Immersive VR technologies as a means to empathizing disabled users in the design-for-all process

The VR4ALL project was initiated to respond to a growing need in higher education and design practice for more inclusive, empathy-driven approaches to product development. Designers often lack firsthand understanding of how people with visual or motor disabilities experience the world. Existing design curricula rarely provide experiential methods to cultivate this awareness. To address this gap, the consortium—comprising universities and technology partners from Portugal, Greece, Germany, Czechia and Romania—set out to integrate immersive Virtual Reality technologies into design education. The project aimed to help teachers and students experience everyday accessibility barriers through realistic simulations, fostering empathy and user-centred thinking. By combining expertise in VR, accessibility and pedagogy, VR4ALL supported the transition from traditional to universal design, promoting equality, inclusion and innovation in European higher education.

The VR4ALL project aimed to promote empathy, accessibility awareness and inclusive design competencies among product design students, teachers and professionals. Its main goal was to integrate Virtual Reality technologies into design education as a tool for experiencing the world from the perspective of users with disabilities. More specifically, the project sought to develop realistic 3D VR environments simulating visual and motor impairments, to train higher education teachers through a transnational Training of Trainers programme and a comprehensive Trainers’ Guide, to pilot and evaluate the educational impact of VR-based empathy learning in universities across five countries, to disseminate results through scientific publications, conferences and multiplier events, and to ensure the long-term adoption of the VR4ALL app and methodology in design curricula. In doing so, it aimed to transform design education into a more human-centred, inclusive and socially responsible discipline.

The project was implemented between September 2022 and August 2025, with the effective start in January 2023 due to the late signature of the grant agreement. It followed five main work packages covering management, development, training, piloting and dissemination. The consortium first defined the technical and educational requirements and developed five immersive VR environments simulating visual and motor disabilities in everyday contexts such as a supermarket, kitchen, ATM and art gallery. Two international training activities were organised in Brno and Berlin to familiarise educators with the tools and to prepare national pilots. Between December 2024 and July 2025, pilot sessions were carried out in all partner countries, engaging more than 180 students and educators. The final phase focused on dissemination, with five multiplier events and more than 160 promotional actions reaching3.764.885 people. All activities were completed successfully and according to plan.

VR4ALL produced a complete suite of innovative tools and learning resources that integrate Virtual Reality into inclusive design education. The main result is the VR4ALL application, which includes five interactive 3D environments simulating visual and motor impairments such as glaucoma, colour blindness, wheelchair use, Parkinson’s disease and missing limb. These simulations allow students and designers to experience accessibility barriers first-hand and develop empathy-based design solutions. A comprehensive Trainers’ Guide was created to support teachers in using the app in their classes, together with eleven detailed use case scenarios and pedagogical materials developed through the Training of Trainers programme. The project also delivered scientific papers, pilot evaluations and a set of dissemination materials ensuring visibility and reuse. Evaluation results showed more than 90% satisfaction among users and confirmed the strong educational impact of VR4ALL in fostering empathy, awareness and inclusive thinking among future designers.