Articles

Original articles on digital accessibility, research, and practice.

• Extended Reality and Accessibility: What 51 Research Papers Tell Us About Making Virtual and Augmented Worlds Inclusive

  Bob Dodd — 2026-03-18

  The promise is immense. The barriers are real. Drawing on 51 peer-reviewed papers from the A11y Paradise database, this article maps what accessibility researchers have discovered, built, and tested across the XR landscape — from non-visual VR gaming to haptic sound substitution, wheelchair-embodied accessibility assessment, and the complex identity politics of disability in virtual worlds.

  • virtual reality
  • augmented reality
  • extended reality
  • XR accessibility
  • VR accessibility
  • blind and low vision
  • deaf and hard of hearing
  • motor impairments
  • avatars
  • haptic feedback
  • spatial audio
  • smart glasses
  • assistive technology
  • inclusive design