[games_access] Game Accessibility SIG Elections have started -Please Read :)

Tue Oct 19 12:47:55 EDT 2010

Very impressive candidates.

I wanted to run but I guess I'll wait for next year.

I don't think it's appropriate telling you who I think should win on this
thread but I want to.

Good luck.

Robert Florio

If you didn't get a chance to check out my autobiography that talks all
about my involvement my disability and game accessibility challenges check
it out.  It's much much more.

www.RobertFlorio.com/LIFE

  _____  

From: games_access-bounces at igda.org [mailto:games_access-bounces at igda.org]
On Behalf Of Sheri Rubin
Sent: Tuesday, October 19, 2010 12:38 AM
To: games_access at igda.org
Subject: [games_access] Game Accessibility SIG Elections have started
-Please Read :)

Hi Game Accessibility SIG members!

The elections have started. They end on October 29th. Voting is underway!

My crack team (Andrew) was able to take the subscriber list of emails and
add anyone to the website whose email matched an email in the system to the
Game Accessibility SIG group. Then anyone whose account was shown to be a
Full paid member was also placed in a sub-group for voting. You should have
received an email today that says "IGDA: New Forum thread in IGDA Game
Accessibility SIG Voting Group". That is the email that will give you the
links to the candidate statements and the voting links.

So that's the good news.

The bad news is that some of you are inevitably going to say that you're a
full paid member and should be able to vote but didn't get that email. If
that's true and you do not receive an email today please send me an email
OFF-LIST that tells me this. There are three likely reasons for this:

1) You are not a full, standard paid member (free and student members do not
get to vote) after all. But hey, we warned you.

2) You registered to this mailing list with an email that does not
correspond to the email used with your membership for IGDA/the one you
registered to the website for. We did not try and figure out which extra
emails (the ones with no accounts associated to them) belonged to people
registered on the website. Especially since after looking at the list it
seems some of you register with many emails. :)

3) The IGDA database hasn't fully been cleaned up and at some point you
registered to the IGDA website with the email you registered to this list
with and so we have you down as a free user because we didn't have your
email that shows you as a standard member. (Similar to #2 but this means you
also have an extra account and you'll show up in the group with that email.)

Everyone but #1 can be addressed for these elections, but we still encourage
you to join the IGDA and fix #1 for next time. :>

Since not everyone has access to the elections sub group below are the
candidate statements for Kevin, Barrie, Tara, and Sandra who were the four
who stepped up to run for steering committee this time around (in
alphabetical order):

Kevin Bierre:

I have been a member of the IGDA and active in the Game Accessibility SIG
since 2003. I have had an interest in accessibility as a result of working
with students with various disabilities in my programming and database
courses. I also have three sons with disabilities who are avid gamers and I
have seen some of their struggles with certain games.

An area of game accessibility that I feel needs to be addressed is the
education of current and aspiring game designers and developers in methods
of making their games accessible. I have participated in some of the
educational activities such as doing tutorials at GDC and other conferences,
as well as writing articles on accessibility.

However, there is more that could be done in this area, such as providing
curriculum materials on accessibility to schools with game design and
development program. Having a set of online tutorials, how to examples, and
other reference materials readily available would also help get the message
out to developers. 

Finally, I think the SIG needs to actively pursue partnerships with game
companies to promote the inclusion of accessible features in their games.
The recent accessibility roundtable that Microsoft held was a great step in
this direction, but there are many other firms that we should communicate
with.

Kevin Bierre
Associate Professor
Interactive Games and Media Department
Rochester Institute of Technology

Barrie Ellis:

I'd be very happy to become part of the steering committee, but don't really
have time to do the important job of Chair justice. I've learnt tons from
the IGDA's GASIG and met some really fantastic people through it. Should I
become chair, I would be seeking to put in place some building blocks for a
better web-site, and ways to bring more people in. I would aim to boost
recognition of our membership base on-site and then seek to concentrate our
efforts on a small number of projects we feel are of the greatest importance
at this interim stage. Basic stuff, but hopefully a helpful stepping stone
to better things.

Barrie Ellis (of www.OneSwitch.org.uk <http://www.OneSwitch.org.uk/>  - and
member of www.GameBase.info <http://www.GameBase.info/> )

Tara Tefertiller:

The first step in electing a successful steering committee is voting for
people who show that they have the dedication to game accessibility needed
to make the GA SIG a productive body. I have such dedication.

I have worked for AbleGamers.com <http://AbleGamers.com/>  as a writer. I
reviewed AAA titles on multiple platforms, conducted interviews of gamers
with disabilities and how it effected their play, and wrote articles on
gaming news such as the iBraille app (a conversation piece about how touch
screens can effect the blind) and Wii-hab (using the wii for rehabilitation
purposes).

I've also shown that I can step up and take responsibility as needed, as
demonstrated when I filled in for Michelle Hinn at GDC 2010 and ran her
poster session. It was very successful and even covered by Gamespot. 

I also work hard to educate students on game accessibility. I've already
been a speaker at International Academy of Design & Technology, where I also
mentor students. I also have ties to Full Sail and UCF, where I am currently
in the process of becoming a guest speaker as well. 

Further more, I have shown the responsibility needed to work at large events
with big partners. I am currently working with the Orlando Science Center to
make the game accessibility exhibit for their video game week, Otronicon. I
have currently challenged the students at Full Sail to design accessible
games, and the one found the most accessible will be displayed at Otronicon.

I am an active member of not just the SIG and it's email thread, but the
IGDA itself. Since moving to Orlando, I have made it to every chapter
meeting.

I believe that the education SIG and the GA SIG should work together and
educate tomorrow's work force about accessibility. I have spoken to
education SIG members who agree. I would work towards making this a reality.
The SIG could really take advantage of my proximity to two gaming schools. 

I think it would be a great idea to have an accessibility tie in with the
annual Global Game Jam.

Further more, I would push that SIG becomes more involved in the Orlando
Chapter of IGDA, due to it's ties with the local gaming schools. Both a
large amount of students and teachers frequent the chapter meetings.

Thank you for your time. 

Sandra Uhling:

I am learning about Game Accessibility since two years.  I would like to
move this very important topic forward.  Game Accessibility improves the
overall quality of games.  It is useful for everyone. But this topic is not
easy for people who never looked into this topic. To make a change we have
to support game designer and game developer. 

------------------

That's all you basically need to know. Thanks for reading all that.

Have fun and happy voting!
Sheri

P.S. For the one who won't get elected this time around - don't fret! The
ones who do usually make it a point to call on those who don't first to make
sure they get put to work right away! :)

-- 
Sheri Rubin
Founder and CEO

Design Direct Deliver
Website: http://www.designdirectdeliver.com
Email: sheri at designdirectdeliver.com

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