Dear Niantic,

I am 24-years-old, and I was born during the '90s. I am one of the people who enjoyed watching and playing Pokémon when I was a kid. I am also one who was thrilled to learn about Pokémon GO and expected so much out of it when it is finally released on July 6. Now while Pokémon GO has had brought a tiny bit of my childhood back, it falls short for a specific reason: accessibility.

Accessibility is different for everyone. While Pokémon GO gives those struggling with mental illnesses a motivation/adventure to get out of the house, the same cannot be said for those with physical disabilities. Unlike able bodied people, who can easily travel by foot and driving, disabled people do not even have that freedom. Disabled people, including myself, are either wheelchair users, use walkers, use cane(s), do not drive, has to take public transportation, is bedridden, etc.; the list goes on. The fact is that people with disabilities are known to be the largest minority; writing this is to expand on how Pokémon GO can be inaccessible.

I have cerebral palsy, and this can be affecting to my experience because I am a wheelchair user. I managed to find some in my first night of playing in my room, with the help of Incense. After that, I traveled all around my house, front and backyard only to find nothing more. I would actually have to get out of the house, but I am unsure of how to get back inside when I am completely alone. Even when I am in the car, I have to pause quality time to continue finding what I cannot find at home and even become so distracted that I am unaware that I am somewhere until somebody reminds me. Because I am a wheelchair user, Pokémon GO is inaccessible, and I cannot have the experience to catch them all.

This is not all about me and wheelchair users, but this is also about every person with physical disabilities as they are unable to enjoy the experience. Like the long list of what disabled people may be, there is also a long list of needs and accommodations to actually take a part of the experience Pokémon GO has for us. With the difficulties that there are, it is much more difficult to enjoy the experience of Pokemon GO due to the lack of accessibility.

Accessibility of devices and apps need to be tackled first. Enabling accessibility should not be constantly put off. People with disabilities have loud voices, but developers need to learn to keep their ears and eyes open to listen to us. It's difficult to enjoy something if we are pushed away from enjoying the experience any game has.