guidelines for a more inclusive and accessible environment

Today, the document “D-VERSO – Guidelines for an inclusive and accessible Metaverse” was published, born from the commitment of Valore D, the first Italian association of companies dedicated to the promotion of diversity and inclusion, in collaboration with Accenture and the Metaverse Marketing Lab of the Politecnico di Milano. 

The objective is to provide practical tools and a strategic vision to guide companies in the use of new immersive technologies in a responsible, sustainable, and diversity-respecting manner.

Context and purpose

Valore D, which brings together over 400 companies with more than two million employees and an aggregated turnover exceeding 500 billion euros, has been working since 2009 to build a workplace free from discrimination. 

In this perspective, the metaverse represents a new frontier: an interconnected virtual and physical space that transforms the ways of interaction, collaboration, and business. Immersive technologies – virtual, augmented, mixed reality, and spatial computing – constitute a bridge between digital and real, opening opportunities for innovation and progress, but also ethical, social, and cultural challenges.

The document emphasizes the need to question who holds the ownership of the new spaces, how the involved parties interact, and what the implications are for privacy and data protection.

The mission is to define an inclusive, accessible, rights-respecting, fair, and sustainable metaverse.

Innovation and social implications

Immersive technologies allow for the overlay of digital content onto the physical environment or the creation of realistic virtual worlds. 

With the help of generative artificial intelligence and digital twins, the boundary between real and virtual is thinning. The applications range from manufacturing to training, from remote operations to collaborative design. 

However, it is not enough to look at the technological aspects: it is necessary to address issues of ethics, rights, and human relationships.

The document emphasizes the importance of a “human by design” technology, meaning designed to enhance life and work in a natural and intuitive way. 

Companies will need to ensure inclusive, accessible, and safe experiences, valuing diversity in gender, ethnicity, ability, and socio-economic status.

Educational and inclusion opportunities

The metaverse has strong educational potential. Thanks to immersive simulations, it can break down geographical and economic barriers, allowing students from all over the world to share experiences and educational environments. 

Not only transmission of content, but also development of transversal skills, collaboration, and sense of belonging.

Avatars allow people to represent themselves as they wish, overcoming limits related to gender, sexual identity, disabilities, or health conditions. 

This opens new and deeper prospects for inclusion. An example: a patient with ALS can interact without motor limits, or a child with cerebral palsy can find motivation in physiotherapy thanks to an avatar in their own image.

Risks and challenges

Alongside the opportunities, concrete risks emerge:

• Accessibility: devices for the metaverse are expensive and might exclude those who do not have adequate resources.

• Social isolation: prolonged immersion can lead to phenomena of alienation or dependence, up to cases of “digital hikikomori”.
• Quality of information: the impact of fake news and disinformation in immersive environments could be devastating.

• Privacy and security: it is necessary to ensure data protection, combat cyberbullismo and disinformation.

The role of companies

Companies will not only be users of technologies, but also protagonists in building a fair and sustainable digital ecosystem.

The guidelines developed by Valore D identify three fundamental pillars:

• Diversity and inclusion – promoting open and respectful environments.
• Digital sustainability – reduce the environmental impact of virtual activities.
• Data transparency – place privacy at the center of strategies.

The adoption of open and interoperable standards will be crucial to avoid the creation of closed ecosystems and ensure equal access opportunities.

Social responsibility and legitimation

The document introduces an interpretative framework to evaluate how companies position themselves in the metaverso:

• Pragmatic legitimization – initiatives justified by tangible benefits for stakeholders.
• Moral legitimacy – based on the sharing of values and the idea that “it is the right thing to do”.
• Cognitive legitimization – companies act as promoters of social progress, regardless of economic return.

Commitment can be proactive or pragmatic, but the key criterion is consistency with the CSR and D&I strategy.

Guidelines for an inclusive metaverse

During the workshops, values and strategic objectives were identified:

• Opening and inclusion, without discrimination.

• Employee training for responsible use.
• Adherence to company values.
• Security and respect for privacy.
• Transparency on the use of data.
• Attention to the environmental impact.
• Equity and equal opportunities.
• Responsibility in the management and sharing of information.

Points for reflection

Regarding the environment, the metaverse can become a platform for raising awareness and environmental education. The case of Tuvalu, which has created a digital twin of an island threatened by climate change, is an example of how digital can preserve culture and sovereignty.

Interoperability and open source approaches are fundamental tools to ensure inclusion and quality content accessibility.

Furthermore, verification algorithms and digital education are needed to counter fake news without limiting freedom of expression.

The document aims to serve as a compass for companies that want to tackle the challenge of the metaverse with awareness. 

It is not enough to comply with the regulations: it is necessary to adopt a social responsibility that places ethics, inclusion, and sustainability at the center.

The history of the internet and social media has shown the consequences of the lack of rules: polarization, disinformation, inequalities. 

With the metaverse, there is an opportunity to learn from past mistakes and build a truly human space, where technological and economic progress are accompanied by social justice, respect for rights, and appreciation of diversity.

The final message is clear: the metaverse is not just an opportunity for innovation, but a cultural and social challenge. 

Companies, together with institutions and civil society, have the responsibility to lead this transformation beyond tangible boundaries, to create an inclusive, fair, and sustainable digital future.