Exploring perception and immersive experience of visually impaired people in 360° video and 3D ambisonic audio

For a long time, immersive experiences have been designed with primarily sighted users in mind. However, recent advancements open exciting possibilities for expanding this realm to include individuals with visual impairments such as Cataracts, Glaucoma, and Severe low visual. One promising avenue lies in utilizing 360-degree videos with 3D Ambisonic audio recordings to create immersive experiences specifically tailored to their unique perceptual abilities. In this context, this preliminary study investigates audio-visual perception and presence of visually impaired people (VIP) in immersive reality (IR) environments, by applying 360-degree video and 3D Ambisonic audio recordings in three different environments of a public park "Parking area, Green space, and Playground". The methodological approach of this study is based on a comparative study between sighted (SIG) and visually impaired people (VIP), by conducting questionnaires such as the presence questionnaire and the emotional salience questionnaire. The findings show that both categories can experience the same presence within the IR environment with a difference in the evaluation of the acoustic environment, where the visually impaired show a greater influence on mechanical sounds. By designing inclusive experiences for all, IR has the potential to be equally engaging and immersive for everyone, regardless of sight.