Development of a VR Head-mounted Display Strap Modification for Use by Individuals with a Cochlear Implant

Virtual reality (VR) continues to revolutionize how people work, play, and socialize. Even with new VR systems released regularly, VR hardware can still be inaccessible to many, especially people with disabilities. While researching VR accessibility barriers for older adults, we discovered that the Meta Quest 2 VR head-mounted display (HMD) does not allow for a person with a cochlear implant to wear both simultaneously. This inaccessibility is due to the cochlear implant being surgically implanted along the path of the HMD strap. To increase VR accessibility for individuals with a cochlear implant, we designed, developed, and tested a 3D-printed HMD strap modification that supports wearing both a VR HMD and a cochlear implant. This work illustrates that small, simple modifications can significantly increase the accessibility of VR system hardware for people with disabilities.