Section 03
Accessibility and disability
Most VR assumes a standing person with two working hands, good vision and no motion sensitivity. This section starts from the people it leaves out.
Five questions before you choose
- Position. Can it be used seated, or from a bed or wheelchair?
- Hands. Can it be operated without fine hand movements, or with one hand? Is hand tracking or voice input supported by the apps you need?
- Vision and hearing. Can text be enlarged? Are captions available? Does it work with the person's glasses?
- Control. Can the person pause, exit or recentre without help?
- Comfort. What settings reduce motion sickness, and how long can sessions comfortably be?
These prompts draw on the W3C's XR Accessibility User Requirements. They are not a standard. Check each product's documentation and try before you buy where you can.
Setting up for someone else
- Start with short sessions and a clear way to stop.
- Clear the space, or use it seated, before the headset goes on.
- Check fit, lens spacing and glasses first. A poor fit causes blur and discomfort.
- If the headset is shared, plan cleaning between users.
- Where VR is part of therapy, follow the clinician's plan.
Comparing hardware? See Quest 3 vs Quest 3S, which covers lens spacing, glasses and input.