sort of mentality where someone is perceiving a flaw that is absolutely not there — providers need to say no. Unfortunately, they’re incentivized not to. Especially if you have a cosmetic office, if you’re a med spa, if you have a cosmetic derm or plastic surgery office, of course you’re incentivized to do what the patient wants. Well, I’m not going to do that. That’s not what I do.That means you may get paid for seeing her in that visit, but you’re not getting paid for putting filler in her face. I think what I hear you saying is other doctors would have done that.Absolutely. One hundred percent. I know this for a fact because many times those patients will come to my office to get that filler dissolved because they don’t like it. In the larger practices or practices that are private equity-owned, which is a huge problem in medicine, you are absolutely meant to sell as many products, as many procedures as possible. Oftentimes I was told to sell as much filler as possible, because every syringe is several hundred dollars. And then if they’re there, talk them into a laser. Talk them into this, talk them into that. Then you become a salesman. For my skin check patients, I’m looking for skin cancer. I’m counseling them on how to take care of their skin. I was told, “Don’t talk to them about using sunscreen, because we want them to get skin cancer and come back.”I was pulled out of the room by my boss and reprimanded for explaining why it’s so important to use sunscreen. And so this is why I couldn’t do it anymore. I had to start my own office and be on my own. I can’t do that. That goes against everything that I believe in, in my oath. Because there is potential harm on many different levels for cosmetic procedures.What are the risks to giving someone a cosmetic procedure that they don’t really need?This is a medical procedure. There is always risk for any type of intervention, right? What gets me is, like, Nordstrom is talking about having injections in their stores. This is ridiculous! This is a medical procedure. You can get infection, you can get vascular occlusion that can lead to death of the tissue overlying where you inject. It can lead to blindness. This is a big deal. It’s fairly safe if you know what you’re doing. But not everyone knows what they’re doing and knows how to handle the complications that can come about. Honestly, I feel like the psychological aspect of it is a big problem. At some point you become dependent, almost, on these procedures to either feel happy or feel good about yourself. And at what point is it not going to be enough? One of my colleagues actually coined this term. It’s called perception drift. At some point, you will do these little, little, incremental tweaks until you look like a different person. And you might look very abnormal. So even if someone comes to me for something that is legitimate, it’s still: Once you start, it’s going to be hard for you to stop. If you’re barely able to scrimp together enough to pay for that one thing, and you have it done, great. What about all the rest of your life that you’re going to want to do something? Are you going to be able to manage it?I wonder how all of this makes you think about your profession. Most people get into medicine, it has always been my assumption, to be helpful. And you’ve laid out a world in which procedures are being done that are not only not helpful, they could be dangerous. And you don’t seem to like it very much.This is why it is a smaller and smaller percentage of what I do in my office. I love cosmetics to an extent, right? I love to make people love how they look. But when you start using cosmetics as a tool to make them feel better about themselves in a major way, it’s a slippery slope. It should be more of a targeted thing, not making you look like an entirely different person because society has told you you can’t age. It’s really disturbing to me.See More:

Forward-looking: While night vision is typically associated with bulky goggles that display only monochromatic images, recent experiments suggest the technology could be miniaturized for everyday eyewear. New applications of thin, lightweight filters may allow humans to perceive both infrared and visible light simultaneously. Contact lenses and eyeglasses could one day enable people to see beyond the natural visible light spectrum. Eyewear equipped with this special technology holds promise for enhancing visibility in challenging conditions and introducing new ways to convey information. Researchers from the University of Science and Technology of China are developing contact lenses that allow mice and humans to perceive infrared light in multiple colors. Unlike traditional night vision goggles, these lenses don't require an external power source. Additionally, because they are transparent, they don't block visible light – allowing wearers to combine natural and infrared vision. In the image above, the lenses change how letters appear under near-infrared light (bottom) compared to visible light (top), in one case revealing a previously hidden letter. In another experiment, mirrors that appeared monochromatic in visible light became more colorful under near-infrared, while those showing color in visible light shifted hues under NIR. The study, published in Cell, describes how upconversion nanoparticles convert light just outside the visible spectrum – known as near-infrared – into visible red, green, and blue light. Test subjects wearing the lenses were able to detect previously invisible colors and perceive near-infrared light beams. // Related Stories Although night vision is the most obvious application, the technology could also enhance visibility in foggy or dusty environments. Smart devices could use it to assist during emergencies, and wearers could receive information encoded in infrared light. The technology may also benefit individuals with color blindness. Although the experimental lenses do not yet provide a sharp infrared image, specially designed eyeglasses incorporating this technology can enhance image quality, and nanoparticle development is ongoing. Interestingly, wearing the lenses allows near-infrared light to be seen even with closed eyes, as infrared light penetrates eyelids more effectively than visible light – making near-infrared information clearer. The study parallels a paper published last year by Australian researchers, who used metasurface-based upconversion technology to demonstrate eyeglasses that merge infrared and visible light. Their goal: to create thinner, lighter, and more practical night vision gear. Continued research aims to expand access to more of the infrared spectrum.

