No more delays, Valve. It's time to make the Steam client accessible to the blind.

[fuller556]

This is something that I've been sitting on for quite awhile, partially in the hope that, with the gaming industry gradually moving in the direction of accessibility for disabled users, Valve would eventually be swept up by this push and eventually redesign the Steam interface to be more accessible. Sadly, that has not been the case, and Valve seems to be lagging behind almost every major technology company on Earth in this area. Like many, I've been patiently waiting for Valve/Steam to address blind accessibility, but it seems they aren't going to without being pushed a little bit harder.

I'm relatively new to being blind, which just shows how quickly a person's life circumstances can change. Don't worry, I'm not going to go into a long discussion about my medical history. I just want to briefly state that a whole host of life circumstances played a role: Undiagnosed health conditions, the refusal of my employer to allow time off to hourly employees until my condition had progressed to an advanced stage, some medical malpractice, and some discrimination by health care providers all played a role, as did personal choices. So by the start of 2021, I had lost all vision after experiencing a continuous decline in vision for the previous few years. And up until a Steam client update in 2022, the Steam client was almost completely inaccessible with a screen reader, at least in my experience. It is better since my earliest days of blindness, but there are still quite a few serious issues.

If you are sighted and/or just don't personally know anyone who has suffered from vision loss, you might reasonably ask why blind accessibility is important to a medium largely based on visuals. As said above, the industry at large has been moving towards accessibility for the disabled, including totally blind users. Games such as The Last of Us: Part I and Mortal Kombat One have really pushed disability inclusion forward in groundbreaking ways, and indie developers are even including accessibility in their games. And with more actual video games becoming accessible to the disabled, it makes no sense that the software that is literally REQUIRED to launch them is still not accessible. From what I could find in my early days of learning how to use screen readers, Valve has essentially ignored the calls by the disabled gaming community for more accessibility for probably at least a decade. This is no longer acceptable.

Earlier this year, the blind gaming community lost one of its most important voices: Brandon Cole. I did not know him; in fact, until I actually began to find blind gaming resources somewhat randomly as I navigated my new world of total blindness, I had never heard of him. I did find his Web site and read about his work with game developers, so I know that he was a major contributor to the accessibility of games like those mentioned above. It was partially his loss which led me to consider writing this. It was Steam Support who actually suggested it, and so here I am.

If space permits, I will post in the next comment my formal Steam support request that I submitted to Valve last week. There's no sensitive information to redact, so it will be an exact copy and paste of what I submitted. It is an extremely lengthy and detailed request. This is the closest thing to an accessibility roadmap that I could possibly write because I want the Steam developers to get a true sense of the client's accessibility problems from my own experience and point of view. I was hoping to append it to the end of this comment, but it's too long to post. I will try to add it, though, even if I have to break it up.

[fuller556]

The first part of my Steam Support request:

Hello,
I had to choose the option for Steam client crashes to open this request as there are no support topics which relate to why I am contacting you. I have been a member of the Steam community ever since Valve released The Orange Box collection of games. As you can tell from my library, I have amassed a very large collection of games, DLC, and some video content. I've seen the ups and downs of this platform but still continue to support Steam. But now I need Steam to support me and others like me.

I began losing my vision in the middle of 2017 due to medical conditions which unfortunately had to be diagnosed through this loss of my eyesight. For a few years, I maintained enough of my vision to mostly function like a normal human being. I continued to play games, and though I was no longer able to drive, I was still able to do my own grocery shopping and most other regular tasks. But this all changed at the end of 2020, when I lost the last of my eyesight due to some additional external factors on top of my medical condition. By New Year's Day of 2021, I had entered a world of the unseen and had to try to figure out how to live, much less do any of the things I could before. My BFF helped introduce me to Windows Narrator, the built-in screen reader within Windows. I wouldn't learn about NVDA (Non-Visual Desktop Access) or the screen reader on my iPhone (VoiceOver) for many more months. But over the last few years, they have become my virtual eyes to the digital world.

I start my support request with this introduction because I think it's important to demonstrate just how dramatically life can change for people in a relatively short length of time. Yet Steam, for all of the new features and tweaking it has introduced over roughly the last decade, has mostly been stagnant in the area of accessibility for blind users. The sheer irony of this should not be lost upon Steam's engineers or Valve Software; a growing number of titles have made accessibility to the visually impaired a hallmark of their design, including the highly-revered The Last of Us: Part I. If you will look into my purchase history, you will find that much of my focus has shifted towards games regarded as blind-accessible. Yes, I do buy other games that I want just because there's still a certain degree of satisfaction in having the option to try them out regardless of accessibility. But I now try to track down the most interesting games for visually disabled gamers like myself.

