How Accessible are Virtual Reality Freehand Gestures? Understanding Barriers for Users with Upper Limb Motor Impairments.

Lauren Pococke; Crescent Jicol; Christof Lutteroth; Christopher Clarke

doi:10.1145/3663547.3746402

How Accessible are Virtual Reality Freehand Gestures? Understanding Barriers for Users with Upper Limb Motor Impairments.

Lauren Pococke, Crescent Jicol, Christof Lutteroth, Christopher Clarke

Research output: Chapter or section in a book/report/conference proceeding › Chapter in a published conference proceeding

1 Citation (SciVal)

Abstract

Despite the growing adoption of freehand interactions in virtual reality (VR), the accessibility of default gesture implementations for individuals with upper limb motor impairments remains largely unexamined. To investigate unique accessibility challenges, we recruited adults with upper limb impairments (n=8) and a control group (n=16). We captured subjective and objective measures of impairment before participants performed common freehand interactions in VR including pinching, grasping, pressing, swiping and scrolling. Through observational analyses and semi-structured interviews, we identified usability barriers. Our findings reveal that even when gestures are functionally possible, restrictive implementations cause pain and fatigue for users with impairments. In particular, pinching - widely used in state-of-the-art systems - relies heavily on the index finger, while both pinching and grasping are often defined by rigid performance thresholds. These factors exacerbate accessibility issues, especially when paired with the limitations of current tracking technologies. These insights highlight critical gaps in current design considerations and lay the foundation for developing more inclusive freehand interaction systems that reduce pain and better support a range of motor abilities.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	ASSETS 2025 - Proceedings of the 27th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility
Subtitle of host publication	ASSETS ’25
Editors	Kristen Shinohara, Cynthia L. Bennett, Martez Mott, Shaun K. Kane
Place of Publication	U. S. A.
Publisher	Association for Computing Machinery
ISBN (Electronic)	9798400706769
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1145/3663547.3746402
Publication status	Published - 22 Oct 2025
Event	The 27th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility - Denver, USA United States Duration: 26 Oct 2025 → 29 Oct 2025 https://assets25.sigaccess.org/

Conference

Conference	The 27th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility
Abbreviated title	ASSETS 2025
Country/Territory	USA United States
City	Denver
Period	26/10/25 → 29/10/25
Internet address	https://assets25.sigaccess.org/

Acknowledgements

This research would not have been possible without the generous support of several charitable organisations, whose assistance was instrumental in helping us reach and engage with a broader community. We thank Mel Brooke and the Patient Research Panel on behalf of the Bath Institute for Rheumatic Diseases, St John’s Foundation, spinal injury charity Aspire, SIA's Frank Williams Academy, Age UK Bath, 3SG BANES, Paul's Place, the Stroke Association, Professor Grey Giddins at the Hand to Elbow Clinic, the Psoriasis Association, and the University of Bath Disability Action Group.

Funding

This research would not have been possible without the generous support of several charitable organisations, whose assistance was instrumental in helping us reach and engage with a broader community. We thank Mel Brooke and the Patient Research Panel on behalf of the Bath Institute for Rheumatic Diseases, St John's Foundation, spinal injury charity Aspire, SIA's Frank Williams Academy, Age UK Bath, 3SG BANES, Paul's Place, the Stroke Association, Professor Grey Giddins at the Hand to Elbow Clinic, the Psoriasis Association, and the University of Bath Disability Action Group. This work was supported and partly funded by the Centre for the Analysis of Motion, Entertainment Research and Applications (CAMERA 2.0) - EP/T022523/1.

Funders	Funder number
Stroke Association
Bath Institute For Rheumatic Diseases
Centre for the Analysis of Motion
St. John's Community Foundation
University of Bath Disability Action Group
Entertainment Research and Applications
Psoriasis Association
CAMERA 2.0	EP/T022523/1

Keywords

Gestures
Motor Accessibility
Virtual Reality

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Software
Hardware and Architecture
Human-Computer Interaction
Computer Graphics and Computer-Aided Design
Computer Networks and Communications

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10.1145/3663547.3746402Licence: CC BY

Cite this

Pococke, L., Jicol, C., Lutteroth, C., & Clarke, C. (2025). How Accessible are Virtual Reality Freehand Gestures? Understanding Barriers for Users with Upper Limb Motor Impairments. In K. Shinohara, C. L. Bennett, M. Mott, & S. K. Kane (Eds.), ASSETS 2025 - Proceedings of the 27th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility: ASSETS ’25 Article 4 Association for Computing Machinery. https://doi.org/10.1145/3663547.3746402

How Accessible are Virtual Reality Freehand Gestures? Understanding Barriers for Users with Upper Limb Motor Impairments. / Pococke, Lauren ; Jicol, Crescent ; Lutteroth, Christof et al.
ASSETS 2025 - Proceedings of the 27th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility: ASSETS ’25. ed. / Kristen Shinohara; Cynthia L. Bennett; Martez Mott; Shaun K. Kane. U. S. A.: Association for Computing Machinery, 2025. 4.

Research output: Chapter or section in a book/report/conference proceeding › Chapter in a published conference proceeding

Pococke, L , Jicol, C , Lutteroth, C & Clarke, C 2025, How Accessible are Virtual Reality Freehand Gestures? Understanding Barriers for Users with Upper Limb Motor Impairments. in K Shinohara, CL Bennett, M Mott & SK Kane (eds), ASSETS 2025 - Proceedings of the 27th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility: ASSETS ’25., 4, Association for Computing Machinery, U. S. A., The 27th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility, Denver, Colorado, USA United States, 26/10/25. https://doi.org/10.1145/3663547.3746402

Pococke L , Jicol C , Lutteroth C , Clarke C. How Accessible are Virtual Reality Freehand Gestures? Understanding Barriers for Users with Upper Limb Motor Impairments. In Shinohara K, Bennett CL, Mott M, Kane SK, editors, ASSETS 2025 - Proceedings of the 27th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility: ASSETS ’25. U. S. A.: Association for Computing Machinery. 2025. 4 Epub 2025 Oct 22. doi: 10.1145/3663547.3746402

Pococke, Lauren ; Jicol, Crescent ; Lutteroth, Christof et al. / How Accessible are Virtual Reality Freehand Gestures? Understanding Barriers for Users with Upper Limb Motor Impairments. ASSETS 2025 - Proceedings of the 27th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility: ASSETS ’25. editor / Kristen Shinohara ; Cynthia L. Bennett ; Martez Mott ; Shaun K. Kane. U. S. A. : Association for Computing Machinery, 2025.

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How Accessible are Virtual Reality Freehand Gestures? Understanding Barriers for Users with Upper Limb Motor Impairments.

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Keywords

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