Accessibility Considerations for Immersive Education: Using Reddit Discussions to Explore Perspectives on Virtual Reality (VR)

This study investigates how neurodivergent individuals, students, and educators discuss virtual reality (VR)-based education on Reddit, with a focus on accessibility, sensory experience, and structural concerns. Using a qualitative research design grounded in constructivist epistemology, secondary data were drawn from publicly available Reddit threads and analysed through thematic analysis following Braun and Clarke’s (2006) six-phase framework. Findings revealed that while some users experience VR as calming, structured, and conducive to focus, others reported sensory overload, motion sickness, and disorientation, especially among users with dyspraxia or heightened sensory sensitivities. Participants also voiced ethical concerns around corporate control, data privacy, and the exclusion of educators and neurodivergent stakeholders from design processes. The study underscores that VR is not inherently inclusive and that its educational benefits are highly individualised. Inclusive design must go beyond technical usability to meaningfully engage neurodivergent perspectives from the outset. The findings carry important implications for developers, educators, and policymakers seeking to integrate immersive technologies in equitable and ethical ways. By amplifying user-generated discourse, this research highlights the importance of participatory approaches in shaping accessible educational technologies and identifies a critical gap: the underrepresentation of neurodivergent developers in both online discourse and design leadership.