Although XR technologies can certainly help with accessibility to certain places or experiences for people with disabilities, they are not necessarily accessible to everyone. An article from UC Berkeley states: “Given the importance of vision, hearing, motion, and haptic control in XR, there also arise many crucial questions about how to accommodate users’ various functional restrictions and diverse sensory limitations” (UC Berkley, 2026). Virtual Reality relies on visual and auditory immersion to create the experience; therefore, if someone has visual or auditory limitations, virtual reality may not be suitable for them. It is also known to cause sensory overload or dizziness in some individuals, which is also important to consider when using tech for accessibility purposes. Augmented reality overlays digital content on real world images or experiences with special classes or phones. This could possibly help create context for someone is hearing impaired, but if they are visually impaired it would be unhelpful. Reliance on haptic feedback could also be inaccessible to people with certain physical disabilities or nerve damage. I do not necessarily think these technologies support UDL concepts, given that they do not make for lessons that support all students from the start, but they could be great tools for people with certain disabilities. I think it could be especially useful in giving people with physical disabilities the chance to see places that are not accessible.
Find the full article here:
https://udl.berkeley.edu/accessibility/xr-accessibility/xr-udl-perspective
An article from D2L suggests that VR can be used in education to support people with disabilities in trying something new in a safe environment or teaching them to do tasks in a simulated task before attempting it in real life. Find the full article attached here:
I would not have considered using VR for teaching a new skill, but it does seem like an interesting way to introduce new concepts in a safe environment, where mistakes might not have the same real-world consequences or intimidation.
The following video discusses how VR and AR are being used in higher education with people with disabilities to support their education and learn to be independent:
Bibliography:
Chandrashekar, Sam. (2026). “GAAD: How Virtual Reality Can Transform the Way People with Disabilities Learn.” D2L. https://www.d2l.com/blog/gaad-how-virtual-reality-can-transform-the-way-people-with-disabilities-learn/
UC Berkeley. (2026). “XR From a UDL Perspective.” UC Berkeley. https://udl.berkeley.edu/accessibility/xr-accessibility/xr-udl-perspective
WSU COE. (2022). How a VR and AR lab helps students with disabilities, “Youtube,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZqUdb41Yp4
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