OlegTheSnowman - Network

This morning was chaos - I kept running back and forth helping my mom while trying to squeeze in a #Hearthstone Battlegrounds game. Somehow,...

This morning was chaos - I kept running back and forth helping my mom while trying to squeeze in a #Hearthstone Battlegrounds game. Somehow, I dropped to just 1 health... and still pulled off the win!
I'm above 4k in Battlegrounds now, which makes victories like that even sweeter since the competition gets tougher.
Talk about starting the day on a high note!
Achievement unlocked: Comeback King!
Claimable: Finish 1st place with 1 health remaining. 🎉

New Accessible Game Test Incoming! 🚨Throughout my life, I've explored several #AccessibleGames designed or modded with accessibility...

New Accessible Game Test Incoming! 🚨
Throughout my life, I've explored several #AccessibleGames designed or modded with accessibility in mind:
🎮 #WorldOfWarcraft with #BlindSlash Mode
🌾 #StardewValley with #StardewAccess Mod
🪓 #Minecraft with #MinecraftAccess
🃏 #Hearthstone with #HearthstoneAccess
Now, I'm absolutely pumped as I prepare to dive into a new game...
🔥 #DiabloIV 🔥
I've heard many claim it's one of the most AccessibleGames out there for people with all kinds of disabilities. That's a rare compliment for any game, but hey, you never know until you try!
I had to open a ticket yesterday about the DiabloIV trial, and they mentioned BlizzardAccessibility email. Not sure if I'll end up writing detailed Accessibility test cases (knowing me, I probably will), but will #Blizzard actually pay attention? Time will tell.
💬 Got thoughts on DiabloIV or #BlizzardAccessibility? Drop them below! If I see that they're really responsive to #AccessibilityFeedback, I'll gladly test the game and share any bugs or challenges I encounter!
I'm completely new to #Diablo—never played it even when I was sighted—so let’s get the ball rolling! What should I expect? 🎧⚔️

I play #Hearthstone Battlegrounds without looking up guides or strategies—just vibing and figuring things out myself. Naturally, that...

I play #Hearthstone Battlegrounds without looking up guides or strategies—just vibing and figuring things out myself. Naturally, that means I occasionally miss stuff... like today, when I realized you can use a robust evolution spell on a minion still in the tavern. Mind blown. How did I not catch that sooner? 😂

🌙 Sleep-deprived thoughts... After a night without sleep, some treadmill time, and lots of thinking, here’s a wild idea: could CS:GO...

🌙 Sleep-deprived thoughts...
After a night without sleep, some treadmill time, and lots of thinking, here’s a wild idea: could CS:GO ever be made accessible for blind players? 🎮🤔
It sounds far-fetched, I know, but hear me out. What if there were a mode or addon that used spatial audio to "ping" walls or obstacles (like a sonar effect) and distinct sound cues for player positions? It wouldn’t be the same as how sighted players experience it, but blind gamers have their own ways of navigating fast-paced games.
We already have some incredible audio-based games, and you wouldn’t believe the epic battles we’ve had—all sound, no visuals, just skill and spatial awareness. Making a game like CS:GO accessible might seem impossible, but with the right creativity, who knows?
#Gaming #Accessibility #BlindGamers #CSGO

🎮 Decided to dive into Naga in #Hearthstone #Battlegrounds today for the first time—I've always overlooked them. But wow, did they...

🎮 Decided to dive into Naga in #Hearthstone #Battlegrounds today for the first time—I've always overlooked them. But wow, did they deliver! Pulled off a flawless first-place finish and completely changed my perspective on this tribe in Battlegrounds. 🐍✨
I’ll admit, I don’t usually follow popular strategies or meta tactics. Maybe that’s why I rarely break past 5000 MMR. But there’s something so satisfying about carving out my own path and winning through effort and experimentation—no deck trackers or cookie-cutter strategies here.
Also, a big shoutout to the Hearthstone Access team for making Battlegrounds accessible for visually impaired players. It’s amazing to see games becoming more inclusive and letting more people enjoy what they have to offer. 👏
#Gaming #Accessibility #BlindGamers

Minecraft Q&A: Yep, I Play Without Seeing. Magic? Nah, Just Tech. 🌍🎮 #MinecraftAccess #BlindGamerI didn’t think my last post...

