MINI REVIEW article
Front. Educ.
Sec. Special Educational Needs
This article is part of the Research TopicInclusion in Non-formal Education Places for Children and Adults with Disabilities Vol. IIView all 11 articles
Inclusive Education Beyond Formal Settings: AR and VR as Accessibility Strategies for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Individuals
Provisionally accepted
David Pérez-Jorge*
Miriam Catalina González-Afonso
Carmen de los Ángeles Perdomo-López
ZEUS PLASENCIA-CARBALLO- University of La Laguna, San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Spain
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Abstract This scoping review synthesizes the evidence on how augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) enhance accessibility and participation for deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals in non-formal educational settings (e.g., museums, libraries, heritage sites and community programs). Following the PCC and PRISMA-ScR frameworks, studies published between 2015 and 2025 in English, Spanish, Portuguese or French were searched in Scopus, Web of Science and PubMed. After peer screening, 9 manuscripts were analysed (from 246 unique records; 27 full texts reviewed). The most frequent contexts included libraries (orientation and anxiety reduction), cultural experiences with immersive subtitling, technical training using AR and sign language, and autonomous/community-based learning. Visual accessibility features predominated (subtitles, sign language support, 3D visualizations), with generally positive but exploratory evidence (small samples, short-term studies). We conclude that AR/VR have clear potential, but more robust designs, standardization (e.g., subtitles/avatars), co-design with deaf communities and evaluations of sustainability and scalability are needed.
Keywords: deaf and hard of hearing, non-formal education, accessibility, inclusion, Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual reality (VR), sign language, Immersive Learning
Received: 29 Sep 2025; Accepted: 12 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Pérez-Jorge, González-Afonso, Perdomo-López and PLASENCIA-CARBALLO. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: David Pérez-Jorge, dpjorge@ull.edu.es
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