Josephine F. Wilson & Jared A. Embree
Substance Abuse Resources & Disability Issues (SARDI) Program
Boonshoft School of Medicine, Wright State University, Dayton, OH
Editor's Note: This piece was submitted to AccessWorld as a Letter to the Editor and is published here under our Inclusive Technology Research track. We are thankful that the researchers at SARDI were willing to share their research findings with us and the AccessWorld community.
With the support of a National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) grant (grant # 901FDV0012), our research team conducted a study to explore the experiences of individuals with albinism using virtual reality (VR) work environments. Twenty participants with albinism (12 women, 8 men) worked for six months in a variety of virtual environments using either an Oculus Quest VR headset or a Quest 2 VR headset, depending on their cohort membership. Production of the Oculus Quest device was discontinued in September 2020 when Quest 2 was released. Thus, Cohorts 1 and 2 were tested in Oculus Quest, and Cohorts 3 and 4 were tested in Quest 2. Both the Oculus Quest and the Quest 2 headsets work autonomously, without a wired connection to a computer, and have four built-in cameras that enhance the immersive experience of the virtual world, headphones with spatial sound, and a motion-tracking sensor. The participants met monthly for six months with the research team to discuss positive and negative experiences with the VR technology and accessibility features.
Given that the purpose of this grant project was to develop a fully customizable virtual desktop for each participant and produce a virtual visual environment that permitted satisfactory perception of information on computer screens, we learned a great deal about creating accessibility accommodations in VR for individuals with low vision. We would like to share our findings with your readers, especially those individuals who are developing VR or any computer-based environments for persons who are blind or have low vision. Our main recommendations include:
- Make everything user customizable, including font type and size, brightness, contrast, colors, and positioning (and zooming) of the computer screen as well as objects on the screen. This is a situation where one size does not fit all. In our study, 50% of study participants preferred dark letters on white backgrounds; 50% preferred white letters on a dark background.
- Environments that are too bright cause eye fatigue. The American Academy of Ophthalmology suggests reducing brightness, increasing contrast, and removing glare to make it easier on the eyes. All of our study participants reported light sensitivity and requested a “dark mode.”
- Magnification options and voice commands are required features but are not always available in VR environments.
- Don’t forget to make set-up menus customizable. In our study, 100% of participants complained that they couldn’t enlarge fonts on set-up menus for Oculus devices and various apps.
- Make it intuitive to find things in the VR environment and in menus. We learned that 100% of study participants with albinism memorize the location of items and often identify items by their location.
- Not all individuals with low vision have the same response to VR. In our study, 10% of participants reported that using VR improved their ability to see the computer screen “not at all;” 45% reported “a little;” 30% reported “quite a bit;” and 15% reported that VR improved their ability to see the computer screen “very much.” However, 90% of the participants responded to the query, “I believe that VR will be useful for people with low vision,” with “quite a bit” or “very much.”
In fact, response to the VR environments was overwhelmingly positive, as expressed in these quotes by different participants:
“Something like virtual reality, I think, could help level the playing field for two vastly different low vision people working together with fully sighted people.”
“I think augmented reality and virtual reality will become as ubiquitous as cell phones.”
“A lot of accessibility features are tailored to the extremes. I could see them create a virtual reality experience for people who are totally blind before they would create an experience that falls in the middle for people like me.”
“It’s easier to recognize objects in virtual reality. A little easier to recognize objects at a distance in virtual reality because details are exaggerated.”
“When I’m using virtual reality, it’s way different than using a computer screen. Virtual reality is so much more accessible. I don’t have the same problems to see when I’m searching for something in virtual reality.”
“I prefer virtual reality over the actual computer monitor.”
“I can imagine that in three to four years that the technology will get to a point that augmented reality or virtual reality will remove or significantly improve the restraints that my vision imposes.”
When designing VR or any technology-based visual environments, our advice to developers is to always remember the seven principles of Universal Design:
1) Equitable Use: The design is useful to people with diverse abilities; 2) Flexibility in Use: The design accommodates a wide range of individual preferences and abilities; 3) Simple and Intuitive Use: The design is easy to use and to understand by all users; 4) Perceptible Information: The design communicates necessary information effectively to the user; 5) Tolerance for Error: The design minimizes the adverse consequences of accidental or unintended actions; 6) Low Physical Effort: The design can be used efficiently and comfortably, with a minimum of fatigue; and 7) Size and Space for Approach and Use: Appropriate size and space is provided for approach, reach, manipulation, and use.
WHAT CAN I DO IN VIRTUAL REALITY? Despite the limitations that study participants encountered using VR, they identified many ways in which VR expanded their opportunities and improved work experiences:
- Control brightness, color, and contrast of content on the computer screen
- Meet and work collaboratively with others in VR
- Receive orientation and mobility (O & M) training
- Practice navigation before encountering new locations in real life
- Consume accessible online content/media (for example, watch television shows and movies)
- Work directly on a PC/MAC inside VR
- Make use of multiple virtual monitors at the same time
- Enjoy virtual travel
- Comfortably pursue and attend classes, complete assignments, and study for tests
