  The emergence of the metaverse is being widely viewed as a revolutionary
technology owing to a myriad of factors, particularly the potential to increase
the accessibility of learning for students with disabilities. However, not much
is yet known about the views and expectations of disabled students in this
regard. The fact that the metaverse is still in its nascent stage exemplifies
the need for such timely discourse. To bridge this important gap, we conducted
a series of semi-structured interviews with 56 university students with
disabilities in the United States and Hong Kong to understand their views and
expectations concerning the future of metaverse-driven education. We have
distilled student expectations into five thematic categories, referred to as
the REEPS framework: Recognition, Empowerment, Engagement, Privacy, and Safety.
Additionally, we have summarized the main design considerations in eight
concise points. This paper is aimed at helping technology developers and
policymakers plan ahead of time and improving the experiences of students with
disabilities.
