Tara Voelker
@LadieAuPair
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Senior Accessibility Producer at @Netflix Games | Co-Director of Award-Winning @GA_Conf | @BAFTA Member | Indie Brewery Bartender | be accessible, do crime ✨
Night Springs
Joined January 2010
Get your tickets now!.
📢 SURPRISE. 🎟️Tickets are officially LIVE!. We know some companies have a fiscal year that ends this month, so we thought it might be useful to get it up now for anyone who has some use it or lose it budget.
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In my career I’ve been:.- asked who I slept with to get my job.- accused of sleeping with a coworker because I was “nice” to them.- mistaken for a “booth babe” at E3 because I couldn’t possibly be on the dev team.- told at a business dinner I should leave with my new soulmate.
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@coil780 I see this and think:. “Tell me you’ve never had a girlfriend with out telling me”.
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📣 BIG NEWS 📣. After some uncertainty after Mixer’s closure, I’m excited to announce I have finally been cemented in a new role. 👋🏻 Say hello to Xbox’s newest full time Game Accessibility PM. I can’t wait to dive in 🥳.
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✨Job Update: Role Change✨. I'm moving to @Xbox Studios to help our 1st party dev teams make games more accessible! . I've loved all of the projects I've worked over the last year doing full-time accessibility, but I'm incredibly excited to be 100% back into . 🎮VIDEO GAMES🎮.
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You can calculate how long someone has been in game dev by how long they look at mirrors and water in game.
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✨NEWS ✨. I can't even believe this is real. I not only have a full time game accessibility job, but I'm a lead? At Xbox? . No one wake me up if this is a dream.
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When I started at Irrational, I was the Multiplayer QA Lead. When I left, I was technically QA Level Lead but honestly spent 50% of my time as a personal Ken secretary, sitting in 1:1 meetings to take very specific notes, entering them in as tasks, and following up with Rod.
It took a lot for Irrational Games to get BioShock Infinite over the finish line
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I handled yesterday's @ForzaHorizon win for Innovation in Accessibility during last night's @thegameawards with elegance and grace
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Happy to hear @ea_accessible enforcing what's been said all #GDC17 . ⚠️THESE CHANGES AREN'T JUST FOR DISABLED GAMERS. ⚠️. #gamedev #a12y
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You know the only thing preventing me from stealing this from the @DoubleFine offices today is that it won’t fit on my carry on.
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I wanna see more disabled people on panels that are on a topic other than accessibility.
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We didn't know this was coming. We found out right before you.
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We're hiring at Netflix Games - I know of open production, QA, 3D art and engineering roles for sure. Please feel free to reach out 💔.
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HOLT SHIT . I THOUGHT UBISOFT WAS GOING TO TAKE IT . XGS WINS MOST DEDICATED TO ACCESSIBILITY . I’M XGS ACCESSIBILITY LEAD 🤯. @CanIPlayThat.
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Matt Booty: *important and deep thoughts about the gaming business during company meeting*. Xbox Game Studios Employees: THERE IS A CAT, SHOW US THE CAT!!! 🐈⬛.
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Cats out of the bag! 🐈 . Say hello to the new Disability at Microsoft ERG Co-Chair. Excited to help make sure @Microsoft is a great place to work for people with disabilities. ❤️✨
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I am so proud of the work that EVERYONE across Xbox Game Studios had to do to make this happen 💚.
The most dedicated publisher regarding accessibility at this year's #CIPTAwards was @Xbox!. Congratulations on everything this year! @XboxP3 @majornelson @steinekin @LadieAuPair
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I am amazed every day that I am the head of accessibility for Xbox Game Studios. The fact that my leadership in studios fully trusts me to build this program as I see fit is so amazing. 🤯. Of course couldn’t due it without it my supporting teams, but still.
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Today is my last day at Xbox 💚. I'm so proud of the program we've built & I know it will last thanks to the incredible accessibility champs across our studios. Taking a few weeks off before starting something new post #GAConf. Thank you all for the memories and the journey 🎮.
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Moderator: Mr. President, here is an easy question. What is your favorite soda?. Trump: THE IMMIGRANTS COMING HERE ILLEGALLY ARE RUINING OUR COUNTRY AND SHE IS LETTING IT HAPPEN !!!! THE BORDER! LOOK!.
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Accessibility for #ForzaHorizon5 will continue in patches shortly after launch with the addition of ASL/BSL interpreters for cutscenes!. Check it out 👀. #gamdev #a11y
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It’s officially my first day as Senior Accessibility Producer at Netflix Games!. I have so much to ramp up on but I’m so excited to be here ❤️
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Just so you know HOW MUCH we didn't know this was coming, last week they asked me to send in my picture for our town hall to celebrate my 3 year Mixer anniversary.