Minecraft Q&A: Yep, I Play Without Seeing. Magic? Nah, Just Tech. 🌍🎮 #MinecraftAccess #BlindGamer
I didn’t think my last post about playing Minecraft as a blind gamer would blow up like it did—seriously, you guys are awesome! Since it caught so much attention, I figured I’d answer some of the burning questions you’re probably asking yourself. Like, how does this even work? Let’s get into it!

Q: How do you even use a computer to play Minecraft?
A: Ah, the classic “How on Earth…?” question. The short answer: technology is amazing.
The longer answer: I use a program called NVDA (Non-Visual Desktop Access), which reads everything happening on my screen out loud. Imagine having a super-chatty co-pilot telling you exactly what’s in front of you—but in a good way. Using shortcut keys like arrows, Enter, Space, and Tab, I can navigate menus, open programs, and yes, dive into Minecraft. It’s basically like using The Force, but geekier.

Q: Okay, but seriously, how do you play Minecraft?
A: Here’s how it goes:
I open the Minecraft launcher, hit Play (which I like to imagine is green because, let’s face it, green is top-tier).
Once my mods load—including #MinecraftAccess—I use arrow keys and Tab to navigate menus like Singleplayer or Multiplayer. Space or Enter makes my selection.
When I’m in the game, things get fun. First, I check my coordinates using Alt+Z, Alt+X, and Alt+C. It’s like my personal GPS, minus the annoying “Recalculating” voice. Then, I:
Turn using keyboard shortcuts to face cardinal directions.
Walk to find what I need—whether it’s diamonds in a chest by the northern wall of my base or the staircase leading down to my iron mines.
Adjust my view up or down by specific degrees (because looking around isn’t just for sighted folks, thank you very much).
Interact with objects using simulated mouse clicks, since, yeah, I don’t use a physical mouse.
In my base, I’ve got two staircases: one to the south that leads to my iron mines, and another to the west that goes down, down, down to my diamond ones. It sounds like a puzzle game, but it’s just how I keep things organized. Trust me, it works!

Q: Are there other games for blind players?
A: Absolutely! There are tons of smaller games designed specifically for blind players. They’re not Minecraft-level huge, but they’re fun and a great way to pass the time. Think of them as the indie darlings of the blind gaming world.

Got more questions? Drop them below! I’ll collect them and do another Q&A soon—because, let’s be real, this is as fun for me as it seems to be for you. Who knows, maybe your questions will lead me to discover even cooler tricks in Minecraft Access!
And remember: diamonds are forever… unless you accidentally drop them into lava. 😉
#Accessibility #GamingWithoutLimits #Minecraft

Minecraft Access: A World of Blocks, Blindness, and Brilliance 🌍💎 #MinecraftAccess #InclusiveGamingSeven years ago, I lost my...

Minecraft Access: A World of Blocks, Blindness, and Brilliance 🌍💎 #MinecraftAccess #InclusiveGaming

Seven years ago, I lost my sight—and with it, I thought I’d lost the chance to play Minecraft. Back in my sighted days, Minecraft was my escape hatch to infinite creativity. Build a castle? Sure. Survive the night? Done. Accidentally set your house on fire because you put lava in the wrong place? Look, we’ve all been there.

But when I lost my vision, Minecraft felt like a closed door. And while games might not be life’s top priority, let’s admit it—they’re a fantastic way to unwind. Losing that world stung.

That’s where Minecraft Access comes in. It’s a mod that makes the game accessible for blind players. Sounds amazing, right? When I first tried it four months ago, though, things didn’t go as planned. I wandered aimlessly, got hopelessly lost, and rage-quit before a creeper even had the chance to blow me up. But yesterday, armed with more patience (and probably less sanity), I decided to give it another go.

And you know what? This time, I crushed it. Well, not literally—I didn’t fall into lava, for once! I set up an underground base, complete with a wheat farm and an infinite water source. I mined iron, found diamonds (yes, diamonds! I’m rich!), and lit up my surroundings so mobs wouldn’t spawn. Because let’s be honest, nothing says “bad day” like being smacked by a zombie you can’t even see.

So how does this all work? Minecraft Access narrates the block in your crosshair, tells you its position, and makes inventory and crafting fully accessible. I navigate with ASDW keys, craft like a pro, and honestly, I feel like I’ve rediscovered a part of myself I thought was gone.

Of course, it’s not all smooth sailing. Navigating the terrain is like playing a guessing game where the prize is not falling into a ravine. And while I can build functional stuff, making it visually appealing? Let’s just say my creations won’t win any beauty contests. But hey, I can still mine, explore, and survive—and that feels like magic.

