As Virtual and Augmented Reality (VR/AR) integrate more seamlessly into everyday life, ensuring their accessibility and thus inclusivity for the entire population becomes a key challenge. This paper explores the perceptions of VR/AR accessibility and inclusivity among immersive technology professionals and identifies existing solution implementation barriers from the professional perspective. The perceptions were investigated through an interview study that included 24 immersive professionals across a range of industrial sectors, education and NGOs. While the interviewed professionals expressed general interest and willingness to consider VR/AR accessibility and inclusivity, we identified several obstacles that currently obstruct this objective of developing immersive applications and experiences. These obstacles include the nascent state of VR/AR technologies, the lack of established guidelines and tools for accessibility features and restricted access to users with disabilities for user studies, especially for smaller companies. Further technological advances in the immersive context, legally binding standards and greater social esteem for accessibility efforts may help drive forward accessibility and inclusivity in VR/AR.

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Perceptions of Accessibility and Inclusivity of Virtual and Augmented Reality Among Immersive Technology Professionals: An Interview Study

  • F. Fischer,
  • R. P. Galindo Esparza,
  • L. Yin,
  • J. J. Dudley,
  • V. Garaj,
  • P. O. Kristensson

摘要

As Virtual and Augmented Reality (VR/AR) integrate more seamlessly into everyday life, ensuring their accessibility and thus inclusivity for the entire population becomes a key challenge. This paper explores the perceptions of VR/AR accessibility and inclusivity among immersive technology professionals and identifies existing solution implementation barriers from the professional perspective. The perceptions were investigated through an interview study that included 24 immersive professionals across a range of industrial sectors, education and NGOs. While the interviewed professionals expressed general interest and willingness to consider VR/AR accessibility and inclusivity, we identified several obstacles that currently obstruct this objective of developing immersive applications and experiences. These obstacles include the nascent state of VR/AR technologies, the lack of established guidelines and tools for accessibility features and restricted access to users with disabilities for user studies, especially for smaller companies. Further technological advances in the immersive context, legally binding standards and greater social esteem for accessibility efforts may help drive forward accessibility and inclusivity in VR/AR.