Beyond Sight: Cinematic virtual reality for the visually impaired
Cesar Portillo
London College of Music
Supervisors:
Professor Justin Paterson
London College of Music
Dr Alastair Barrow
Toia Limited
Cinematic virtual reality (VR) offers the promise of immersive storytelling experiences, seamlessly blending audio-visual elements to captivate users within narratives around them. However, this potential is hindered for blind and visually impaired audiences due to limited accessibility features, notably in audio description (AD), a service that narrates visual cues for this audience. The fast-paced nature of virtual reality often leaves AD unable to convey the full visual spectrum, thus restricting the richness of the VR experience.
“Virtual Reality for the Visually Impaired” (VR-VI) is a research project aimed at rectifying the accessibility imbalance in VR by providing experimental AD approaches tailored specifically for cinematic VR. VR-VI integrates layered audio and sensory information, harnessing immersive sound, haptics technology, and experimental AD techniques to foster deeper engagement and understanding with visual content and offer a more inclusive narrative experience.
This presentation critically evaluates the current accessibility landscape in the VR industry and puts forth strategies to enhance the understanding of visual cues for visually impaired users. It aims to enhance immersion and precision in interpreting visual elements through amplified audio, visual, and tactile feedback, similar to what is seen in other media such as films and video games, and explores their potential applications in accessibility for VR. The presentation will also outline the steps to be taken in the agreed collaboration with the Royal National Institute of Blind People to test the accuracy and effectiveness of the proposed methods.
By combining immersive audio, experimental AD, and haptics integration, VRVI seeks to bridge the accessibility gap, empowering visually impaired audiences to fully understand and immerse themselves in cinematic VR narratives. Through this initiative, VR-VI aims to pave the way for a more inclusive and enriching VR experience for all users, regardless of visual ability or disability.