Understanding the Accessibility of Single-User Virtual Reality Environments for Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

In this paper, we aim to understand accessibility issues for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) with single- user VR applications. To this end, we recruited eight participants with I/DD for this study. We asked each participant to use a single- user VR application (on Meta Quest 2) and then conducted semi- structured interviews about their experiences. A subsequent thematic analysis of our interviews resulted in identifying several accessibility problems in using VR for people with I/DD. Overall, we found that participants had difficulty: perceiving (including comprehending) the various elements of the virtual environment and using physical controllers to engage with (i.e., act within) the virtual environment. The participants then suggested potential improvements to make the virtual environments more accessible. Based on these findings, we call for further research in four broad areas to foster an accessible VR experience for people with I/DD.