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Hi my soon to be #ActivisionBlizzard co-workers!. Once the papers are all signed, you are all welcome to join the Xbox Game Studios Accessibility Champs program!. We meet every month, have all sorts of trainings, guest speakers, and opportunities to talk to other studios!
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One of my friends just described “watermelon status” projects. They’re projects that have a green status to stakeholder/external groups but an internal red status to the actual project teams. I really like this term! A fun word for a terrible problem. 🍉.
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I MISSED THE ACCESSIBILITY AWARD WAS MOVED TO PRESHOW SO I MISSED IT LIVE. Then everyone just started texting me congrats 😂😭.
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Hi! You may have seen me cry on the internet this week after the Forza Horizon 5 win for Innovation in Accessibility. Let’s talk about why I became a ball bag - . A Thread 🧵
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I have gotten news that I am being relocated to another team in Xbox. I am not going to be sharing any additional details at this time, but once I've moved and landed, I'll let you know about my next adventure. 🎮.
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I've been helping to get this launched & it's available to Insiders now!. Xbox Party Chat, used by tens of millions of gamers for voice & text chat, will now support transcribing speech into text & synthesis of speech from text 💚. Read more about it here :
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Thank you so much @remedygames for the package 💕. I love all the contents, but this one is extra special ✨🔦
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omg I am over here ugly crying on my stream after winning.
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This is how “I really want to make sure the core loop is fun before I consider accessibility implications” manifests in games
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oh god, we have a new PM on my team and she's young and bright-eyed and has such high hopes for gaming changing the world and accessibility . SHE MUST BE PROTECTED AT ALL COSTS.
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Don't forget - @WatchMixer is featuring streamers with disabilities throughout the day for #GAAD ♿️. -- in addition to a new sticker for chat!
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I know it’s silly but I still get excited to see my name in the credits. The fact that I have multiple titles as “Accessibility Lead” under my belt blows my mind.
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Imagine being a person who gets upset when they see accessibility options in games. Like, did your mom just not hug you enough as a child?.
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hey gaming sites, can we maybe cover accessibility stuff all the time.
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☺️Accessibility Folks: Inclusive design and accessibility options can unlock games for disabled gamers. 😡Them: Just git gud, that would ruin Elden Ring, they would never do that. 😈Grant: Well ACTUALLY - . 👀.
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Building an accessible game starts with having a culture that values disabled gamers.
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Xbox One. Xbox One S. Xbox One X. Xbox Series X. Xbox Series S. Xbox X One X Series. Xbox 7. The Fate of the Xbox. X9.
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I’m not crying, YOU’RE CRYING 😭 . Years ago I was told no one would listen to me about accessibility because it wasn’t main stream. Now it’s in a #SuperBowl ad. So I guess, uh, SUCK IT, HATERS. 😘.
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every time you tweet about Dark Souls difficulty, an accessibility lead develops a drinking habit.
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I’m sad beyond words to share the passing of my father. Dad was very proud of his kids, time in the service & his Forza 2 ranking, placing Top 200 worldwide for the Class A fastest lap in the New York Circuit. In his honor, please donate a book to your local library.
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Mis nuevos seguidores, no escribo en español con frecuencia. Pero ahora que están aquí, tal vez lo haga! <3 Gracias!.
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Elden Ring is not accessible to everyone by any standard, but the fact that at least one group of people are able to play with less barriers than previous titles while sticking to the game's core pillars shows that inclusive design can and does work without "ruining" games.
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WAIT! .One last memory. I remember the day remappable controls got cut. The feature was buggy & we didn't have time to fix it. I stormed into Rod's office and started crying. He gave me a glass of whiskey and let me cry it out while we talked about how hard this project was.
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With today's update for @WatchMixer Embers, we also added . ⚠️CUSTOMIZABLE CHAT COLORS⚠️. Go! Update them! Make them work for you! Set your favorite colors or make them colorblind friendly!. 💙#streaming #a11y #mixermagic
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everyone - calm down. It's totally fine. THE STUDIO HAS A SINGLE WOMAN WHO JUST DIDNT MAKE THE PHOTO
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I'M NOT CRYING THE ACCESSIBILITY CATEGORY IS A PERMANENT FIXTURE AT THE GAME AWARDS, YOU ARE. #TheGameAwards #a11y.
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Gamers yelling in the comments “DON’T RUIN OUR GAME WITH EASY MODE” when. 1) it’s not YOUR game.2) I didn’t ask for it . I want intentional inclusive design & product flexibility so the level of challenge presented to you equals the reward from beating it, so everyone has fun ✨.
