Abstract

For people with a condition of disability, including those with limited mobility, accessing places of interest can be a challenge, affected by factors such as transportation distances, costs, and available infrastructure, among others. Inclusion is a current topic, as there is a need to provide and develop universal access. How can a virtual reality experience be developed to help disabled people experience public or private places of interest? To answer this question, we developed and tested an application for smartphones with virtual reality concepts. The application allows users to explore a sculpture museum, taking into consideration the context of the target group and the quality of a virtual reality experience. To test the application, we conducted a feasibility test with eleven patients with Parkinson's disease, who then responded to a survey with 57 questions. The test showed that users liked and found the application useful for bridging the gap for disabled persons in accessing culture through an enhanced photospheres virtual reality experience. The main contribution of this work is the design of an immersive user experience at low cost, with spherical pictures and effects inspired by game development