Mindfulness VR Apps There are several VR apps focused on relaxation and mindful- ness which can be used to support behavior regulation. Guided Meditation VR (Free) takes the user to beautiful simulated VR en- vironments such as a beach, forest under the aurora borealis, or outer space and guides the user through a calming deep breath- ing mindfulness script. FlowVR ($3.99) uses high resolution 360 degree video of nature scenes (waterfalls, oceans, mountains), gentle music, and guided meditation prompts to support relax- ation and mindfulness. For individuals who may need a break to regroup emotionally these VR mindfulness apps can provide an easy to implement self regulation tool using VR. VR Education The capability of VR experiences to put the user into a com- pletely artificial environment means that there is incredible po- tential to use VR for education. Currently, VR education focused apps are not quite as common as VR games but there are still many high quality VR educational apps. Google Earth VR (Free) brings the power of the Google Earth desktop app to VR so the user can virtually visit and explore anywhere on Earth. Google Earth in VR is easy to navigate and learn and includes detailed 3D models of most buildings in big cities and all the available street level imagery. Using the street level imagery a learner can virtually visit all around the world. Lifeliqe VR Museum (Free) al- lows users to interact with a range of topics from how volcanoes work, parts of a plant cell, and exploring outer space. Medical Holodeck (Free) is an interactive human anatomy viewer with tools for teaching and assessing user knowledge. These are just a few of the available educational VR experiences that could pro- vide immersive learning opportunities that are hands on (virtual hands on anyways), interactive, and learner directed. For stu- dents that are struggling to master content from a textbook or lecture these VR experiences are new resources to help educa- tors meet their students needs. VR Social It may seem counterintuitive to think of VR as a social activ- ity but there are many social applications and games that can provide structured practice for improving social skills. We are not recommending this as the only social skills instruction of course, but the capabilities of VR may provide some novel tools to your social skills instruction. For example the VR app Altspace- VR (Free) allows the user to meet up with friends in a room as a cartoonish avatar but the movements and voices are all real people. A student working on employment skills could practice answering interview questions from their teacher or job coach in this VR space. A practice interview in a simulated environment may be less socially stressful than initially practicing face to face in real life where issues like making eye contact could be barri- er to success. There are many multiplayer games that are avail- able in VR that can be played with friends from anywhere in the
world with internet access. A user with limited transportation could meet up with friend in Oculus Rooms (free) for a chat and some board games like chess, checkers, and many others or get together a group of friends for a fun game of Settlers of Catan in VR ($9.99). Based on individual needs some users may prefer playing complex games with many small pieces in VR which re- duces the need for fine motor activities such as reaching across the board and placing small objects. VR Entertainment Access to entertainment is another interesting capability on VR headsets. In addition to games like the ones mentioned above popular streaming video services like Netflix and Hulu are available on many VR platforms. Some like the Oculus Go even let you and a friend watch the same movie or show together from anywhere with internet access. Using these VR video apps a user can make the screen as large or small as they want based on their needs. The nature of wearing a head mounted VR dis- play also means that the user does not see the world around them while watching their favorite show unlike when they watch Netflix or Hulu on a mobile device. Representatives from our lab recently met with the administration of a local hospi- tal to examine the potential benefits of offering VR headset as another patient care option to relax and entertain during long treatments that can be distressing such as infusion based treat- ments. Rather than seeing needles, tubes, and monitors and a small mobile tablet screen patients could explore simulated en- vironments, play games in virtual environments, or just watch their favorite episode of Star Trek on a virtual screen as large as a movie theater screen. Future directions of VR as AT Hopefully this brief overview of the current capabilities of VR demonstrates some of its potential as an assistive technology. The next generations of these platforms will provide additional applications and design features that will enhance accessibility in VR for a larger group of users. Several platforms are work- ing including eye tracking to allow users to select and navigate experiences on the VR head mounted display. Major platforms in VR are also working to incorporate brain computer interfac- es that could use biofeedback to allow the user to select and control their VR experiences with less dependence on control- lers. These additions could dramatically increase future acces- sibility by incorporating eye tracking and other technologies to increase the options for access. Eye tracking tools could allow a user with mobility challenges that limit their use of hand held controllers to still enjoy and experience interactive VR games and simulations. Advancing VR as AT Advancing VR as a resource for individuals with disabilities is an exciting opportunity that will benefit from more people
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