Gaming Brew: Accessibility in Tabletop Gaming – Jennifer Kretchmer
Here at PCU, we’ve talked endlessly about accessibility in gaming, including tabletop gaming. We’ve discussed inclusion tools, from dice to books, as well as groups that provide accessibility.
We’ve even done panels on the subject at local conventions!
Despite our articles, we can’t catch everything, even when our gaming department leads are People With Disabilities (PWD). The discussion is never-ending, and there will always be accessibility concerns, tools, groups, or people we (inadvertently) miss.
That’s why we’d like to bring attention to an awesome content creator and disabilities advocate: Jennifer Kretchmer.
Ms. Kretchmer is an actor, producer, writer, streamer, and avid gamer. You can catch her on the Monsters & Fables series (which she created), D&D Beyond’s Silver and Steel series, and her Twitch channel.
Kretchmer is also a PWD and a major advocate for accessibility and representation in tabletop gaming. Her latest work is the first published wheelchair-accessible dungeon, found in the upcoming Candlekeep Mysteries anthology for D&D.
However, beyond all of her art and advocacy, Kretchmer has also given us something else fantastic. She put together a simple (but in-depth) document with information on accessibility and representation in tabletop gaming.
In this Google Doc, you’ll find dozens of resources on disabilities, accessibility, and representation. From videos to articles, social media posts to published materials, the amount of information is astounding.
Some, like the FATE Accessibility Toolkit or Meeples Like Us, we’ve already covered in the past, but others are less known (albeit no less important).
Kretchmer’s document includes (but is not limited to):
- Videos, panels, and articles on disabilities and ableism.
- Accessibility resources, websites, and toolkits.
- Guides for writing about disabilities and PWD.
- Advice for conventions and organizations.
- Lists of websites, companies, and organizations that support PWD.
Want to know more about ableism in language? There are multiple sources on that topic. Are you interested in fonts and character sheets accessible to people with dyslexia? Several resources exist for that concern.
Kretchmer even provides links to tools for social media users, video creators/watchers, and streamers, from advice to software. That includes extensions or apps for captioning, which she uses on her channel (and for which I am eternally grateful!).
Jennifer Kretchmer has been a voice for PWD for a long time, and we’re thankful she’s provided us with a significant resource for all to use. Although she’s received the usual pushback from trolls and gatekeepers, we support her hard work, both as an advocate and a creator.
From all of us here at PCU, especially those who are gamers with disabilities, thank you.
We’ve provided several links throughout this article regarding Ms. Kretchmer and her document, but we’ll share them once more here:
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