What is it about?
Many university students with dyslexia struggle with foreign language learning; not because they lack ability, but because most teaching materials and teaching environments are not designed with their needs in mind. This book explores how Virtual Reality (VR) and other immersive digital technologies can change that. It brings together research on dyslexia, English as a foreign language, second language acquisition, and educational technology to ask a practical question: can immersive environments help students with dyslexia learn English more effectively, and with less anxiety? The book covers everything from the cognitive profile of dyslexic learners to hands-on guidance for designing accessible VR scenarios, inclusive e-learning courses, and technology-supported vocabulary activities. It also looks ahead to AI and the metaverse, exploring their potential as the next frontier of inclusive language education.
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Why is it important?
Students with dyslexia remain one of the most underserved groups in higher education language classrooms, yet the research on how to support them is scattered across disciplines and rarely reaches practitioners. This book bridges that gap. It is one of the first to systematically connect inclusive pedagogy, English linguistics, VR design, and dyslexia research in a single volume, offering both theoretical grounding and concrete tools that teachers, instructional designers, and policymakers can use immediately. It is also an invitation to reflect on what diversity truly means — challenging the biases and stigmas that still surround dyslexia — and to explore how that reflection translates into language education and vocabulary learning in practice. As immersive technologies and AI reshape education, ensuring they are built for diverse learners from the outset is not optional: it is an equity issue.
Perspectives
This book stems from my PhD research: years of investigation, effort, and dedication to understanding the needs of university students with dyslexia and finding language teaching approaches that genuinely support them. It was not always easy, but it was always meaningful. Technology is too often treated as either a threat or a cure. I am neither a skeptic nor an uncritical optimist: VR and AI are already here, reshaping cognitive frameworks, influencing learners' attitudes, and transforming educational landscapes whether we engage with them or not. This book was my opportunity to "ride the wave" thoughtfully, to explore what these tools can actually do, and to describe it in a way that is accessible, grounded, and inclusive. Because diversity is not an abstract concept. It is a label that any of us may find ourselves wearing, at different points and to different degrees. That is reason enough to get this right.
Giulia Staggini
University of Siena
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Virtual Reality in Inclusive Language Learning, August 2026, John Benjamins,
DOI: 10.1075/aals.23.
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