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Need accessibility support in Starfield?. Whether it’s a question, a design struggle, or a missing feature -. 💫 Please report through the Bethesda support page! 💫. This is the only way we can guarantee your feedback makes it to the dev team.
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I'm literally getting texts asking if I'm okay and if I am still alive post Alan Wake 2 announcement.
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I have a full-time job working in game accessibility. It's so surreal. I never thought it would be a real thing. And here we are.
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Last year I cried because the Innovation in Accessibility Award Existed. This year I cried because #ForzaHorizon5 won.
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We've learned that accessibility is more than just options. You have to ensure that you're focusing on intentional design. Checklists, no matter what type, aren't a substitute. You must be intentionally inclusive every step of the way.
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If you’re one of the Xbox folks laid off - PLEASE reach out, Netflix Gaming has several roles open:.
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Thrilled to announce I've been accepted as a @BAFTA member! . Not only is it a tremendous honor to be recognized by such a prestigious institution personally, it shows video games are embracing accessibility as a cornerstone of our industry. My dad would be proud. 💕
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The @Xbox Adaptive Controller 411:. -$99.99 USD.-Launches 2018.-19 3.5mm input jacks & 2 USB ports.-Internal Ion Lithium battery.-2 Large Programmable buttons on top.-3 Custom profiles & 1 default on device. 💋Sexy as hell. #XboxAdaptiveController #a11y #gamingforeveryone
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Did you know about adding alt text on Twitter? It’s not only easy, but super fast to do!. Alt text is how screen readers are able to describe pictures. It especially important when your image has important text!.
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QA found the bug. They always find the bug. They don't fix the bugs though. Please stop blaming QA. ♥️.
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So, this trophy arrived for me to send out AFTER @TangoGameworks closed. I’ve tried reaching out to some folks, but no response yet. Any idea how I get this to SOMEONE who worked on the Hi-Fi Rush dev team?
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If I had $5 for every time a horror game had an uncaptioned, ringing telephone that was critical to plot advancement, I’d have enough money to fund my own accessible horror game studio by now.
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Reflecting recent layoffs, it's crucial to recognize a concerning trend – individuals in the inclusion and DE&I space are disproportionately affected. Diverse candidates, who often face barriers to reaching positions of power, find themselves at the forefront of these cuts. 1/2.
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I am being told I still have a job, I don't know what the job is yet. 🤷♀️.
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In a hurry but still trying to be inclusive and accessible with your Twitter videos? . No worries!. Here are some ✨INCREDIBLY EASY ✨options to get captions 💥FAST💥 so you don't leave anyone out. 🧵a thread.
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Remember when COUNTLESS accessibility advocates asked for some sort of indoor mode at launch? #a11y. "Niantic announced the game will see more updates that focus on improving the at-home experience including remote ways to raid.".
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Hi, I’m *the* Tara Voelker!.
With their second game award of the night, the award for Innovation in Accessibility presented by @chevrolet goes to @forzahorizon 5! #TheGameAwards
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Wow. Just walked out of a local grill I'm always at and the owner walked up and told me it was a "Muslim free zone." Wtf. Not cool.
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if you only fund your accessibility team so they can do compliance verification, then they're a compliance team, not accessibility. Accessibility is so much more than a checklist.
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As today draws to a close, so does my last day of officially being the Gaming and Disability Community Lead as part of Gaming for Everyone 💚. It’s been an amazing journey, and can’t wait to see what the new leads do. ✨.
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For me personally, gaming is a key part of my mental health routine, so I wrote this post -.
In recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, @Xbox is amplifying voices of empathy, honesty, and mental health awareness. Learn more: #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth.
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✨How it started: .“We're researching. audio and tactile feedback options that might one day allow a completely sightless gamers to play a Forza game.”-@jonk1969. 🔥How it's going: .Blind Driving Assists (BDA) announced.
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To people with disabilities who felt included at Mixer because WE PURPOSEFULLY DID THAT - I'm sorry it went down like this. I'm sorry that we're throwing accessibility features like Share Controller in the trash because no one thought about what they meant to the community.
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After an amazing 5 years, I am stepping down as Lead of the Gaming & Disability employee resource group at Xbox. It's time for someone else to have the opportunity.💚. & Yes, I'll still be around, lurking on the steering committee for a bit, you can't get rid of me that easy.
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It was incredibly hard to do my *actual* job of leading a team of . I don't remember, 12 or 14, because I wasn't available because of the Ken meetings for huge chunks of the day.
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I worked with our store team to organize this campaign and I’m very proud 💚.
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