I was almost completely unable to use Steam between the start of 2021 and roughly the middle of 2022 due to the Steam client's utter incompatibility with either Windows Narrator or NVDA. I don't have the financial means to try out something like JAWS (Job Access with Speech) to see if it does any better. I could launch the Steam client, but virtually no portion of the interface could be identified by a screen reader. But a major client update sometime in 2022 dramatically improved Steam's accessibility to both Windows Narrator and NVDA, and I found myself able to do a lot more than I had previously been able to, including managing my library and launch games, even to back up my games to external media. That's the good news.

The bad news: With the exception of a couple of tweaks which have made certain buttons within sub-dialogue boxes accessible, there appear to have been no additional efforts made to improve Steam's compatibility with screen readers. As such, large portions of the overall Steam client are still partially or totally inaccessible, or at least extremely difficult to navigate and use. I often have to switch between screen readers for different aspects of Steam. For example, NVDA can navigate the Library interface and recognize certain controls that Narrator struggles with. However, NVDA cannot navigate between the actual Steam interface and the Steam site whenever the Store tab is active, and the store pages themselves work far better with Windows Narrator. So I want to try to do what I'm not sure anyone else has done: Actually document for Steam's developers the very specific interactions between Steam and the screen readers when trying to navigate various interfaces. There's no way I can document 100% of the client's responses to screen reader input, but I can go through a large part of them. My big caveat before I begin: I do not even use Big Picture Mode, Music Player, or Chat and so cannot comment on these features of Steam. So let's get started.

THE SPECIAL OFFERS WINDOW AT STEAM LAUNCH

This is nearly 100% inaccessible. The only accessible elements to either screen reader are the Valve copyright notice and Close Button. It is not possible to navigate between the various promotions as neither the Back nor Next buttons can be recognized by a screen reader. And while it is possible to use Windows Narrator's image analysis feature (Narrator-Ctrl-D), it's rare that enough information is returned to tell you what the promotion is. All buttons in this window need to be accessible to screen readers, and alt text should be added to the displayed images tso that screen readers can audibly output their content. In essence, this entire interface needs to be redone.

STEAM AGREEMENT POP-UP

Apparently, this new pop-up detailing changes to the Steam Subscriber Agreement is one large image, and the interface is much like the Special Offers prompt. Unfortunately, this means that I can't even accept the new terms because none of the buttons are recognizable to a screen reader. At least Narrator's image analysis can read the bulk of the text, and using the Optical Character Recognition (OCR) feature of NVDA can read the message with errors. But shouldn't changes to a BINDING LEGAL AGREEMENT actually be accessible to the visually impaired?

(I have since made an additional purchase which mandated acceptance of the new terms. But I can see this as being an issue for other blind gamers, and a recurring one for any future updates to the agreement should accessibility remain a problem.)

THE MAIN STEAM CLIENT WINDOW

The main Steam client window is very much hit-and-miss with the two screen readers. What I will try to do is provide a description of my experiences with each screen reader and what I can or cannot do using each one.

WITH WINDOWS NARRATOR

The experience with the main Steam window using Windows Narrator is a mixed bag, but on the whole, there's a lot that I can't do with it. On the plus side: Navigation shortcut keys, such as pressing "K" to jump between links and "E" to skip from one text field to another, work fine. The biggest problem, however, is that many clickable objects are not recognized as such and thus won't function if I press the space bar or Enter. One example is navigating the game categories list. If I click on a category title to display its titles in the game list, I receive the error, "Object has no primary action," meaning that Narrator doesn't understand that it can be activated. Additionally, the various tabs, such as Store and Community, similarly cannot be activated with Narrator. While I don't receive the same error, Narrator simply cannot interact with the tabs. The Menu Bar, however, DOES generate the same error, so it is impossible to use Steam's menus with Narrator.

