Digital Layer Accessibility

The dimension of VR accessibility concerned with user representation through avatars and the design of virtual worlds and environments. On the avatar side, this includes whether users can create avatars that represent their disabilities, assistive devices, and physical characteristics, and how such representation affects social interactions and self-perception in VR. On the world design side, this includes whether virtual environments incorporate or remove physical barriers (such as stairs), how realistic environments are, and whether disability is reflected in the built virtual environment. Digital layer decisions interact with both physical accessibility (e.g., avatar capabilities affecting interaction options) and experiential accessibility (e.g., representation affecting sense of presence).