Hello there!

My name is Zoltan, I am a blind poker player.
We are in need of your help!

It is a global problem that there is currently no platform with an accessible interface for blind and visually impaired players. Neither casinos nor poker providers offer games accessible to screen reading software. As a result, there are thousands of blind poker players around the world who love and enjoy the game but are unable to access the platforms on an equal footing due to the indifference of providers.
I have tried to contact various poker providers many times, large and small, but have never had any success. Some respond by stating that they are not legally obligated to ensure accessibility. Others claim that equal opportunity is important to them, but no concrete steps are taken.
Equal opportunity and social responsibility are stronger in public awareness than ever before. However, some companies do not care about it because it is not profitable for them.
Let's show that although the inaccessible platform only affects visually impaired players directly, creating equal opportunities is important for everyone!
Let's demonstrate the power and unity of the poker community!

Write a post on Instagram, Twitter, Tiktok, or any platform you use, tag your favourite poker platform or casino, and include the hashtags #AccessiblePoker and #PokerIsForEveryone. For example:

"I play on @PokerStars. Unfortunately, they do not provide an accessible platform for visually impaired players. Let's demand equal opportunity!
#AccessiblePoker #PokerIsForEveryone"

Let's work together to ensure that visually impaired players can finally play at the same online tables as everyone else!
Thank you for your support!
Zoltan

Hi Zoltan,

I’m not an expert on screen reading software so excuse my ignorance. Is there software readily available that pokerstars blocks? I would assume any type of screen reading software would be blocked by security since it likely could be exploited for the use of RTAs none the like.

Could this be more of a case of raising awareness to pokerstars and having them allow certain specific software running in the background?

Cheers

No problem, it's natural that those who are not affected by it or don't have any visually impaired acquaintances are not familiar with how screen reader programs work.
Screen reader software are special assistive tools that can audibly read out the textual content displayed on a screen through a speech synthesizer. The two most widely used ones for Windows are Jaws for Windows and NVDA.
With a little time and effort, any online platform could make their interface compatible with these programs.

Screen reader programs cannot provide unfair advantages to users, as they only convey information that is visible on the screen to visually impaired users. Additionally, they enable users to operate controls without a mouse, using only a keyboard.
These screen reader programs are not blocked or prohibited in any way, are generally not given much consideration by companies. They do not see it as a worthwhile investment to make their games accessible to visually impaired users. It is unfortunate that even today, ensuring equal opportunity is still a financial issue for these large corporations.

Full Tilt Poker
When Hal first lost his vision, he started playing online with the help of friends who read the screen for him. In 2008, Hal was signed as a poker pro with Full Tilt Poker. In order to play online, Full Tilt Poker has provided Hal with a special computer program that reads the cards and chat messages.[5]

This from the Hal Lubarsky thread. Sounds like the technology is known.

I am proud of Hal Lubarsky and all that he achieved. Rest in peace.
Full Tilt Poker provided him with the opportunity to play without hindrance, especially after Hal gained notoriety for his performance at the WSOP. Since FTP's closure, no other player in the industry, including PokerStars, has shown the same level of understanding and goodwill towards blind players, and they do not see it as a viable market.

I was thinking about this recently, after playing a live tournament with a visually impaired man. He was able to see his hole cards and chips, but couldn't make out the flop. The dealer was reading out the board to him and I thought how fantastic that was.

It also got me thinking about playing online. I assumed it would be fairly easy for either the sites to do, or for somebody to create something that would do the same. There could be some first mover advantage for either party. In any case, good luck with your bid.