Immersion, Inclusion, Impact: Enhancing Educational Access for d/Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students Through Immersive...

Immersive technologies are increasingly used in education, yet their role in supporting the diverse communication and learning needs of d/Deaf and hard of hearing (d/Dhh) learners remains underexamined. This PRISMA-guided systematic review synthesizes evidence on how augmented reality, virtual reality, mixed reality, extended reality, and metaverse-based environments are applied in d/Dhh education. Searches of five databases (Scopus, Web of Science, IEEE Xplore, ACM Digital Library, and Google Scholar; 2014-2024) identified 30 studies (21 empirical, nine conceptual/design-focused). Data were synthesized narratively and interpreted through an integrated framework combining sociocultural theory, universal design for learning, bilingual-bicultural perspectives in deaf education, and the cognitive affective model of immersive learning. Across studies, immersive technologies were used to support both communication access and learning participation. The most consistent benefit was improved access to instructional content through multimodal supports such as captioning, visual representations, and, in some contexts, sign language integration. Additional outcomes in engagement, literacy development, social interaction, and conceptual understanding were reported in smaller subsets of studies. However, implementation remains constrained by hardware limitations, uneven accessibility design, and insufficient teacher readiness, raising concerns about equitable adoption. Overall, immersive technologies demonstrate high but fragile potential to enhance communication access and participation for d/Dhh learners, contingent on accessibility-driven design, professional support for educators, and participatory approaches that reflect diverse communication profiles.