Two sides of the same coin: accessibility practices and neurodivergent users' experience of extended reality

IF 1.7 Q2 REHABILITATION

Journal of Enabling Technologies Pub Date : 2022-05-13 DOI:10.1108/jet-03-2022-0025

Tamari Lukava, D. Z. Morgado Ramirez, G. Barbareschi

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引用次数: 5

Abstract

PurposeThis paper explores the accessibility barriers faced by neurodivergent individuals regarding the use of Extended Reality (XR) technologies and the difficulties faced by developers in creating neurodivergent inclusive XR experiences.Design/methodology/approachThe authors carried out a survey with neurodivergent participants, and a series of semi-structured interviews with neurodivergent adults and XR developers.FindingsNeurodivergent individuals experience sensory overload when using XR technologies; these negative experiences are exacerbated by excessive multisensory stimulation. Allowing for the customization of sensory settings was seen as the only way to potentially limit negative experiences. The authors found that XR developers lacked awareness of accessibility requirements and struggled to integrate them in current software development practices.Social implicationsAccessibility understanding regarding neurodivergence is increasingly available and the time has come to bring computing and information services within the reach of all neurodivergent individuals. The power in the design of XR, which is crucial, is decentralized from neurotypical XR developing practices to avoid artificial barriers that decrease the quality of life.Originality/valueThere is a lack of studies exploring how neurodivergent individuals experience XR considering their different sensory processing patterns. There is also no research exploring XR developers' awareness of accessibility needs of neurodivergent individuals. This paper presents an account of the challenges faced by neurodivergent XR users, the difficulties faced by XR developers to integrate neurodivergent accessibility requirements, and proposes specific strategies to overcome challenges.

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同一枚硬币的两面:可访问性实践和神经发散型用户对扩展现实的体验

目的本文探讨了神经分化个体在使用扩展现实（XR）技术方面面临的可访问性障碍，以及开发人员在创建神经分化包容性XR体验方面面临的困难。设计/方法/方法作者对神经分化参与者进行了一项调查，并对神经分化成年人和XR开发人员进行了一系列半结构化访谈。发现神经分化个体在使用XR技术时会经历感觉过载；过度的多感官刺激会加剧这些负面体验。允许定制感官设置被视为潜在限制负面体验的唯一途径。作者发现XR开发人员缺乏对可访问性要求的认识，难以将其集成到当前的软件开发实践中。社会含义关于神经分化的可访问性理解越来越普遍，现在是时候让所有神经分化个体都能获得计算和信息服务了。XR设计中至关重要的力量是从神经典型的XR开发实践中分散出来的，以避免降低生活质量的人为障碍。独创性/价值考虑到不同的感觉处理模式，缺乏探索神经分化个体如何体验XR的研究。也没有研究探讨XR开发人员对神经分化个体无障碍需求的认识。本文介绍了神经发散XR用户面临的挑战，XR开发人员在集成神经发散可访问性需求方面面临的困难，并提出了克服挑战的具体策略。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Journal of Enabling Technologies REHABILITATION-

CiteScore

4.10

自引率

9.10%

发文量

期刊介绍： The Journal of Enabling Technologies (JET) seeks to provide a strong, insightful, international, and multi-disciplinary evidence-base in health, social care, and education. This focus is applied to how technologies can be enabling for children, young people and adults in varied and different aspects of their lives. The focus remains firmly on reporting innovations around how technologies are used and evaluated in practice, and the impact that they have on the people using them. In addition, the journal has a keen focus on drawing out practical implications for users and how/why technology may have a positive impact. This includes messages for users, practitioners, researchers, stakeholders and caregivers (in the broadest sense). The impact of research in this arena is vital and therefore we are committed to publishing work that helps draw this out; thus providing implications for practice. JET aims to raise awareness of available and developing technologies and their uses in health, social care and education for a wide and varied readership. The areas in which technologies can be enabling for the scope of JET include, but are not limited to: Communication and interaction, Learning, Independence and autonomy, Identity and culture, Safety, Health, Care and support, Wellbeing, Quality of life, Access to services.