Meet Garrett Whitmyre: Founder of Inclusive Imagination
As a special educator, Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments (TVI), and Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist (COMS), Garrett Whitmyre has spent his career helping children and adults who are blind or have low vision access the world around them. Through his work in education, he saw how difficult it could be for people with disabilities to find games and play experiences that allowed them to participate alongside their friends and family. Too often, accessibility meant adapting an existing product or creating a separate experience rather than designing something everyone could enjoy together.
In July 2022, Garrett founded Inclusive Imagination in Tacoma, Washington, with a mission to change that. Combining his passion for education, tabletop gaming, and universal design, he began creating games and tools where accessibility is part of the adventure from the very beginning. His vision is simple: make accessibility beautiful, invite everyone to play, and create experiences where everyone can learn, connect, and play together.
Today, Inclusive Imagination offers accessible tabletop games, playing cards, gaming accessories, and educational toys for learners and gamers with a wide range of access needs, including blindness, low vision, physical challenges, and complex needs. Products incorporate braille, high-contrast print, tactile graphics, and adaptive-switch-compatible companion apps, helping players participate in the same games alongside friends and family.
From Touch & See Rainbow Blocks, silicone baby blocks featuring both print and braille to encourage early tactile exploration and literacy, to accessible playing cards and fantastical card games, Inclusive Imagination supports discovery and play across ages and abilities.
Garrett’s commitment to innovative, inclusive game design was recognized when Apprentice CG was selected as a Rising Showcase recipient at PAX Unplugged, a major tabletop gaming convention. This recognition reflects an important part of Inclusive Imagination’s mission: accessible games aren’t just for learning accessibility skills, they’re for having fun, building friendships, and sharing unforgettable adventures.
Another example of this innovation is Chasing Rainbows, a colorful card game that brings tactile illustrations into the tabletop gaming experience. By combining raised tactile artwork with braille and large-print features, the game makes the illustrations themselves more accessible not just the words on the cards. This first-of-its-kind approach to tactile artwork in tabletop gaming pushes the boundaries of how blind and low-vision players experience visual storytelling and opens new opportunities for tactile exploration and shared play. It reflects Garrett’s belief that accessibility can be both functional and beautiful, enriching the experience for everyone at the table.
Explore Inclusive Imagination’s products and resources:
- Inclusive Imagination — Official Website — Explore the full collection and learn more about the mission.
- Inclusive Imagination — Instagram — Follow along for tutorials, walkthroughs and product updates!
- Touch & See Rainbow Blocks — Print-and-braille silicone blocks for early tactile exploration and literacy.
- Galaxy Dice Set — Print-and-braille, sparkly polyhedral dice set for tabletop RPGs!
- Accessible Playing Cards — Playing cards designed with braille and large, high-contrast print.
- D6 Level Up Classic — Print-and-braille, classic black and white six-sided dice set.
- Apprentice ICG — An elemental fantasy card-battling game featuring accessible cards and a companion app.
- Chasing Rainbows — A tactilely illustrated card game combining braille, large print, and raised artwork.
- Access Arcade — A collection of accessible gaming tools and companion apps designed for mobile screen reader and adaptive-switch access in mind.
At Inclusive Imagination, we believe everyone deserves to be part of the adventure. Accessibility isn’t an add-on; it’s an invitation to play together.
