Exploring VR While Lying Down With People With Physical Disability: The Relationship Between Safety, Comfort, and Experience

Using Virtual Reality (VR) while lying down is an opportunity to increase accessibility. In our work, we explore how people with physical disability perceive and experience VR while lying down. First, we present results from an interview study with 12 participants, contextualizing existing design recommendations from the perspective of disability, showing that upper-body movement needs to be prioritized and that individual preferences regarding interaction are important. Second, we leverage these findings to design Fruit Fisher, a VR research game played while lying down, offering adaptable movements and supporting adjustable reclining positions. We conduct an initial expert review of the game with three persons with physical disability that explores how VR while lying down is experienced. Overall, we show that there are unique concerns related to safety and comfort, that movement accessibility varies, but that the overall experience is enjoyable and of interest to persons with physical disability.