Keywords
DESIGN;SERIOUS GAMES;SIMULATIONSAdditional Keywords not in the list above
Accessibility, WCAG, VPATLearning Objective 1
Attendees will understand why accessibility is an important design consideration for simulations and games for training and education applications.Learning Objective 2
Attendees will learn ways to meet accessibility goals presented within the framework of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and discuss how WCAG does, and does not, offer practical guidance for game and simulation developers.Learning Objective 3
Attendees will understand a dominant process used by procuring organizations to vet serious game products with respect to their accessibility requirements through the use of a Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT).Learning Objective 4
Attendees will understand the goals and process of creating and providing a Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT).Learning Objective 5
Attendees will understand various approaches to meeting accessibility goals, with their respective pros and cons to help drive decision making on the best path for including accessibility their product design.Abstract
Federal Procurement Regulations and the Americans with Disabilities Act apply to modeling and simulation (M&S) programs and serious games used in education, skill development, employee selection, credentialing, routine work, and promotion opportunities for defense communities as well the general public. These regulatioins require that individuals with disabilities have access to and comparable use of digital information and data compared with individuals without disabilities. Historically advanced simulations and serious games have provided basic in-product accommodations or provided alternative non-interactive content to support equal content access for all. These accomodations fall short of providing equivalent experiences, thus allowing non-disabled users preferential interaction with content known to result in more effective learning, performance, and skill demonstration. Ideally, applications should be usable by all, accommodating disabled users through support for the assistive technologies they utilize in their daily lives. While this sounds easily agreeable, in practice barriers to providing inclusive interactive experiences and gameplay are prevalent. Guidelines for accessibility aren’t currently directed for simulation and game development technologies. The most used development engines render end products inaccessible to assistive technologies. Product budgets are often lower than developers request even without accounting for accessibility requirements. And the creation community lacks actionable accessible design guidance. To close this gap in accessible design guidance, we extend the standards used for other types of digital information. The widely recognized Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), developed for traditional web content, can be adapted to address accessibility in interactive simulations and games. Extended to simulations and games, WCAG offers generalized accessibility themes to inform developers of complex, dynamic user experiences. By designing to WCAG principles, developers can ensure that their games and simulations will be accessible to a wide range of users. Referencing WCAG also provides a generally understood lexicon to communicate the accessibility approach and accessibility level of products. To aid customers in evaluating a product's accessibility in procurement, the delivery organization provides a completed Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) that references the WCAG framework to specify how accessibility has been achieved. This tutorial offers the simulaiton and serious games creation and procurement communities a practical guide to accessibility. Topics include: an overview of regulations, requirements, and consumer accessibility expectations, WCAG introduction with concepts anchored by M&S relevant examples, an overview of the VPAT and process for its creation and use, discussion of accessible design considerations and development approaches to meet simulation and serious game accessibility goals, and design challenge highlights and process recommendations from efforts to provide engaging interactive experiences and gameplay for all.