by David Redmond

In recent weeks I had the opportunity to try out the Meta Quest Pro. It’s a virtual reality headset developed by Meta, the parent company of many apps like Facebook, and WhatsApp. When I say I got to try it though I literally mean I got to put it on. I unfortunately didn’t get to really do anything with Meta Quest, because it doesn’t have a screen reader.

The Background

So, I have glaucoma. I’ve got no usable vision in one eye, and what a normal person can see 60m away I can only see 1 m away with my good eye. I can’t read things without assistance really, and as such I use a screen reader.

I’m a VoiceOver user for the most part, voiceover tends to exist everywhere I interact, from my phone to my watch to my TV. I’ve become accustomed to just using devices without thinking, as usual now when I’m handed a piece of modern tech, I’ll find some way to make it talk.

As such I found the Meta Quest really frustrating. It was the first time in a while that I came across a device I truly couldn’t access.

I had enough vision to make out that there was a menu displayed in front of me, but if I moved closer to take a look it would dissolve before I could get close enough to see it.

I took the headset off feeling somewhat disappointed honestly. A mainstream device with so much potential, but yet I can’t use it.

When I asked Meta Quest support about screen readers, they simply said that Quest has many accessibility features built-in across devices, but confirmed they didn’t currently have a screen reader. I was directed to an idea page to submit feedback.

At Vision Ireland, we try to provide honest impartial information about technology so that those with sight loss can make an informed purchasing decision. I can confidently say that as of now, if you have extremely low or no vision and rely on a screen reader a Meta Quest device probably isn’t for you.

We are going to have those with different levels of vision try the device and we’ll share more thoughts in a YouTube video on the V I Labs channel in the future. Unfortunately, though I couldn’t help but feel left out by the lack of a screen reader.

Is this just a Meta issue?

No, while it’s probably true that more devices than ever now have screen readers built-in, they are certainly not universal.

As soon as you get into niche devices, screen readers disappear. We use a device called a Rodecaster when producing our Talking Technology podcast and it doesn’t have a screen reader, the AI device Rabbit R1 reportedly doesn’t have a screen reader yet but it’s being looked into, and there are countless other devices out there from ATMs to kids toys that just haven’t seen the screen reader revolution.

Technology for those with sight loss has reached a point now where it could be argued that most phones or laptops are reaching a level of accessibility, so is it time to start looking at the accessibility of everyday devices being used in homes and workplaces, and asking should that have a screen reader?

Is it reasonable to argue that if it has a screen, it should have a screen reader? A statement like that may be too radical as it could mean everything from photocopiers and printers to ticket machines, but it’s a philosophy worth considering as technology advances.

Conclusion

I’m generally optimistic about accessibility. AI has meant huge leaps forward in recent times, and I generally think things will keep getting better.

With that said it’s hard sometimes not to be slightly disappointed when really cool tech isn’t accessible out of the box. I’m hopeful that the meta quest will get a screen reader someday and I hope the same is true for the likes of the Rabbit R1. These devices have the ability to truly enable people with sight loss, but those users do need screen readers to make this possible.