Rhizoma VR - RNIB XR Toolkit Edition

Lynsay A. Shepherd; Naman Merchant; Hailey J.  Austin; William Kavanagh

Rhizoma VR - RNIB XR Toolkit Edition

Lynsay A. Shepherd^* (Designer)
, Naman Merchant (Developer)
, Hailey J. Austin (Designer)
, William Kavanagh (Designer)

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Non-textual form › Software

11 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Rhizoma VR: RNIB XR Toolkit Edition is an immersive virtual reality experience designed to explore human connection with nature in an increasingly urbanised world, as part of a collaboration between the Royal National Institute for Blind People (RNIB) and Abertay University. The aim of the collaboration was to explore the accessibility of XR experiences, and create best-practice toolkits for accessible XR experiences in both games and the GLAM (games, libraries, archives, and museums) sector.

The original version of Rhizoma, developed by Dr Naman Merchant, was part of a collaborative installation curated by Dr. Hadi Mehrpouya in September 2024 (Mehrpouya et al., 2024). The experience features three distinct environments:

• A desert landscape where the user begins.
• A kelp forest that gradually emerges as the user moves forward within the environment.
• A dark space illuminated by hundreds of fireflies marking the journey’s end.

Building on prior research and practitioner consultations, Rhizoma VR RNIB XR Toolkit Edition was augmented with accessibility features for blind and partially sighted people (BPS) and evaluated by individuals with varying levels of sight loss to assess the effectiveness of these enhancements.

Original language	English
Publisher	Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB)
Publication status	Published - 1 Dec 2025

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 9 Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
SDG 10 Reduced Inequalities

Keywords

GLAM
Galleries
Libraries
Archives
Museums
Visual impairment
Blind
Partially sighted
XR
Extended reality
VR
Virtual reality
Game technologies
Culture

Access to Document

Rhizoma VR RNIB XR Toolkit EditionFinal published version, 4.5 MB

Cite this

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abstract = "Rhizoma VR: RNIB XR Toolkit Edition is an immersive virtual reality experience designed to explore human connection with nature in an increasingly urbanised world, as part of a collaboration between the Royal National Institute for Blind People (RNIB) and Abertay University. The aim of the collaboration was to explore the accessibility of XR experiences, and create best-practice toolkits for accessible XR experiences in both games and the GLAM (games, libraries, archives, and museums) sector. The original version of Rhizoma, developed by Dr Naman Merchant, was part of a collaborative installation curated by Dr. Hadi Mehrpouya in September 2024 (Mehrpouya et al., 2024). The experience features three distinct environments: • A desert landscape where the user begins. • A kelp forest that gradually emerges as the user moves forward within the environment. • A dark space illuminated by hundreds of fireflies marking the journey{\textquoteright}s end. Building on prior research and practitioner consultations, Rhizoma VR RNIB XR Toolkit Edition was augmented with accessibility features for blind and partially sighted people (BPS) and evaluated by individuals with varying levels of sight loss to assess the effectiveness of these enhancements.",

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N2 - Rhizoma VR: RNIB XR Toolkit Edition is an immersive virtual reality experience designed to explore human connection with nature in an increasingly urbanised world, as part of a collaboration between the Royal National Institute for Blind People (RNIB) and Abertay University. The aim of the collaboration was to explore the accessibility of XR experiences, and create best-practice toolkits for accessible XR experiences in both games and the GLAM (games, libraries, archives, and museums) sector. The original version of Rhizoma, developed by Dr Naman Merchant, was part of a collaborative installation curated by Dr. Hadi Mehrpouya in September 2024 (Mehrpouya et al., 2024). The experience features three distinct environments: • A desert landscape where the user begins. • A kelp forest that gradually emerges as the user moves forward within the environment. • A dark space illuminated by hundreds of fireflies marking the journey’s end. Building on prior research and practitioner consultations, Rhizoma VR RNIB XR Toolkit Edition was augmented with accessibility features for blind and partially sighted people (BPS) and evaluated by individuals with varying levels of sight loss to assess the effectiveness of these enhancements.

AB - Rhizoma VR: RNIB XR Toolkit Edition is an immersive virtual reality experience designed to explore human connection with nature in an increasingly urbanised world, as part of a collaboration between the Royal National Institute for Blind People (RNIB) and Abertay University. The aim of the collaboration was to explore the accessibility of XR experiences, and create best-practice toolkits for accessible XR experiences in both games and the GLAM (games, libraries, archives, and museums) sector. The original version of Rhizoma, developed by Dr Naman Merchant, was part of a collaborative installation curated by Dr. Hadi Mehrpouya in September 2024 (Mehrpouya et al., 2024). The experience features three distinct environments: • A desert landscape where the user begins. • A kelp forest that gradually emerges as the user moves forward within the environment. • A dark space illuminated by hundreds of fireflies marking the journey’s end. Building on prior research and practitioner consultations, Rhizoma VR RNIB XR Toolkit Edition was augmented with accessibility features for blind and partially sighted people (BPS) and evaluated by individuals with varying levels of sight loss to assess the effectiveness of these enhancements.

UR - https://youtu.be/0kHXptWNbUM

UR - https://youtu.be/0jGqOBnV81M

UR - https://youtu.be/XLppHKRNWdU

M3 - Software

PB - Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB)

ER -

Rhizoma VR - RNIB XR Toolkit Edition

Abstract

UN SDGs

Keywords

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Inclusive VR experiences for visually impaired people: making an accessible XR

XR accessibility insights and toolkit: GLAM sector report

XR accessibility insights and toolkit: gaming sector report

Cite this