The real heroes here are the developers of Minecraft Access. Turning a game this visual into something a blind player can enjoy is a Herculean task. They’ve done something incredible, and they deserve all the praise (and maybe some pizza, because who doesn’t love pizza?).

If you’re curious or want to say thank you to these legends, check out their GitHub page or hop on their Discord. They’ve made Minecraft a world for everyone, and that’s worth celebrating.

https://github.com/khanshoaib3/minecraft-access

Minecraft has always been about endless possibilities. Thanks to this mod, those possibilities now extend to players like me. Who knows? Maybe I’ll even build a castle someday... if I can figure out where the stairs go. 😅

#BlindGamer #GamingWithoutLimits #Accessibility #Minecraft

I was trying to figure out why my internal microphone wasn't working. I tried adjusting several settings, dug through the registry,...

I was trying to figure out why my internal microphone wasn't working. I tried adjusting several settings, dug through the registry, searched the web for possible driver or hardware issues, updated my drivers, downgraded my drivers, and after a few days, I forgot that I'd left it outputting to my headphones in the background since it was completely silent. Mistakenly I pressed F4 and voila! It works!
#FailOfTheWeek

A US startup has made significant strides toward the revival of mammoths. Colossal Biosciences has announced a breakthrough: its scientists...

A US startup has made significant strides toward the revival of mammoths. Colossal Biosciences has announced a breakthrough: its scientists have developed a set of stem cells based on the DNA of an Asian elephant, which will lead to the creation of a woolly giant indistinguishable from a mammoth.

One of the world's most winding routes is the ancient Panlong Road in Xinjiang. It features over 600 S-shaped bends and resembles the...

One of the world's most winding routes is the ancient Panlong Road in Xinjiang. It features over 600 S-shaped bends and resembles the body of a Chinese dragon.

It's been quite some time, hasn't it? 🕰I'm certain it has, and at long last, I'm back with you all after about a month or...

It's been quite some time, hasn't it? 🕰
I'm certain it has, and at long last, I'm back with you all after about a month or so of quiet! 🤫
A lot has happened, and I think it might be an interesting experience to share it briefly.
So! Long story short:
I've bought a new Acer laptop, an Aspire M515-58A, and I’m thoroughly enjoying it, despite a few rather significant issues I’ve encountered.
I was absolutely thrilled, thinking, "Finally, I'll have more RAM, and everything will run faster. At last, I'll be able to try things I couldn’t before!" But first, I had to install Windows.
Normally, this process takes me no more than 15 minutes, even though I'm blind, but not on this machine:
I spent a few minutes trying to figure out how to access the boot menu, which was unsuccessful. Then, I opened the BIOS and, with the help of Be My AI, managed to boot from my USB stick—a bit of an achievement, I must say!
All set, I thought, but alas, not today! I turned on Narrator, only to find that I couldn't hear anything at all. The storage driver wasn't loading too, so I attempted to load it manually with the assistance of a sighted person, but to no avail. I even tried loading other drivers, but that didn't help either. After all those struggles and puzzles, I eventually brought it to a service centre, and they sorted it out for me.
It's rather unfortunate to realise that I won't be able to reinstall Windows on my own, as I usually do each year to keep my gear in good shape. I've yet to find any solutions, and it's been a month since I purchased the laptop.
The laptop's grand, but let's move on!
I sat an exam to enrol at university, and though it was barely adapted for blind students, with the help of two assistants, I just about managed to finish it, even though I wasn’t allowed to use my own equipment.
I passed the exam, delt with all the bureaucracy - signing and re-signing papers - and yesterday, I officially became a student at Lviv Polytechnic National University.
Am I proud? Certainly, I am.
It's quite an accomplishment and the start of a whole new chapter in life, believe me!
I sincerely hope you're all doing well here, and I'll hopefully be posting occasionally with thoughts or whatever’s trending across the global internet!

I am officially an adult now and finally got a stamp with my signature 😆I wouldn't have done it, but since I had the chance to enjoy...

I am officially an adult now and finally got a stamp with my signature 😆

I wouldn't have done it, but since I had the chance to enjoy signing 23 documents during the creation of my bank card, I decided to allocate some time in my schedule to get it done and say goodbye to all the pen movements and tiny millimeter spots on small pieces of paper that you have to sign—not an easy task for a blind person.