As far as the library itself goes, I have to use the Tab key to move between games in the main list; using the arrow keys does nothing. And it's also not possible to use the Context Menu key or shortcut to do things like launch the game or bring up the Properties box. In fact, I can't even tell if the context menu is being triggered because no form of navigation seems to allow Narrator to move inside of the menu. In other words, the system focus won't switch to the context menu if it is being activated, making it unusable without sight or extremely good pixel hunting with the mouse.

What is interesting, however, is that Narrator seems to have a much easier time accessing the totality of the Steam window than NVDA. NVDA does not seem able to move from the program window interface to the Web content page when store or community pages are loaded. And those pages seem easier to navigate when using Narrator, even though some interactive elements, such as the Post button when adding comments, cannot be activated with Narrator.

WITH NVDA

I have to use NVDA for many of my interactions with the main Steam window, especially navigating the library. Unfortunately, using items such as the Notifications menu are fully inaccessible because screen readers can't even identify them. But with NVDA, I can fully navigate my categories, the main games list, and both the navigation tabs and Menu Bar. With some fumbling--because of elements which cannot be identified by screen readers--I can even switch between game display modes and choose which types of content to show. I can also categorize games, launch titles, and perform other actions using the context menu as NVDA is able to recognize when it is activated and move between the options. While work still needs to be done here, I can at least access primary functions of the client using NVDA which are completely unusable with Windows Narrator.

As just described, however, NVDA fails when either community or store pages are loaded within the client. For some reason, NVDA is "trapped" within the confines of the actual Steam interface (meaning the top navigation bars and the patch updater section) whenever such pages are loaded. It's as if NVDA simply cannot recognize that there is more content available and thus can't access it.

[fuller556]

The end of my support request:

USING BOTH SCREEN READERS

Because of all of the above, I often must switch between the two screen readers to have a competent experience with the Steam client. Thank heavens that the context menu on the Taskbar button performs the same actions as the tab bar. But depending on what I am trying to do, I must use one screen reader over the other, or I must switch between them. For example, in posting to the comments threads for the three Hexcells strategy guides that I wrote years ago, I found overall page navigation to be easier with Windows Narrator. But when it came time to actually submit my comments, I had to switch back to NVDA because the "Post Comment" button couldn't be recognized! And overall, I choose Windows Narrator over NVDA for community and store pages because I like how it navigates actual Web pages better. But there's no good reason why I should constantly have to switch back and forth between screen readers. I should be able to choose one over the other based on personal preference, not because the functionality is so fundamentally flawed in different ways for each.

GAME PROPERTIES WINDOW

This is the most accessible part of the Steam interface and actually does a good job in most areas. I use NVDA exclusively here simply because it's not possible to get here with Windows Narrator due to its inability to use the context menu with keyboard navigation. That said, however, almost every part of a game's properties is accessible with NVDA. The only thing that really needs to be addressed are the checkboxes for enabling cloud storage and enabling the Steam Overlay. This issue exists for all checkboxes throughout the Steam software, but it isn't possible for a screen reader to determine whether these options are enabled or disabled. An example of how this might sound: If the Steam Overlay is enabled, then the screen reader would output something like, "Enable the Steam Overlay for this game: checkbox checked," which tells me that the option is enabled. Unfortunately, the checkboxes in Steam's client are coded in such a way that a screen reader cannot determine their status, even when they are toggled in real time. So it isn't possible to adjust these items without sighted assistance or going through the cumbersome process of trying to toggle them and testing for the desired effect manually. If not for this one flaw, the properties box would be almost perfectly accessible.

My only other, more nitpicky gripe: Navigating to and between the top tabs of the window, as well as through some of the secondary notifications which appear when activating certain options (eg. verifying game files) can be a little finicky. It can be done with a little patience, but it would be nice to see work done to ensure that system and/or screen reader focus readjusts whenever these items are active.

SETTINGS WINDOW

This window is also partially accessible, the main problem again being those options which use checkboxes. My feedback is largely the same for this window as it seems that most of the tabs and settings can at least be accessed and read out, but checkboxes again require either experimentation or sighted assistance. Here again, I tend to use NVDA for a smoother experience.

THE STORE ITSELF

Shopping in the store can be done with patience, though there are some issues. I use Windows Narrator for the storefront simply because of NVDA's inability to navigate from the Steam UI to displayed Web content as described above. The two biggest issues with store navigation are the failure to implement image alt text and the lack of headings for easier navigation past irrelevant information, such as long strings of links. The lack of alt text makes it much more difficult to even determine which special offers are available since those titles are presented ONLY with images and without accompanying text. Windows Narrator can help here because the same shortcut used for image analysis can also retrieve a page title when activated on a link. But really, there just needs to be either alt text or regular text accompanying the item(s) on special.

