Accessing VR: Don’t Leave Disabled People Behind

by Erin Hawley

After watching a Polygon video titled “VR is Good Now,” I commented that VR games are not accessible for many disabled users, and I worry that this trend toward VR will, like modern console gaming, leave many disabled people behind. While game accessibility is starting to be a topic picked up by major news outlets, there was a long period of time where that conversation was mostly silent. Disabled people talked about it, and expensive or complex solutions were available (expense is part of accessibility, especially for many disabled people living on Social Security Income), but mainstream media was not interested in our needs.

The Xbox Adaptive Controller (XAC) is a fantastic move toward making consoles more accessible and creating mainstream dialog; while its invention opens Xbox gaming to more people, it hasn’t solved everything. PlayStation and Nintendo need to catch up. We still need game design that works better for D/deaf, blind, and/or developmentally disabled people. Games with complex control mapping and button sequences are still an access barrier, even with the XAC. This is why we need to start talking about VR accessibility now, while the technology is still in its infancy. The conversation must be one for today rather than one for ten or twenty years in the future when a major company finally decides to listen to us.

VR is not accessible for many disabled users, for myriad reasons depending on the type of disabilities one has and how they manifest in each individual. The weight of the headset itself can be too heavy for people who have trouble holding their head up, and the headset can put you off balance or make it difficult to move. Most VR tech/games now rely on standing, moving around a room freely, motion controls, and/or turning your head. It also assumes you can see, hear, and follow instructions easily. For Deaf people who rely on sign language, covering your eyes makes it hard to communicate with others while you are using the headset. Motion sickness is also a barrier for many users, disabled or not. And, of course, VR games are subject to the same inaccessibility found in some PC or console games.

There is some good news, though – there are people working on VR access right now. The creative team at Runway, a mobile and VR-game producer, worked on Flutter, which is available on Google’s Daydream headset. In their design process, they addressed motion sickness, limited movement, and sensory overload for autistic users. For example, they used a movement system where a user can click ahead of them to move rather than having to walk around a room. For motion sickness, a user “can teleport as fast or as slow as [the user] wants and the speed is always consistent and involves no acceleration.” Additionally, the team learned from ASMR how to include calming sounds to help mitigate a potentially overwhelming experience. While these features are specific to this game, they are good examples for emerging systems to emulate.

The WalkinVR Driver is a program that aligns with Steam VR programs. It uses a controller to move instead of users physically moving, and allows for the use of third-party controls for assistance from another person. Most interestingly, though, is what it does with in-game controllers; the program “[creates] a virtual controller in the virtual reality space. The player is able to play Virtual Reality with one arm. The created virtual controller is tracked via the physical controller and the HMD.” WalkinVR Driver also allows you to re-position the virtual controller for better reach if you have limited range-of-motion.

It’s important to talk about accessibility even if we are unsure how to implement it; naming the problem is the spark toward solutions. I do not own a VR headset because they are not accessible to me at this time, but I am still learning and am interested in continuing the conversation. The two examples above of accessible tech in VR are just some ways developers are thinking about disabled bodies in a virtual world.

In the replies to my comment on the Polygon video, and in other blog posts I’ve written, I was told that not everything will be accessible for everyone. I’ve been told “that’s just life,” and I should accept that we can’t access something. I’ve been called jealous and bitter because I demand accessibility and I demand better from an industry that often pushes disabled people to the side. Advocacy is something I have to do rather than something I want to do; this fight is exhausting. Despite the negativity, there are beacons of hope and support. There is brainstorming between developers and disabled gamers. My efforts, in unison with other advocates, always matter and garner results. We have to learn from each other.

I am asking all of us, myself included, to never accept that something can’t be made accessible. I’m asking us to always be open for possibility, because that’s how new technology becomes a reality. Heck, that’s why VR exists today! Shutting down the accessibility conversation immediately because it seems impossible is not giving humanity enough credit, and it’s dismissive to disabled people trying to find and access solutions.

And since we are always learning, and tech is constantly evolving, this post will act as a living document. I’ll update the resource links below as they come in. The comment section is open, so feel free to drop resources there, as well as your thoughts and ideas. You can also reach me @geekygimp on Twitter, or find me streaming games on Twitch to chat about VR.

Resources:

• AbleGamers: Thoughts on Accessibility Issues in VR
• Daydream Labs: Accessibility in VR
• Designing for Accessibility is Crucial in VR and AR
• Geeky Gimp Tweets about VR
• Implementing Accessibility in VR for Low Vision Users
• Musical Therapy in Virtual Environments
• Progressing Towards an Accessible VR Experience
• Suggestions for Seated Players in Echo VR
• TIGA Publish New In-Depth Guide To Better VR Accessibility
• Why AR/VR Developers Should Prioritize Accessibility in UI/UX Design