#a11yvr

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Exploring Nonverbal Cues in VR Experiences

How do you convey nonverbal cues in virtual environments especially to people with vision impairment? And what we can we learn that we can use in the physical world?

I often think of what VR experiences have had the most profound effect on me and my perceptions of the possibilities of this technology. I can’t recall the exact time or date but I can remember one scenario that always sticks in my mind. It was a meeting held in a lecture theatre in VR with participants from around the world invited to ask questions of the presenter. So what was the profound…

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AXSChat with Meryl Evans, author, professional speaker, and accessibility marketing consultant who was born profoundly deaf. from akwyz on Vimeo.

Meryl Evans, CPACC (she / her / deaf) is an author, professional speaker, and accessibility marketing consultant with over 20 years of experience who happens to be born hearing-free aka profoundly deaf. She’s an accessibility marketing consultant who helps her clients in different industries with their projects to achieve their marketing and accessibility goals.

Meryl is a highly sought and regarded speaker on accessibility and inclusion with a focus on people with disabilities and accessible communication. She has spoken at TEDx, AccessU, ID24, Content Marketing World, axe-con, PCMA Convening Leaders, and many companies’ internal events. She’s a member of the core research team at XR Access and a group member of the W3C Immersive Captions Community. She’s also the co-host of A11yNYC and A11yVR, meetups that explore different aspects of accessibility. You can follow her on social media for content related to accessibility.

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Mozilla Hubs floats into the sunset

Bye bye Mozilla Hubs...

Like many I was disappointed to hear about Mozilla Hubs being shutdown on May 31, 2024. As someone with a long term interest in the accessibility and possibilities of virtual reality (VR) platforms I saw much potential in what Mozilla Hubs offered especially as an open source solution. I guess this is always something that needs to be considered with any open source project started by an…

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World Economic Forum and virtual presence

Can't make it to Davos this year for the World Economic Forum? How about going virtually and not just via video conference?

One negative aspect of virtual meetings I’ve experienced over the past three years is the lack of physical presence i.e. being around others. There are so many aspects of a physical meeting that cannot be replicated through attending via a two dimensional representation such as traditional online meetings. Watching a screen is one thing: interacting with others in the space 3D space is…

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Time for a different type of AR lens?

One of the challenges with augmentative reality wearables is how do you create the lowest profile possible that still delivers the experience you want? If you happen to wear reading glasses as well how can these be accommodated? Yes there are options to add “corrective lens” inserts but this generally adds to the weight and structure of the AR unit. There’s some interesting work happening at the…

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3D audio navigation and controlling pedestrian crossings? I have to see this.

What gets me excited in the augmentative reality space (amongst many things!) is it’s application to real world scenarios. There have been several AR apps released recently that overlay additional navigation details to visual mapping systems: Google Maps and Apple Maps to name a few. When Microsoft developed Soundscape which focuses on navigation cues via 3D audio I was particularly excited to…

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Raving in VR?

It's been a couple of days to reflect on my recent VR experience and its accessibility. Curious to know how others found it.

Recently I managed to secure a ticket for the recent Fatboy Slim VR experience via the EngageVR platform. A number people have already commented on their experience (a lot along the lines of “…with VR experiences like this who needs drugs”) not a lot have mentioned the accessibility of the experience. Kudos to EngageVR for providing detailed instructions on how to get the most out of the…

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To turn or not to turn?

Ever considered how you can interact in VR if you have limited neck movement? This publication explores a way to make this possible whilst addressing potential issues like motion sickness in VR.

One of the often unconsidered aspect of VR game development is how a user can interact if they have limited neck mobility due to illness, injury or disability. Whilst Meta have addressed this in part through their guardian system and the ability to define whether you are standing or sitting this still requires movement. An alternative method is through the use of the hand controllers to reorient…

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Exploring the accessibility of virtual meeting rooms

Great article by Meryl on the accessibility of the Spatial VR meeting platform.

A great write up by Meryl Evans regarding the accessibility of the Spatial platform: Accessibility Virtual Reality Meetup: What Is It Like in Spatial? I attended the MeetUp session Meryl describes in her article and could see first hand some of the accessibility issues present.

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Feel the sound in Virtual Reality?

Feel the sound in Virtual Reality?

What is “physical audio” in the context of auditory feedback? How does this add to the personal experience of VR? Reading this article I think they are referring more to how they can convert physical cues into haptic (feeling) feedback. Interesting concept and I would be interested to see it’s interaction with audio and the overlay of audio description especially for people with vision…

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Assisted reality the new augmentative reality?

Assisted reality the new augmentative reality?

One of the issues of XR solutions that drives me to explore is its inherit accessibility. It still remains a visual medium in the whole. Could we not be considering different ways of exploring what it can offer everyone? So should we be thinking of “Assisted Reality” rather than “Augmentative Reality”? Cognixion might be a company to watch with the work that they are doing: XR and accessibility.

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Hand based interactions

One aspect of immersive environments that always sits uncomfortably with me is the hand controllers needed. These can potentially take some time to learn how to interact with but once mastered really open things up. However what if you aren’t able to use these due to fine motor or dexterity issues? Hand tracking has come a long way but are we ready to ditch the controllers completely? If this…

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Microsoft partners with Meta to bring Teams, Office, Windows, and Xbox to VR

Microsoft partners with Meta to bring Teams, Office, Windows, and Xbox to VR

Now this is a curious combination. I wonder how many of the accessibility features within Teams, Office, Windows and Xbox will be available to the Meta offering and vice versa. Microsoft partners with Meta to bring Teams, Office, Windows, and Xbox to VR – The Verge

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The Value of Inclusively Designed XR Workplace Tools

The Value of Inclusively Designed XR Workplace Tools

Making an XR workspace inclusive from the start is what every organisation should be thinking: inclusivity is not an after-thought. The Value of Inclusively Designed XR Workplace Tools – XR Access

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Future directions of XR glasses?

The accessibility of wearable solutions can make the difference for an individual’s immersive experience. Most wearables to date are, quite frankly, bulky and require a degree of fine motor ski https://arpost.co/2022/07/25/viture-xr-glasses-harman-audioefx/

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Is the "Metaverse" the answer to accessible experiences?

Is the “Metaverse” the answer to accessible experiences?

Before we all launch into the “Metaverse” being the next evolution of the internet let’s be realistic. Firstly everyone has their own definition of what the Metaverse is or will purport to be. What it shouldn’t be is a single commercialisation of one company. (Oasis anyone?) What is should be is accessible to everyone and not after 10 years of its…