Accessibility

VR hardware is expensive and not available to every student or classroom, so nothing in VRChem is locked behind a headset. Every molecule can be explored in multiple ways:

• In your browser: the Molecule Lab renders an interactive 3D preview on any desktop or mobile browser — rotate, zoom, and customize with a mouse or touch, no special hardware needed
• On a flat screen: the immersive viewer has a full desktop mode with mouse-driven navigation, so exported scenes can be projected in a lecture hall or explored on a laptop
• In stereo 3D without a headset: the Molecule Lab and its image/video exports offer stereoscopic (anaglyph) 3D for inexpensive red-cyan or green-magenta paper glasses, plus a glasses-free “wiggle” mode whose motion-parallax depth cue works even for viewers with single-eye vision or without stereo fusion
• In augmented reality: molecules can be placed in the room through a phone’s camera (Apple Quick Look on iOS, Google Scene Viewer on Android) — a spatial experience with no headset at all
• As shareable media: exports include video (MP4), autoplay loops (animated WebP / GIF), and image (PNG) formats plus 3D-printable models (STL), so a molecule can be handed out, embedded in slides, or physically printed as a tactile teaching aid

VRChem is also free, works without creating an account, and runs in a standard web browser — there is no app to install and no paywall between a student and the content.

The web portal (this site) targets WCAG 2.2 Level AA. Measures in place today:

• Semantic HTML with landmarks, labeled controls, and text alternatives for meaningful images
• Keyboard operability — interactive controls are reachable and usable without a mouse, with a skip-to-content link for keyboard and screen-reader users
• Dark mode throughout, with your choice remembered across visits
• Reduced-motion support — when your device asks for less motion, background effects, entry animations, auto-playing molecule previews, and the glasses-free wiggle 3D effect are stilled
• Responsive, zoomable layouts that reflow rather than clip when text is enlarged
• A colorblind-safe atom color scheme in the Molecule Lab, derived from the Okabe–Ito palette, alongside per-element color customization
• Optional element labels in the lab's 3D preview — every atom annotated with its symbol, so identity doesn't rely on color perception
• A text alternative for the 3D preview — the molecule's name plus its molecular formula (or element composition for uploaded files) is announced to screen readers
• Automated accessibility audits (Lighthouse) run in our build pipeline, so accessibility regressions block a release rather than ship in one

Immersive experiences bring their own accessibility considerations — motion sickness above all. The VR viewer is built around comfort-first defaults:

• Teleport locomotion by default: point-and-jump movement, the widely recommended low-nausea way to travel in VR
• Snap turning: discrete 45° rotations instead of smooth camera spin
• Comfort vignette: peripheral vision gently darkens during any smooth movement to reduce motion sickness
• Seated or standing: nothing requires standing, walking, or room-scale space — every interaction works from a chair
• Controller-free hand tracking: on headsets that support it, bare-hand pinch gestures replace every controller button — no hardware needs to be held, gripped, or pressed
• Multi-sensory feedback: interactions are confirmed with visual highlights, synthesized audio cues, and controller vibration, so no single sense carries the interface
• Self-paced exploration: there are no timers, flashing effects, or forced sequences — users explore at their own speed and can exit at any moment

We believe in being direct about where we fall short today:

• 3D canvas and screen readers: the interactive 3D scene itself is visual — screen readers can operate the surrounding controls, but the spatial content of a molecule is not yet conveyed non-visually
• Color-coded atoms: the default element colors follow the standard CPK chemistry convention, which relies on color alone. The colorblind-safe scheme and per-element customization in the Molecule Lab address this, but they are opt-in rather than automatic
• VR motor requirements: in-headset interaction needs either tracked controllers or hand tracking, and the hand gestures rely on fine motor control (finger pinches). Voice control, switch access, and gaze-only input are not supported
• In-scene 3D toolbar: the floating buttons inside the 3D viewer (Controls & Settings, Molecule Library) are operated by pointing — a VR controller ray, hand ray, or the mouse — and are not yet keyboard-operable on desktop. The viewer's settings are also available from the keyboard-accessible on-screen drawer; keyboard access to the library is planned
• Modern browser required: the 3D experiences need WebGL, and the VR mode needs a WebXR-capable browser

Accessibility work is prioritized alongside features, guided by the W3C’s XR Accessibility User Requirements for the immersive side. Directions we are actively exploring:

• Element labels inside the VR viewer, extending the lab preview's labels into the headset
• Alternative VR input modes beyond controllers and hand gestures, such as voice commands
• Richer non-visual structure descriptions — bond connectivity and geometry surfaced to assistive technology, beyond the name and formula announced today
• Continued audits as WCAG and XR accessibility guidance evolve

Mixed-ability classrooms are the norm, and VRChem is designed for them: the same molecule, with the same customization, can be experienced simultaneously in a headset, on a laptop, on a phone in AR, or as a 3D-printed physical model. A student who cannot use — or chooses not to use — a headset participates in the same lesson with the same material, not a lesser version of it.