Brandon Biggs

Although virtual reality (VR) was originally conceived of as a multi-sensory experience, most developers of the technology have focused on its visual aspects to the detriment of other senses such as hearing. This paper presents design patterns to make virtual reality fully accessible to non-visual users, including totally blind users, especially with non-verbal social interactions. Non-visual VR has been present in the blindness audio game community since the early 2000s, but the conventions from those interfaces have never been described to a sighted audience, outside of a few limited sonification interface papers. This paper presents non-visual design patterns created by five of the top English-speaking audio game developers through a three round Delphi method, encompassing 29 non-verbal social interactions grouped into 12 categories in VR, including movement, emotes, and self-expression. This paper will be useful to developers of VR experiences who wish to represent non-verbal social information to their users through non-visual conventions. These methods have only been rigorously tested through the commercial market, and not through scientific approaches. These design patterns can serve as the foundation for future investigation in exploring non-visual non-verbal social interactions in VR.

This study examines the accessibility of digital map tools in relation to the Web Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, highlighting critical issues for disabled users. Despite the widespread use of digital maps across various professions and daily activities, their accessibility remains insufficient. The research involved a partial Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR) comparison of the top 14 digital map tools, focusing on 15 WCAG criteria particularly relevant to geographic maps. The study expanded definitions for three criteria - 1.1.1 Non-Text Content, 1.4.11 Non-text Contrast, and 2.1.1 Keyboard Accessibility - to better apply them to map contexts. Findings revealed significant accessibility shortcomings, with only one tool (Audiom) achieving full compliance and others lacking adequate text alternatives, proper contrast, and keyboard operability. The discussion emphasizes the urgency for map developers to enhance accessibility, especially in light of upcoming legal requirements like the ADA Title II regulations. Making maps accessible not only aids users with disabilities but also offers business benefits by expanding the user base and fostering innovation. The study provides a systematic evaluation framework and clear guidelines to encourage greater digital map accessibility within an academic context.

Maps are indispensable for helping people learn about unfamiliar environments and plan trips. While tactile (2D) and 3D maps offer non-visual map access to people who are blind or visually impaired (BVI), this access is greatly enhanced by adding interactivity to the maps: when the user points at a feature of interest on the map, the name and other information about the feature is read aloud in audio. We explore how the use of an interactive 3D map of a playground, containing over seventy play structures and other features, affects spatial learning and cognition. Specifically, we perform experiments in which four blind participants answer questions about the map to evaluate their grasp of three types of spatial knowledge: landmark, route and survey. The results of these experiments demonstrate that participants are able to acquire this knowledge, most of which would be inaccessible without the interactivity of the map. Keywords Assistive devices Accessibility Augmented reality Audio labeling Visual impairment Blindness Low vision

Augmented reality (AR) has great potential for blind users because it enables a range of applications that provide audio information about specific locations or directions in the user’s environment. For instance, the CamIO (“Camera Input-Output”) AR app makes physical objects (such as documents, maps, devices and 3D models) accessible to blind and visually impaired persons by providing real-time audio feedback in response to the location on an object that the user is touching (using an inexpensive stylus). An important feature needed by blind users of AR apps such as CamIO is a 3D spatial guidance feature that provides real-time audio feedback to help the user find a desired location on an object. We have devised a simple audio interface to provide verbal guidance towards a target of interest in 3D. The experiment we report with blind participants using this guidance interface demonstrates the feasibility of the approach and its benefit for helping users find locations of interest .