Metaverse4Deaf: Assistive Technology for Inclusion of People with Hearing Impairment in Distance Education Through a Metaverse-Based Environment

Abstract

In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, emphasizing the importance of digital transformation in education, this work in progress (Position Paper) addresses the imperative of inclusion and accessibility, particularly for individuals with disabilities. While the Dell Accessible Learning (DAL) platform has benefited 60,000+ users in remote learning, incorporating disruptive technologies like Metaverse could improve hands-on learning for people with disabilities. Metaverse augmented and virtual reality offers unique opportunities, but challenges remain in ensuring accessibility features. Focused on enhancing the DAL for deaf people, the research involves prototyping Metaverse solutions, considering impacts on users with and without disabilities. Challenges include optimizing the user experience and representing behaviors such as gestures and facial expressions.As an innovation proposal, this ongoing research involved collecting user data to elicit requirements, prototyping, and developing the minimum viable product of the metaverse environment, in addition to usability and acceptance tests with groups of users with disabilities. Central to the Metaverse is the representation of human behaviors, necessitating the understanding and translation of gestures from individuals with disabilities. The investigation culminates in a proposal validation experiment, a fundamental step towards achieving truly inclusive and accessible education through the Metaverse.