One other, more minor issue occurs at checkout. For some reason, the list boxes for entering payment information and choosing a state or province are recognized by screen readers as links instead of as combo boxes. If one knows what these are, this isn't a problem, but for blind users unfamiliar with how the checkout page is set up, it can present a barrier without sighted assistance.

HOW TO MAKE STEAM MORE ACCESSIBLE

In truth, a lot of Steam's blind accessibility issues could be fixed just by coding the client to maintain consistency with common Windows UI elements. There's no reason for example, that I shouldn't be able to use Alt to activate the top menu, or for items such as checkboxes and drop-down lists to not be recognizable to a screen reader the way the Windows OS equivalents are. The Steam client wants to act like a Web browser without any of the usability for keyboard navigation that exists in ACTUAL browser software. Just adding keyboard shortcuts, making the Menu Bar keyboard-accessible, and fixing UI elements to work in the same way as their OS counterparts would largely fix Steam accessibility. Even better: Create a simplified layout specifically for screen reader users that employs menus, links, and buttons for the various actions and interfaces. Steam could be set to automatically activate this mode if it detects that a screen reader is active.

Regarding store and community pages, the worst part of using them is actually drilling down to find content. These pages must be recoded to add headings to skip more easily to different sections of a page, and also to remove the multitude of links which populate most pages. As it stands now, I often find myself hitting "K" to jump through sometimes DOZENS of links to get to the section of a page that I want because there are few to no headings to skip to and bypass such lists. Also, community discussion forums are mis-coded in a way where forum topic titles are offset from the links which open them. So I can't focus on a topic's title and activate it and expect to go to the topic; I have to find the link somewhere adjacent to the title, which is very weird and requires experimentation every time I want to use a forum. This can and should be addressed. Finally, as previously stated, alt text should be added to images displayed across store pages, especially where text isn't available to communicate the title of a game for sale.

GAME INSTALLATION WINDOW

This window is mostly blind-accessible, with the checkboxes for adding shortcut icons again being the main issue. At least Steam remembers the options from game to game, and I can use NVDA within the main window to create Desktop icons and move them if needed to add them to the Start Menu. But it would be great to have the checkbox statuses accessible to screen readers. Additionally, some kind of confirmation, such as a sound effect, to acknowledge if the correct target drive has been selected would be incredibly useful. Since the game properties window is almost entirely accessible, I can at least move a game if needed. But again, the actual installation window should just be fully accessible to avoid additional hoops.

I'll say this in conclusion. The blind gaming community has a number of advocates pushing the industry at large to create more content for the visually impaired. A few months ago, we lost Brandon Cole, one of the most prolific of those voices and largely responsible for the amazing accessibility of games like Mortal Kombat One and The Last of Us. Steam actually has, in my opinion, a fairly competent library of blind-accessible games. With the entire industry moving in the direction of more accessibility for more gamers, it is inconceivable to me that Valve, who operates the most important platform ever created for PC gaming, has completely ignored pleas from the blind gaming community for YEARS to make the Steam client more friendly to screen reader users. Valve has lagged behind almost every other technology company on Earth in this area, and we're not going to continue accepting this reality. The United States has a law called the Americans with Disabilities Act, which mandates that accommodations be made for the disabled. I don't know the implications of this law for the digital age, and I'm hoping that Valve and Steam will work to address these accessibility problems without needing to test this in a more formal setting. There are tens of millions of people worldwide who suffer from some form of vision impairment. But speaking for myself, I am tired of putting up with only a half-accessible piece of software that is literally REQUIRED to launch the games I have purchased which are actually accessible. So I implore you to finally take accessiblity seriously and do something. you have no excuse not to, and every incentive to do so.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

[GGcake]

yes

[rml1987]

Agreed with everything you said. I have a steam deck and had to switch to the ROG ally because of how some games do have speech (I’m primarily a magnifier user), and Windows having the built in accessibility that it does. Even now in the Steam app it would be nice to pinch to zoom so that I don’t accidentally tap the wrong emoji.

[Steven]

This thread was quite old before the recent post, so we're locking it to prevent confusion.