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It's Topher Winward! ✌️ @topher.io · 4h

I do a monthly round-up of accessibility news at work, and going straight to Can I Play That? as one of my sources is invaluable every time.

A brilliant team doing brilliant work, go give them a follow, and if you can, support with a donation!

Can I Play That? @caniplaythat.com · 28d

A colorblind mode is the latest in a series of accessibility updates for mountain climbing game sensation PEAK.

It follows a series of patches with photosensitivity and bug phobia modes among many other balancing and quality of life improvements.

caniplaythat.com/2025/09/10/p...

PEAK accessibility updates continue with new colorblind mode - Can I Play That?

A colorblind mode is the latest in a series of accessibility updates for PEAK, following patches with photosensitivity and bug phobia modes.

caniplaythat.com

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It's Topher Winward! ✌️ @topher.io · 18h

Absolutely brilliant stuff Tarja - your hard work and uplifting positivity are a shining light in this world ✨

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Reposted by It's Topher Winward! ✌️

Tarja Porkka-Kontturi @tarjapk.bsky.social · 20h

I won friends!! 😭❤️ I was acknowledged as one of the games industry leading women with the Aurora Award at Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki!

It’s hard to put in words how much it means to me being amongst these honorees.

Tarja showing finger hearts and smiling slightly.

Charly Harbord receiving the award on behalf of Tarja who wasn’t able to attend. Charly is on the stage at PGC Helsinki.

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It's Topher Winward! ✌️ @topher.io · 3d

Happy seal

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It's Topher Winward! ✌️ @topher.io · 7d

But also yes, there's even more blurring of lines. If I'm at a busy party and having trouble understanding who I'm talking to, that could be a hearing problem, or a cognitive processing problem (distracted by others), or even both

It's Topher Winward! ✌️ @topher.io · 7d

I personally add a 5th row for "Cognitive" when discussing needs for sure, though I can't speak to why they're not in this image.

Microsoft's Inclusive Design website has some neat guides on designing for cognition though:

inclusive.microsoft.design

inclusive.microsoft.design/tools-and-ac...

Microsoft Inclusive Design

Microsoft Inclusive Design is a practice that anyone who creates and manages products and services can use to build more inclusive experiences for everyone. Get the principles, guidebooks, workshop to...

inclusive.microsoft.design

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It's Topher Winward! ✌️ @topher.io · 7d

One thing I've changed recently - instead of using "visual", "audio" etc, I now prefer Microsoft's Touch / See / Hear / Speak.
It makes it clear that you're talking about the user.

e.g. does "audio accessibility" refer to those who have sight or hearing needs?

Microsoft Inclusive Design toolkit, showing a Touch/See/Hear/Speak vs Permanent/Temporary/Situational matrix

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It's Topher Winward! ✌️ @topher.io · 7d

One thing I've changed recently - instead of using "visual", "audio" etc, I now prefer Microsoft's Touch / See / Hear / Speak.
It makes it clear that you're talking about the user.

e.g. does "audio accessibility" refer to those who have sight or hearing needs?

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It's Topher Winward! ✌️ @topher.io · 7d

Everything is accessibility, and everything is tuberculosis, ergo accessibility is tuberculosis.

Don't think that's a great tagline

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It's Topher Winward! ✌️ @topher.io · 8d

Currently writing an accessibility presentation and tried categorising a bunch of features into "needs" verticals.

Quickly realised none of them fit nicely into a single category, the whole structure has collapsed, and I've rewritten the slide simply as "Everything Is Accessibility"

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Reposted by It's Topher Winward! ✌️

Prisonculture @prisonculture.bsky.social · 8d

Mahmoud Darwish trans. by Mohammed Shaheen

black text on white background

"As you prepare your breakfast, think of others
(do not forget the pigeon’s food).
As you conduct your wars, think of others
(do not forget those who seek peace).
As you pay your water bill, think of others
(those who are nursed by clouds).
As you return home, to your home, think of others
(do not forget the people of the camps).
As you sleep and count the stars, think of others
(those who have nowhere to sleep).
As you liberate yourself in metaphor, think of others
(those who have lost the right to speak).
As you think of others far away, think of yourself
(say: “If only I were a candle in the dark”)."

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Game Maker's Toolkit @gamemakerstoolkit.com · Jun 17

Here's a quick thread about the accessibility features and options that will be in the final version of Word Play!

The word Accessibility spelt in the game Word Play

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It's Topher Winward! ✌️ @topher.io · 19d

Kestrel about to dive

A kestrel stark against a light, slightly purpley sky. It is a slender bird of prey

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It's Topher Winward! ✌️ @topher.io · 25d

Wait how do I enable these?? I've got all notifications on but have never seen?

(Or maybe I never have new birds passing through my area 😭)

It's Topher Winward! ✌️ @topher.io · 27d

Writing a résumé but instead of listing skills, listing every bird you've ever seen

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It's Topher Winward! ✌️ @topher.io · 29d

Lovely read - wasn't expecting how cheap those titles at the end would add up to! Curious how you got on with the Switch 1 in comparison, if at all?

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Zoë “Baddie Proctor” Quinn @unburntwitch.com · Sep 9

A cool thing about the natural world is that if you kinda let your mind unfocus enough to not have all the shit we learned growing up at the forefront of your brain, batshit stuff happens constantly that can make you kinda see how we ended up with so many superstitions trying to make sense of it all

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It's Topher Winward! ✌️ @topher.io · Sep 8

Birding is a wonderful expression of curiosity and love for nature.
It's as easy as heading outside (though decent binoculars and the Merlin app help hugely!) and it's improved my life and mental health in so many ways.

Now get out there and find you a bird! 🐤

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It's Topher Winward! ✌️ @topher.io · Sep 8

I'd like to thank my binoculars for this particular achievement, but also cheers:

* @rspb.bsky.social Middleton Lakes for being so welcoming
* @steveatkinson.bsky.social + friends for tip-offs about cool species there
* @zookie-art.bsky.social for always having seen more birds than me

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It's Topher Winward! ✌️ @topher.io · Sep 8

I've not birdposted in a while, but I have a super cool update. After searching for this gorgeous Ruff for 3 hours yesterday and finally finding her, I can officially declare:

I have now seen ✨ 150 species of bird ✨ worldwide in 2025!!! 🐦

A ruff standing in water with her bill down looking for food. She is a wader with a white tummy, mottled brown feathers on her back, and a soft head.

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It's Topher Winward! ✌️ @topher.io · Sep 7

This photo of you goes so hard

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It's Topher Winward! ✌️ @topher.io · Sep 6

Sparrowhawk sounds right!! Very handsome specimen you have there, very jealous

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It's Topher Winward! ✌️ @topher.io · Sep 5

The second layer of the joke here of course being that the clergy wouldn't come at all, it would be the laypeople

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It's Topher Winward! ✌️ @topher.io · Sep 5

Just sent an email accidentally saying "provides some much needed laity" instead of "much needed levity" and I'm expecting the clergy to come busting through the door any minute now

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The Game Accessibility Conference @gaconf.bsky.social · Sep 4

Speaker announcement, and it's a big one 📢

An all-star group of speakers from the ESA, EA, @riotgames.com, @xbox.com, Google & Nintendo on what's next for the Accessible Games Initiative!

Sept 29th - 30th, registration & line-up at gaconf.com #gamedevelopment #indiedev

GAconf, IGDA-GASIG. Advancing accessibility for disabled players. Hybrid online & Archer Hotel, Redmond. September 29th - 30th 2025. TIGA awards winner, CIPT awards winner, MCV Develop awards finalists, EN awards winner, Business Awards UK winner.

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