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

Adson Damasceno, Lidiane Silva, Eudenia Barros, Francisco Oliveira

2024

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.

Paper Citation

in Harvard Style

Damasceno A., Silva L., Barros E. and Oliveira F. (2024). Metaverse4Deaf: Assistive Technology for Inclusion of People with Hearing Impairment in Distance Education Through a Metaverse-Based Environment. In Proceedings of the 16th International Conference on Computer Supported Education - Volume 1: CSEDU; ISBN 978-989-758-697-2, SciTePress, pages 510-517. DOI: 10.5220/0012700200003693

in Bibtex Style

@conference{csedu24,
author={Adson Damasceno and Lidiane Silva and Eudenia Barros and Francisco Oliveira},
title={Metaverse4Deaf: Assistive Technology for Inclusion of People with Hearing Impairment in Distance Education Through a Metaverse-Based Environment},
booktitle={Proceedings of the 16th International Conference on Computer Supported Education - Volume 1: CSEDU},
year={2024},
pages={510-517},
publisher={SciTePress},
organization={INSTICC},
doi={10.5220/0012700200003693},
isbn={978-989-758-697-2},
}

in EndNote Style

TY - CONF

JO - Proceedings of the 16th International Conference on Computer Supported Education - Volume 1: CSEDU
TI - Metaverse4Deaf: Assistive Technology for Inclusion of People with Hearing Impairment in Distance Education Through a Metaverse-Based Environment
SN - 978-989-758-697-2
AU - Damasceno A.
AU - Silva L.
AU - Barros E.
AU - Oliveira F.
PY - 2024
SP - 510
EP - 517
DO - 10.5220/0012700200003693
PB - SciTePress