Researchers have developed new contact lenses that enable vision in the near-infrared range, and they could restore color perception to people with color blindness.

Over a billion people experience disability globally, and many are gamers. 30% of gamers in the U.S. identify as disabled, yet 66% say they face barriers or issues related to gaming.Fortunately, this situation is starting to change.From Tribe Games and Owlchemy Labs to Insomniac and Naughty Dog, studios of all sizes are creating more accessible gaming experiences. Today, 70% of allplayers use accessibility features built into games, whether they have a disability or not. Players want flexibility, and accessible game design can provide that.Owlchemy Labs, the studio behind titles like Job Simulator,Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality, and, most recently, Cosmonious High, champions accessibility in VR. In June, they introduced Cosmonious High’s first accessibility update, with a range of updated gameplay options, including one-handed control mode, features to accommodate seated players, colorblindness enhancements, an immersive subtitling system, and more.Andrew Eiche (chief operating owl and cable slinger), Jazmin Cano (accessibility product manager), and Peter Galbraith (accessibility engineer) joined Unity’s Hasan Al Salman on Twitch to discuss the update.Read on to learn how this innovative studio built a culture of accessibility, get tips you can apply to your own games, or watch the full stream below.Their accessibility statement explains that, “At Owlchemy Labs, we believe deeply in making VR for everyone! Improving our accessibility helps us achieve that goal.” The studio has built a strong, accessibility-first culture that every Owl experiences from their first day of onboarding.“There’s a huge developer documentation page, which is fantastic. It has a fabulous guide on accessibility,” says Jazmin. “There are tools, learning resources, and examples of how Owlchemy approaches games with this thinking. From day one, it shows everyone at Owlchemy how important this is.”Conversations about accessibility at the studio aren’t relegated to specific Slack threads and channels, but are discussed openly everywhere. “It’s really important for everyone to see what’s going on in the industry and even just learn about it as we develop,” says Jazmin.Owlchemy Labs considers every gameplay element through the lens of universal design. Where possible, each feature is built to be used easily by anyone, without having to enable specific accessibility settings from a menu.“There’s a great saying that goes: ‘Design for one, extend to many,’” says Jazmin. “When you create something that’s accessible for one person, it’s likely going to benefit more people than you had in mind.”The team considers accessibility from the start and draws on learnings from previous projects, which makes it easier to implement or iterate on new gameplay features.“We do a lot to think about these things from the beginning as much as we can,” says Andrew. “We’re always improving and getting better, which is why we created the accessibility update. But having the thought process from the beginning makes the whole process significantly easier.”Accessibility options in Cosmonious High generally aren’t hidden in menus. To play in one-handed mode, you can just turn off your second controller and start playing.Peter Galbraith, the team’s accessibility engineer, shares how Owlchemy Labs adapted features like the Powers Menu, the way you select various VR superpowers, for one-handed mode. “Previously, you would have to tap the back of your hand and it would pull up a radial menu of your powers. With the new accessibility update, you can just double tap, and it opens up the menu so you’re good to go.”Players can grab objects telekinetically by gesturing towards them and pulling them with a flick of the wrist. “You don’t have to reopen your hand and get the exact timing when it hits right. It’s a really nice way to make you feel powerful, while making it easy to identify and grab what you want,” Peter says.One-handed mode obviously helps players who don’t have use of both hands, but it has subtle benefits for players who do.“When you design for one use case, you can actually end up solving for a lot of different situations,” says Jazmin. “You can play Cosmonious High while holding a drink, or a snack, or a pet. Maybe only one of your controller’s batteries is charged, so you only have one to play with. If we didn’t have this one-handed mode, in these situations, you just wouldn’t be able to play at all!“During the stream, one viewer asked what makes VR games inaccessible to players who use wheelchairs.