Unlocking the Potential of XR for Persons with Disabilities

How can extended reality (XR) technology – such as virtual and augmented reality – benefit persons with disabilities? This is the subject of our brand-new report, made possible by Meta.

Over the past few years, XR has entered the mainstream. Whether through virtual reality gaming or augmented reality tools, immersive technologies now pop up in a variety of settings. The versatility of XR holds particular promise for persons with disabilities, with possible applications including assistive technology, rehabilitation and training.

But is that promise being realised? To find out, Meta asked Funka to map out the current state of disability related XR tech. Funka scoured the literature and gathered a wide range of examples, and also surveyed and interviewed experts and stakeholders from across the world. The result is our new report, New Realities: Unlocking the Potential of XR for Persons with Disabilities.

To mark the publication of the report, we have organised a webinar where Emil Gejrot, researcher at Funka and author of the report, has presented key findings and thought-provoking examples. During the event, Emil was joined by Pilar Orero from The Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, expert on media accessibility.

The report: New Realities, pdf (645 kb), opens in new window