Beyond Harassment: Exploring the Harm Experienced by People with Disabilities in Social Virtual Reality
2026-08-27 • Human-Computer Interaction
Human-Computer Interaction
AI summaryⓘ
The authors studied how people with disabilities experience harm when interacting in social virtual reality (VR) platforms. They found that harms go beyond just harassment behaviors and are influenced by how realistic VR feels and the vulnerabilities tied to disability. By surveying 67 participants with disabilities, they identified 19 distinct harms grouped into five categories and how severe people felt each harm was. They also looked at these harms through disability theory and suggested ways to design better safety features specific to the needs of people with disabilities in VR.
People with disabilities (PWD)Social virtual reality (VR)HarassmentHarmImmersive interactionsDisability identityCritical disability theorySafety mechanismsOnline surveyUser experience
Authors
Xinran Adeline Li, Kexin Zhang, Yuhang Zhao, Yaxing Yao
Abstract
People with disabilities (PWD) are increasingly engaging in social virtual reality (VR) platforms, where immersive and embodied interactions can intensify negative experiences. While prior work has examined harassment in VR, little is known about the harms experienced by PWD and the perceived severity associated with different harassment and disability types. Unlike harassment, which represents behaviors, harm is more critical to designing effective protections, as it reflects the consequences and impact; the realism of VR and the vulnerability resulting from disability identity can further amplify such impact. To characterize and model harms for PWD, we conducted a literature review, followed by an online survey with 67 PWD to understand participants' harassment experiences and resulting harms in social VR. We identified 19 types of harm in 5 categories, and reported the severity perception of each type of harm. Finally, we analyzed our results from the critical disability theory perspective, summarized the uniqueness of harm in social VR, and discussed design implications for specialized safety mechanisms that mitigate harm for PWD.