“Imagine looking around your own room. All the things that are more than an arm’s length above your head – all of those are inaccessible,” says Andrew. “Imagine if you’re a person who is capable of leaning or moving in your chair, so literally all you can do is stick your arms out in front of you and move them. Those are the kind of things that we have to consider for wheelchair accessibility.”One-handed mode is one way to remove barriers for seated players, but Owlchemy Labs has also implemented other features to ensure players of all heights and abilities can explore the halls of Cosmonious High.For example, every surface in the game functions like a standing desk, with a handle you can adjust to change the height. Players can dynamically change their own height in-game using Small student mode, allowing them to reach areas they might not be able to reach through height sliders and other toggles.Cosmonious High has been praised for its distinctive, colorful visuals. However, Owlchemy Labs was careful to ensure the game remains completely accessible to players with different types of colorblindness.“We have these puzzles where players have to match up different crystals,” explains Peter. “Each has patterns and shapes in addition to colors. Blue triangles connect to blue triangles, yellow squares connect to yellow squares – that way no puzzle or feature is entirely reliant on color alone.”Owlchemy Labs uses Colorblind Effect from the Unity Asset Store to simulate what the scene would look like for players with the three most common types of color blindness. See the tool in action below.Owlchemy Labs has put a huge amount of work and research into the subtitling system for their games, which they believe is among the best in the industry for XR. Cosmonious High’s subtitles are embedded into the HUD, and feature the name, image, and pronouns of the speaker, as well as an arrow pointing in their direction that adjusts based on the player’s position.“The big thing is, unlike television or a 2D view where you can just pop things on the bottom of the screen, we don’t want players to be forced to look at a character when they’re playing,” says Andrew. “But we also want players to know where that character is, so that’s where that little arrow design comes from. We want everyone to have the same level of fidelity that players who hear in the game with the spatialized audio would have.”Owlchemy’s subtitling features ended up being useful for developers, too. “A lot of our developers play without the audio on because they want to listen to music – they just want to hit play, make sure that all the subtitle timings are lined up, and not hear the chaos,” says Andrew. “And now they can do that.”For more information on Owlchemy Labs’ subtitles, check out their talk, “Subtitles in XR: A Practical Framework.”Owlchemy Labs regularly conducts interviews and feedback sessions and performs user testing with the disability community. VR is a physical medium by nature, so in-person testing is ideal. “A player’s body, their range of motion, and their physicality are all important considerations,” says Peter.“In-person feedback is super valuable,” agrees Jazmin. “Not only do you get direct feedback, but you also get feedback through body language. If someone’s scratching their head, maybe they’re a little confused. There’s a lot of nonverbal feedback that you get from meeting with someone.”During the pandemic, Owlchemy Labs began conducting more player research remotely on video calls – now, they do a mix of both. Reaching out and building community online via channels like Discord means they’ve been able to reach even more players in the accessibility community.“There’s a really important saying in the accessibility community: ‘Nothing about us, without us,’” says Jazmin. “It’s important to respect that statement. Listening to people with disabilities provides feedback, and that’s a must. We have to have diverse voices for this work to actually work.”Closing out the stream, Owlchemy Labs offered advice on implementing accessibility features into your projects – and why you should consider it as part of your game design.Jazmin: “Whether you’re making a game right now, or you’re about to launch, or you’ve already launched, it’s never too late to add accessibility. Accessibility is a journey: There’s a lot to learn, a lot to explore and a lot to try out. It’s never too late! For example, Cosmonious High launched before our accessibility update. You can always do more.”Peter: “I echo exactly what Jazmin was saying: It’s never too late to add accessibility. It benefits everyone, not just the people that you assume to have accessibility needs. When you improve accessibility, you are improving your game not just for players with disabilities, but for every one of your players. And the sooner you start thinking about that, the more accessibility features you get to help everyone share virtual reality.”Andrew: “If, for some reason, you need one last bottom-line way of convincing the folks in your organization that accessibility matters, let me remind you that the entertainment market is a very crowded market: Finding a good niche is always a benefit to you. When you cater to a community and you show that you care, that community is going to respond in kind. It’s going to create a market for you, and it’s going to increase the amount of people that are capable of playing your games. But if you want to do it altruistically, which is where, hopefully, Owlchemy expresses itself – we think that it’s a really, really important goal.”Cosmonious High is available now on Meta Quest 2 and SteamVR. To learn how to make your own games accessible, check out our Unity Learn course, Practical Game Accessibility.