Hey folks!
Happy Disability Pride Month! Disability Pride started as a commemoration of all the advocacy, work, and perseverance shown by members of the disability community in order to pass the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) on July 26th, 1990. Now, it’s also about celebrating disabled identity, contributions, and community.
How can your team celebrate Disability Pride Month?
I’d like to encourage you to start a lil book club with your team, but instead of reading a book…playing a game. What a plot twist!
It’s called Find Your Words, a cozy narrative game made by two dev dads who have non-speaking kids. When my nephew was little, we communicated using many tools, including a small key ring carrying laminated tiles of symbols and images for things, places, and actions. This key ring is a smaller version of a communication binder which is a common tool for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) users. It’s how many people share thoughts, needs, and desires ranging from simple to complex. You’ll be using something like it in the game.
In Find Your Words, you play as Sandy, a non-speaking camper staying at Camp Pals, and instead of using dialogue options, you communicate by selecting from a communication binder that you build as you play.
Why I picked this game
The world, and the workplace, is better because people communicate, think, and work differently. We see this type of diversity framed as a problem to solve but research shows diversity is a strength for teams that are accepting of differences and teams that feel safe enough to be themselves. This is especially true in the case of teams with neurodivergent members.
The campers in Find Your Words are naturally drawn to Sandy. Through play, kids instinctively welcome others, get curious, and adapt as needed. As adults, especially at work, this is something many of us have to relearn.
This month is a wonderful time to explore – how we might be more welcoming of and curious about the differences that make up our team?
How to host a game club with your team
- Play the game individually – It takes about an hour, but you don’t have to beat it to get something out of it. Download it for free on a Windows PC using Steam (you can make a free account). Mac folks will need to team up with a Windows person or watch a walkthrough.
- Bring your team together – 30 minute meeting or a catered lunch will do!
- Talk about it – Discuss your thoughts, feelings, and ideas that came up as you played. I’ve got some questions to get you started below.
Game Club Questions
- Was there any point in the game that you noticed yourself slowing down or thinking about adjusting how you normally communicate? How did it feel? What did that take?
- Sandy’s teammates figure out how to include her without Sandy having to change who she is. Where do we do that well on our team and where do we push others to just talk faster, louder, or like everyone else?
- What’s one assumption you carry about what good communication looks like at work? Did anything in the game challenge that?
- If someone on our team communicates differently than most of us, in meetings, writing, speaking, etc, what would it look like for us to meet them the way Sandy’s campers met her?
- What’s one small thing we could try this quarter to make it easier for people on and across our teams to contribute in the ways that work best for them?
Find Your Words is such a cute, cozy game. I hope you enjoy the nostalgic summer vibes!
