Accessibility in tabletop gaming is often overlooked, making it harder for some players to fully enjoy their favorite games. At Pixels, our dice weren’t originally designed with accessibility in mind, but feedback from the community opened our eyes to what’s possible. Once we saw how much of an impact our dice could have, we knew we wanted to do better. Now, we’re working to make meaningful changes to ensure more people can join in the fun.
How Pixels Dice are Helping
Hearing Your Rolls
The app’s “Speak Aloud” feature has been especially helpful for visually impaired players. By announcing dice rolls out loud, it reduces reliance on visual cues and makes games more inclusive. This feature allows players to stay fully engaged without needing extra assistance, and feedback from the community continues to guide improvements.
Customizing Colors and Patterns
The dice’s customizable LED lights and adjustable colors have benefits that go beyond visual impairments. Players with partial sight can enhance visibility with high-contrast colors or distinct patterns. Through conversations with accessibility leaders, we’ve also learned that these features may provide meaningful benefits for neurodiverse players. For example, associating specific colors or patterns with numbers could support focus and recognition during gameplay. Additionally, the combination of visual and auditory feedback can create a more engaging experience for those who find multimodal input helpful.
Building Partnerships and Learning from Experts
We first met Seong-Hee Westlake, a Senior Rehabilitation Engineer at the University of Michigan, at PAX West. Seong-Hee, an accessibility leader with expertise in assistive technology and adaptive gaming, was excited to demo Pixels Dice for the first time. Since then, she’s shared Pixels with her co-workers, family, and other professionals in the accessibility space. Her insights, perspective, and professional validation have been invaluable as we consider our role in making tabletop gaming more inclusive. We’re thrilled to continue collaborating with her.
“What impressed me most about Pixels’ accessibility journey is that it was genuine, organic, and thoughtful while still being stunningly innovative. Engineers at Pixels, once they realized that they could make their product more inclusive of individuals with disabilities, chose to make improvements, including adding the option of audio feedback for individuals with visual impairment easier.”
She continues, “Pixels doesn’t claim to be an assistive technology brand, but what they claim is that no matter what brand you are, there are ways that you can make your products more inclusive and accessible while still being true to your vision. And as someone who’s been in the field of accessibility her whole career, I really appreciate this authenticity about the Pixels team.”
– Seong-Hee Westlake, Senior Rehabilitation Engineer, University of Michigan
Seong-Hee is also hosting the “Universally Unplugged – Adaptive Gaming Isn’t Just for Video Games!” workshop on Friday evening at PAX Unplugged in Philadelphia, where our founder, Jean Simonet, will join her to share what we’ve learned about accessibility as a growing company. Together, we’ll discuss the challenges, questions, and unexpected rewards of making gaming more inclusive.
Accessibility Feedback Network: Listening and Improving
Creating a more accessible product means listening to real users and making changes. That’s why we started an Accessibility Feedback Network, a group of players and families who test our dice and app and share their experiences. Feedback isn’t a one-and-done deal—Pixels head developer stays in direct contact with participants to hear about new challenges or features they’d like to see. In some cases, these improvements are implemented the same day.
One of our first participants was a mother who discovered Pixels through TikTok and immediately reached out to us to see if they could help her 15-year-old daughter, who loves playing Dungeons & Dragons. We sent them a D20 to try, and her daughter quickly embraced the independence Pixels offered, experimenting with the dice and customizing them through the app. Her mother shared her gratitude in a heartfelt Facebook post, writing:
“I reached out to see how I could get a set for my daughter, who loves playing DnD. She’s been trying them out, and it makes me so happy to see companies make accessibility devices like this. Every bit of independence is huge.”
– Mother of 11-year-old accessibility feedback participant
You can read her full post here.
Some of the most rewarding feedback we’ve received came from a mother whose 11-year-old daughter, who is visually impaired due to Bardet-Biedl syndrome, was eager to play Dungeons & Dragons with her friends and family. To support them, we sent multiple dice so they could provide feedback together. Using the app, they were able to personalize the dice to announce roll results, including a playful “whomp whomp” for critical failures. After noticing some challenges, our head developer quickly implemented an app update to make the “Speak Aloud” feature even easier to customize for each die face. Her mom shared this about the experience:
“I was able to set it to speak the # and when it hits 1 you hear whomp whomp. She has been so excited to show other DnD players how cool the dice are, how they function. For the first time she was able to play and not have to ask what it says and wanted to enjoy the session all the way through. Thank you for making something my visually impaired daughter is proud to use and excited to show others!”
– Mother of 15-year-old accessibility feedback participant
Jennifer Cash is a Pixels Kickstarter backer and member of our Accessibility Feedback Network. By day, she works as a National Outreach Coordinator for the Polus Center, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting individuals with disabilities, with a special focus on the blindness community. Here’s what she shared about her experience with Pixels Dice:
“I backed a full set and a single D20 and have been using the D20 in my games for months now. It has been a game changer for me, allowing me to read different dice independently for the first time. I love the colorful patterns and customization options—it’s made my gaming so much more engaging.”
Outside of work, Jen is preparing to launch her YouTube channel, The Blind Bard, which will spotlight tabletop gaming from the perspective of a visually impaired player. You can subscribe to Jen’s channel ahead of its launch here.
These stories remind us of the real difference accessibility can make. And by staying in touch with participants over time, we can continue refining our products to meet their needs.
If you’d like to join the Accessibility Feedback Network, you can fill out our consent form here. Important Note: As a startup with limited stock, signing up doesn’t guarantee participation, but we value every submission and do our best to include as many people as possible.
Excited for PAX Unplugged
We’re thrilled to be heading to PAX Unplugged, where we’ll be sharing a booth with our partners at Nomnivore Games, creators of the new exciting RPG “Emberwind” and advocates for accessibility in gaming. As part of this partnership, a portion of our proceeds from the event will go to The Cookie Brigade, a volunteer-run organization that distributes homemade cookies at gaming conventions to raise money for charities supporting children and families in need.
👉 If you’re attending PAX Unplugged this December 6-8, stop by to demo Pixels Dice, Roll-to-Win a free Pixels (expo edition D20s or D6s), meet the team, and discover which features benefit you most!
📅 And don’t miss the “Universally Unplugged” workshop, hosted by Seong-Hee Westlake, to hear more about the journey of making tabletop gaming more inclusive.
Looking Ahead
Pixels weren’t initially created with accessibility in mind, but it’s becoming a central part of our focus as we work to scale from successful Kickstarter to growing startup. By listening to players, partnering with experts, and learning as we go, we’re creating a better experience for everyone at the table. And we’re just getting started.
If you’re an industry professional, accessibility advocate, or would simply like to work together, please email us at partnerships@gamewithpixels.com.