RE: Accessibility of virtual reality - references added to wiki page

To Jason

Great work on this!

I've done a brief write-up for the middle section. There's a few more references that discuss the concept but little actual research that I've been able to find. The content below should serve as a placeholder for the concept though.

Scott.


The Use of "Virtual" Accessibility Devices

In the consideration of VR interaction and navigation mechanisms for people with disabilities, it is important to assess the value of using simulated real-world aids in a VR environment.

An initial focus on how people with disabilities could be supported in VR revolved around the Second Life environment. While the default interface was considered largely inaccessible, it emerged that multi-user virtual environments could enable users to transcend physiological or cognitive challenges to great social and therapeutic benefit. Examples included haptic input devices for blind users, virtual regions developed according to Universal Design principles, communities dedicated to people with cognitive-related disabilities, the use of the avatar as counsellor, and customizable personae that either transcend or represent a disabled person's self-identity(Smith, 2012). The haptic interfaces in particular led to the consideration as to how real-world aids such as a white cane or a wheelchair could be used to provide a similar, familiar support mechanism in VR that matched its real-world equivalent.

A more recent example of physical aids being made into virtual ones is showcased in research relating to the use of a virtual white cane. The research identified that if the same audio cues associated with a real-world infrared white cane were used in VR, users were able to effectively centre themselves in the middle of pathways and walk successfully through virtual doorways based on the same audio feedback as used n the equivalent real-world device (Maidenbaum & Amedi,2015).

This approach demonstrates that in addition to the use of assistive technologies currently available on computers and mobile devices, simulation of physical aids are also likely to be beneficial and their availability should be considered as a part of future VR projects.





REFERENCES

Maidenbaum, Shachar & Amedi, Amir. (2015). Non-visual virtual interaction: Can Sensory Substitution generically increase the accessibility of Graphical virtual reality to the blind? 2015 3rd IEEE VR International Workshop on Virtual and Augmented Assistive Technology, VAAT 2015. 15-17. 10.1109/VAAT.2015.7155404.


Smith, K. (2012). Universal life: the use of virtual worlds among people with disabilities. Universal Access in the Information Society, 11(4), 387-398. doi:10.1007/s10209-011-0254-8



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From: White, Jason J [mailto:jjwhite@ets.org]
Sent: Saturday, 7 October 2017 3:55 AM
To: RQTF <public-rqtf@w3.org>
Subject: Accessibility of virtual reality - references added to wiki page

I've added references to papers read while preparing my contributions to the Task Force's findings.

https://www.w3.org/WAI/APA/task-forces/research-questions/wiki/Accessibility_of_Virtual_Reality


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