One might think that we're in the 21st century, but the amount of bureaucracy with all these papers and signatures is beyond insane 🖊🧻

I didn't know #WorldofWarcraft is so accessible for blind players!I've always been interested in World of Warcraft as a game and had...

I didn't know #WorldofWarcraft is so accessible for blind players!

I've always been interested in World of Warcraft as a game and had the chance to play it for a while when I was sighted. Although I only played for a few days due to school commitments, I really enjoyed it. I lost my sight a few months later, but now I've discovered that I can try it again!

A skilled programmer has developed a very useful add-on for blind players, allowing us to play World of Warcraft in combination with other add-ons. This isn't for the classic version—it's all about retail.

These include:

Console Port for UI navigation (though it still uses a sighted layout which makes it quite clunky).

TomTom for map navigation, which helps us navigate map points, recorded quest objectives, and generally find our way around this huge world.

BlindSlash itself, which adds functionality for screen readers and makes everything quite accessible.

Other add-ons like GTFO, DBM, and Hear Kitty help with fighting bosses, alerting us when we're standing in damaging areas, and providing sounds for different resources like holy power and combat point changes.

With these few add-ons and some OCR skills to recognize the screen when necessary, one can play the game and do most of the things other players can. The only thing that remains inaccessible is dungeons. Most add-ons are disabled in dungeons, which means we can't do much on our own inside and need to follow other players.

Yes, several workarounds are needed, and sometimes you might get stuck behind a wall or struggle to find an object or NPC among many others. However, workarounds like /target unitname to target something and points that lead you directly to what you need are helpful.

Many players have given up because of the challenges and the overall poor stability of add-ons when you start playing and go through the starting area.

But believe me, it gets more stable as you progress. I haven't gone too far yet, but I've developed a level 16 paladin in two days while exploring the world, completing quests, and going through the Battle for Azeroth with no sighted assistance. I'm astonished and hope the development continues, though it's a very big project to handle.

A boy from Turkey has attempted to use ChatGPT during an exam and will be jailed for this. This ingenious lad concealed a camera inside a...

A boy from Turkey has attempted to use ChatGPT during an exam and will be jailed for this.

This ingenious lad concealed a camera inside a shirt button, linked it to a modem in his shoe, and was receiving answers through a tiny earpiece.

I'd consider letting him pass only for the creativity of his attempt 😆

An engineer from the USA apparently grew bored of typical American football and decided to spice it up a bit by attaching a rocket to the...

An engineer from the USA apparently grew bored of typical American football and decided to spice it up a bit by attaching a rocket to the ball and launching it, resulting in a 145-metre throw. Anyone interested in giving this a go?

As unfortunate as it is to say, Google has broken another feature on Android 14, affecting various keyboards. As a blind Android user, I...

As unfortunate as it is to say, Google has broken another feature on Android 14, affecting various keyboards. As a blind Android user, I rely on Jieshuo screenreader as my primary screenreader due to its speed and the overall features it offers. However, the latest keyboards have become entirely inaccessible for Jieshuo, particularly for those who disable exploration by touch while typing to increase speed.
There are two options available: either memorise the position of each character so well that you can tap the correct one without hearing what you've typed, or type with exploration by touch turned on, resulting in typing one character per second, which is exceedingly slow.
If anyone has found any fixes for this issue, I would greatly appreciate your assistance, as the problem lies with the Gboard app. I have tried removing it completely, but it is impossible, and I cannot install an older version that would work well with Jieshuo. New updates, new bugs.

My girlfriend likes eating gooseberries with salt. She literally takes some sour gooseberries and sprinkles them with salt before popping...

My girlfriend likes eating gooseberries with salt. She literally takes some sour gooseberries and sprinkles them with salt before popping them in her mouth. What have I gotten myself into? 😱

In the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina, a prison has swapped guard dogs for geese. The birds are more responsive to noises, raise the...

In the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina, a prison has swapped guard dogs for geese. The birds are more responsive to noises, raise the alarm more effectively, and are easier to take care of.

The world's smallest woman just turned 30 years old. Indian woman Jyoti Amge is 62.8 cm tall and weighs only 5.4 kg.

The world's smallest woman just turned 30 years old. Indian woman Jyoti Amge is 62.8 cm tall and weighs only 5.4 kg.

I'm Officially 19. Wait but I was 16 just a few days ago! Time's too fast. 🕛🕰

I'm Officially 19. Wait but I was 16 just a few days ago! Time's too fast. 🕛🕰