The VR4ALL project aimed to promote empathy, accessibility awareness and inclusive design competencies among product design students, teachers and professionals. Its main goal was to integrate Virtual Reality technologies into design education as a tool for experiencing the world from the perspective of users with disabilities. More specifically, the project sought to develop realistic 3D VR environments simulating visual and motor impairments, to train higher education teachers through a transnational Training of Trainers programme and a comprehensive Trainers’ Guide, to pilot and evaluate the educational impact of VR-based empathy learning in universities across five countries, to disseminate results through scientific publications, conferences and multiplier events, and to ensure the long-term adoption of the VR4ALL app and methodology in design curricula. In doing so, it aimed to transform design education into a more human-centred, inclusive and socially responsible discipline.
The VR4ALL project was initiated to respond to a growing need in higher education and design practice for more inclusive, empathy-driven approaches to product development. Designers often lack firsthand understanding of how people with visual or motor disabilities experience the world. Existing design curricula rarely provide experiential methods to cultivate this awareness. To address this gap, the consortium—comprising universities and technology partners from Portugal, Greece, Germany, Czechia and Romania—set out to integrate immersive Virtual Reality technologies into design education. The project aimed to help teachers and students experience everyday accessibility barriers through realistic simulations, fostering empathy and user-centred thinking. By combining expertise in VR, accessibility and pedagogy, VR4ALL supported the transition from traditional to universal design, promoting equality, inclusion and innovation in European higher education.