People with physical impairments can experience significant barriers in using traditional input devices (e.g., a mouse, keyboard, stylus, and touch) to control creative and technical software. This, in turn, can result in disabled people being excluded from technical activities (e.g., game design/development) and developing careers within the 3D sector. Moreover, this exclusion can also apply to experienced professional designers and developers who may have acquired physical impairments later in life (e.g., through an accident or repetitive strain injury).
New inclusive and accessible solutions within this area can therefore help to develop the diversity of the field and create new creative opportunities for people with physical impairments.
To address the challenge of making creative design and development activities more accessible, the Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and Graphics and Vision Research Centres are collaboratively building an open-source extension for Unreal Engine 5 (the leading industry 3D creation platform) that will allow disabled creators to control the software using alternative input approaches such as voice, eye gaze, and mechanical switches. This extension will be made freely available via the Epic Games Marketplace and will be disseminated across our extensive network to share this work with the wider community. This project will therefore enable marginalised groups to fully engage and participate within the 3D graphics and games community, as well as presenting significant potential for supporting new employment opportunities within the sector for disabled people over the longer term.
Project Team:
Project Impacts:
- Addressing systemic barriers and challenges that disabled designers/developers currently experience in accessing 3D creation platforms and software.
- The first Unreal Engine 5 extension using an innovative combination of alternative input approaches (e.g., voice, gaze, and switches) to support designers/developers with physical impairments in producing 3D experiences, games, and apps.
- New creative opportunities for disabled creators which offer significant potential to develop new employment routes and diversity within the 3D sector.
Funder:
This work is funded through an Epic Games MegaGrant.
Contact:
For more information on the project, contact Professor Chris Creed (chris.creed@bcu.ac.uk) or Professor Carlo Harvey (carlo.harvey@bcu.ac.uk).