Beyond Visual Access: Accessibility Requirements for Metaverse-Based Geometry Learning among Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Learners

Introduction: Metaverse technologies can provide visually rich and interactive learning environments, yet visual richness alone does not ensure accessibility for deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) learners. Interfaces that present visual, linguistic, and instructional elements simultaneously may create competing demands on visual attention. This study examined the accessibility and interaction requirements identified by DHH learners for a proposed metaverse-based geometry learning environment.

Methods: A qualitative user-centred needs analysis was conducted with 13 DHH secondary school students purposively recruited from two Malaysian states. Two focus group discussions explored barriers to geometry learning and learners' expectations of technology-supported learning. Data were analysed thematically through open coding and thematic mapping, followed by a cross-theme synthesis to identify interface-level accessibility requirements.

Results: Four interrelated requirements were highlighted: controlled visual information density, sequential visualisation of spatial processes, learner control over pace and repetition, and immediate feedback to support task confidence. Participants described difficulty when videos progressed too quickly, written information was lengthy, or multiple visual elements competed for attention. Reported preferences included clearly visible Malaysian Sign Language, concise text, step-by-step representations of three-dimensional forms, repeatable learning sequences, and immediate confirmation of responses. Rather than simply requesting more visual content, learners' accounts pointed to a need for greater control over the timing, sequencing, and density of visual information. These findings suggest that temporal control and visual orchestration may function as accessibility requirements in immersive learning design.

Conclusions: Accessible metaverse-based learning for DHH users requires more than the addition of captions, sign language, or visually rich media. Assistive learning environments should support controlled visual presentation, user-regulated pacing, sequential spatial representation, and feedback-rich interaction. Integrating DHH learners' requirements early in the technology design process may support more cognitively accessible and user-responsive immersive learning systems.