The newest iteration of cyberspace is often called Web3, a melange of crypto transactions, decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs), an explosion of AI-assisted tools, and the Metaverse.  The Metaverse is, broadly speaking, a virtual space where digital representations of people – avatars – interact in all kinds of scenarios, from the banal to the fantastical.^[1]  The term, which has been around in science fiction for a few decades, was appropriated by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg to describe a splendid vision of an “even more immersive and embodied internet” where “you’re gonna be able to do almost anything you can imagine—get together with friends and family, work, learn, play, shop, create—as well as entirely new categories that don’t really fit how we think about computers or phones today.”^[2]

Some maintain that Web3 provides users agency over content, data and assets and is built on models of co-ownership and decentralization of decision-making and control.^[3]  Rather than being at the whims of someone else’s platform – typically a large corporation that views you as a product – the ‘promise’ of Web3 is that persons with disabilities will own or co-own not just content, but the platform itself. Web3 tools, in particular DAOs, could be a key in rebuilding equitable systems.  But, this rosy assessment has an all too familiar ring to it.  Web1 and Web2 were similarly stuffed with liberatory potential in their early days.

It’s still early days for Web 3 and the Metaverse, but there are some initiatives that aim to make these new digital spaces accessible and inclusive for people with disabilities. Companies such as Immersive Labs are developing application programming interfaces (APIs) that can be used to add accessibility features such as text-to-speech, voice commands, and alternative control methods to virtual environments.  Some companies, such as ViSenze, are developing assistive technologies specifically for the Metaverse, such as tools to navigate and interact with virtual spaces using only one’s gaze.  There are also communities within the Metaverse, such as the Virtual Ability Island in Second Life, that are dedicated to supporting people with disabilities.

SPOTLIGHT: The Last of Us II