Social VR Beyond the Corporeal Standard: Reflections on Access for Disabled Persons

Abstract

Social VR holds the promise of engaging users in meaningful social interaction without leaving one’s physical environment. Particularly for disabled people, this could reduce barriers to social participation in the context of leisure, work, and education. However, the current shape of VR technology and research efforts exploring social VR largely overlook disabled perspectives. In this extended abstract, we outline key research challenges that need to be addressed to ensure that social VR is accessible and engaging for all users by moving beyond idealized and non-disabled human bodies, i.e., the corporeal standard.