As a web designer I pay attention to accessibility of electronic media like web pages and DVDs. Now I am not talking about usability that is the ease that an interface can be used but accessibility.
Accessibility is how a person with a disability can use an interface. Now the hardest to design for is blindness and I don't use tables and make sure that my site is usable in a text only browser and the text is scalable so it can be cranked up a larger size for people with vision problems. I don't have a lot of animation that people who are sensitive to strobing flashes can have problems with pulsing banner ads. Then there is color blindness and so I don't have any interface elements that rely of red and green being visually differentiated. My grandfather is color blind and can't tell red from green to save his life. I love subtitles on DVDs and use them some times when there is fast dialog or when I want to listen to a commentary track. Also Fight Club sounds cool in French.
So I have also thought about how these disabilities would affect some ones ability to enjoy videogames. I had a friend in elementary school who was wheel chair bound but he kicked ass at Atari 2600. For example tools like the Super Gameboy and the Gamecube Gameboy player would help to make small text larger and more readable.
Now Missy the Hair metal queen has found a site that raised an eyebrow.
DeafGamers.com is a site that reviews games for accessibility and enjoyment for hearing impaired gamers or their parent.
Videogames need visual clues and subtitle tracks as a option to make them accessible to the hearing impaired. There are some games like Parappa that can never me made accessible but most games can work if the effort is made. For example both Legand of Zelda, Ocarina of Time and The Windwaker contain musical interface elements but since they are backed up visually they can be done to the hearing impaired.
Some games are more obvious like a kid on crutches is not going to be into Dance Dance Revolution but say there is a part in a game where you have to wait for a sound cue like a voice to attack the boss or what ever and if you can't hear it you can't do it. I guess a good example of an accessible game is GTA 3. All the mission critical dialog has subtitles but the do not subtitle every person on the street.
Videogame can be an empowering thing and alow a good escape but with every new media it muse be aware of new accessibility problems.
From my experience, it's amazing how many people in the game industry (and I'm sure other media industries, too) do not even think about accessibilty for their products.
Inspired by the same deafgamers site, I ranted about a similar subject myself:
http://www.hencethename.com/ken/2003_04_27_old.html#93493853
There are disability switch/sensor interfaces available now for many games machines:
http://www.oneswitch.org.uk - Playstation, PC, Dreamcast, Retro games machines interfaces.
http://www.pathwaysdg.com - Nintendo interfaces.
Also - look up the superb work NAMCO are up to in Japan:
http://www.namco.co.jp/welfare/
Agreed... I've a slight hearing problem myself, so I must admit that DeafGamers is an excellent site. I've played a number of games in which I struggled to understand what certain characters were saying (especially when the voice has been electronically distorted for effect); of course, the dialogue in question was frequently critical to the storyline or gameplay.
Oh, and "*Leland* of Zelda"? Methinks someone made a typo and let the spell checker automatically fix it... :)