D&D creator and disability advocate Jennifer Kretchmer has combined two of their passions, working with Wizards of the Coast to design the ‘D&D For All Kit’. This is a box packed with features that aim to improve the accessibility and inclusivity of Dungeons and Dragons games. Kretchmer shared images of the kit via Twitter on December 20 (which you can see below).
“I’m incredibly proud of this project,” she says, “and I want to highlight some of the thought that went into ensuring this kit was accessible and inclusive”. The kit is designed to be easily opened and carried regardless of mobility, meaning it comes with large handles, pull loops, magnetic closures, and as little “fiddly packaging” as possible (Kretchmer does specify that retail products have been left in their shrink-wrap).
The kit is also printed in high-contrast colours, with braille text, screen-reader-friendly text, and QR codes available for its content. A 3D pen is included to create lines on battle maps that can help players count squares by touch (as well as add designs to items). The kit also has fidget toys and a screen light that can attach to DM screens. Along with these additional features, Kretchmer has included the Dragons of Stormwreck Isle starter set and the Tactical Maps Reincarnated set.
The D&D For All Kit also comes with a hand-crafted DM screen made by the gaming gear artists at Dog Might. Kretchmer says it comes with “accessories that would be useful for folks with a range of mobility and dexterity”, including a high-contrast dice tower and tray, pull loops, magnetic Inspiration tokens, plexi Initiative trackers, and plexi page holders.
Kretchmer says in their Twitter thread that “this project took about a year”, and it was created in close collaboration with D&D influence manager Dixon Dudbow. “The goal was to create as inclusive and accessible a kit for community members across as many access needs as possible”, she adds.
Kretchmer also emphasises the kit isn’t exclusively for disabled D&D players. “It was also important that this wasn’t ‘the disabled kit,’ but rather a kit of fantastic, useful, cool items that also were chosen and designed with access needs in mind.” “These are items everyone would enjoy, but that have been selected with care and access considerations”, Kretchmer says.
According to the Twitter thread, the D&D For All Kit isn’t currently available for retail sale, and plans for wider distribution haven’t been confirmed. “It is, at least as of this moment, a limited release,” Kretchmer says, “primarily as a gift for folks who work in disability circles, but it was definitely designed with the hope that might change down the line”.
“I hope that just by sharing the process and considerations that went into this, it inspires folks to think about how to make their own products more accessible moving forward, or sparks ways to integrate things like tactile maps or high-contrast notes into your own games”, they add. “We all win when games are inclusive and accessible, whether we are creators, storytellers, players, collectors, or any other type of enthusiast, and considering how to ensure access makes the future of gaming even more exciting for everyone.”
Kretchmer is a long-time contributor to the world of D&D, having written for the Candlekeep Mysteries adventure anthology and starred in actual plays like Children of Éarte and Galesong, an ongoing series hosted by Wizards of the Coast and members of D&D’s disability community. Kretchmer is also the author of the Accessibility in Gaming Resource Guide, and they also work as an actor, producer, and streamer.
You can see Kretchmer’s full breakdown of the D&D For All Kit on Twitter.
For more D&D content, here’s all you need to know about DnD races, DnD classes, and DnD backgrounds. We can also help you find free, pretty, or dyslexic-friendly DnD character sheets.