Although it took a structured negotiation and settlement, at one point MLB seemed like it was turning the corner on improving and sustaining accessibility. Sadly that time seems to have passed, much like a favorite star of yesterday.
Most recently, MLB added a simple game to their AT Bat app with a bracket challenge to pick winners in the upcoming Home Run Derby. The problem is for accessibility purposes, MLB used “Player Name” as the accessible names for each player. Obviously this means if you use a screen reader such as VoiceOver on the iPhone, you have no idea what names you’d be selecting. Capping the problem off, when I called MLB’s dedicated accessibility support phone number to report the issue, the support representative asked me, “What’s VoiceOver?” I spent more of the call teaching the person how to use VoiceOver versus anything else.
One can only wonder if MLB did any accessibility testing of this game. It took me less than two minutes to notice the issue. For an organization that seems to keep statistics on almost every conceivable aspect of a game, it doesn’t seem like it would be too difficult to ensure accessibility testing is a part of all processes.
After trying the game in the At Bat app, I did try the web site as a part of writing this blog post. That does work a bit better but still has issues. Further, why should users of screen readers be forced to jump through extra hoops and try multiple versions just to have a bit of recreation? MLB has demonstrated the ability to be a leader in accessibility previously. Here’s hoping the organization finds a way to return to those levels. In this case, it is a strikeout on accessibility, leaving this fan disappointed and more.
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