XR Access

This is the final week for our 2025 XR Access Symposium Call for Presentations!?If you have something related to XR accessibility to share and think you can make it to New York in June, don't hesitate to submit; our lightweight application doesn't require the full details for your first step. #XR #AR #MR #accessibility #a11y #VirtualReality https://lnkd.in/gSNRYU4f

The XR Access Symposium at Cornell Tech brings together some of the brightest minds in tech, research, and advocacy to dive deep into the role of extended reality (XR) in promoting digital accessibility. With the theme “Insights from XR Assistive Technology,” 2024’s symposium explored cutting-edge innovations designed to enhance inclusivity for people with disabilities. From touching personal stories to groundbreaking tech advancements, the symposium offered a powerful space for discussing the transformative potential and challenges of accessible XR. Learn more: https://bit.ly/40ttU3Z “I’m so glad we got the opportunity to spotlight some of the disabled members of our community at the symposium,” said Dylan Fox, director of operations for XR Access at Cornell Tech. “No discussion of accessibility is worth its salt without the buy-in of those with lived experience, and sharing stories is a vital part of turning the discussion from requirements and box-checking to the real, emotional impact that accessibility has on people’s lives. I hope we can engage the community in new and exciting ways in the years to come.” Calls for presentations for the 2025 Symposium are open until Feb 28! Learn more about how you can share your talk, poster, or demo: https://bit.ly/350sjFB #XR #Accessibility #Event #CornellTech

Our Community Discussion on Neurodiversity with Olga Ivanova, Kate Kalcevich, Jazmin Collins, and XR Association is happening in ONE HOUR! We can’t wait to see you there!

Don't miss out on our Community Discussion on Neurodiversity tomorrow!

Our Director of Operations, Dylan Fox, will be speaking at QCon on November 20! In his talk, "Accessible Innovation in XR: Maximizing the Curb Cut Effect", Dylan will be discussing how accessible design thinking can lead to a fountain of features that benefit disabled and abled users alike. Curb cuts, the ramps from sidewalk to street, were originally created for wheelchair users, but rapidly became popular among bicyclists, stroller-pushing parents, and more. Inventions like the typewriter, telephone, and remote control were all made for disabled people and rapidly found universal application. Now, design for accessibility can guide us to the next generation of usability for virtual and augmented reality. In this talk, he’ll discuss: ? The latest and greatest research happening in universities around the world focused on making extended reality (XR) more accessible ? How making XR accessible to people also makes it accessible to machines, fueling AI-based innovation ? How to leverage design for accessibility to create the next standard features of XR, while also opening your projects to larger audiences and defending yourself against lawsuits To learn more about his upcoming talk: https://lnkd.in/g2Nt-V8q Also on November 20 are other talks centered around #accessibility in #AR or #VR! Ohan Oda, Senior Software Engineer at Google, will be presenting “Making Augmented Reality Accessible: A Case Study of Lens in Maps”, in which he discusses how audio cues, haptic feedback, and intuitive screen reader interactions all play a role in making the Google Maps’ Lens feature more accessible to blind and low vision users! To learn more about Ohan Oda’s talk: https://lnkd.in/gtiiNj_r Friend of XR Access and Technical Director at Mighty Coconut Colby Morgan will also be giving a talk on “Building Inclusive Mini Golf: A Practical Guide to Accessible XR Development.” He’ll be discussing how to design with accessibility in mind from day one, which has made Walkabout Mini Golf one of the most successful and accessible VR games on the market right now! To learn more about Colby Morgan’s upcoming talk: https://lnkd.in/gJDMAcTv

Here at XR Access, we love to highlight research and publications about making #XR more #accessible. Today, we’re spotlighting ?? In 2019, @Microsoft researchers wrote a position paper on the #accessibility opportunities #VR opens up in terms of content accessibility, interaction accessibility, device accessibility, inclusive representations, and application diversity.? Read this paper here:? https://lnkd.in/guU3kQBe You can find more Microsoft research publications on Accessible Mixed Reality here:? https://lnkd.in/g7ytpPzA

Our Neurodiversity community discussion in collaboration with XR Association is NEXT WEEK on September 24! We can’t wait to hear from our three amazing speakers Olga V. Ivanova, Kate Kalcevich, and Jazmin Collins about how to make #VR more #accessible for neurodivergent users. We hope to see you there! Register here:? https://lnkd.in/ggXr-qR9 #a11y #accessibility #XR #AR

We're always looking for more researchers and #a11y to join the XR Access Research Network! If you're working on making #AR #VR or #XR more #accessible, join our research network! The XR Access Research Network aims to foster academic-style research across fields and disciplines, with a shared interest in making XR technologies accessible, enabling innovative research, new collaborations, resource-sharing, and translational impact. The Research Network holds regular seminars and conversations, supports emerging researchers at the undergraduate and graduate levels, and creates networking and collaboration opportunities among research groups and between academia and industry. We also bridge the gap between researchers and disabled communities. Join through our application form: https://lnkd.in/gczWm2kJ

Our talk with Colby Morgan, Technical Director at Mighty Coconut is now up on YouTube! In this talk, Colby discussed how he implemented features like magnification, UI scaling, and controller smoothing to make #VR more #accessible for low-vision players. He also went over the challenges of developing for VR with low vision and the new features that make Walkabout Mini Golf of the most approachable and accessible social experiences in the metaverse. Watch here:? https://lnkd.in/gHrKdpDq

Join us on September 24 at 10 am PT/ 1 pm ET for our next community discussion in collaboration with XR Association , on the topic of neurodiversity. What are the potential sensory, task, and interaction challenges neurodivergent #VR users face? What design strategies can VR applications employ to be more accessible to neurodivergent users? Our guest speakers will be: Olga V. Ivanova || Founder & CEO at VR Oxygen Kate Kalcevich || Head of Accessibility Innovation, Fable Jazmin Collins || PhD Student, Cornell Register here:? https://lnkd.in/ggXr-qR9 #a11y #accessibility #XR #AR