Aarhus University Seal

The impact of Metaverse Marketplaces on the lived experiences of People With Disabilities

In collaboration with an international partner at Birmingham City University in the UK, we investigate what happens to active citizenship, inclusion and representation in digital marketplaces. One in five people worldwide are classified as living with a disability (WHO 2016). Yet, people with disabilities (PWD) are still one of the largest marginalized groups in the world, despite having £249 million spending power in the UK alone (Norman 2019). Previous studies have shown that (non)accommodation in physical marketplaces have a profound impact on PWD’s welfare, e.g. through sense of identity and self-stigmatization (Baker, Holland, and Kaufman-Scarborough 2007). What happens to active citizenship, inclusion and representation in digital marketplaces? Through an interdisciplinary approach combining disability inclusion/exclusion; consumer well-being; digital consumption; retail management; event management and transformative marketing, we aim to investigate inclusion of PWD in metaverse marketplaces and how this shapes their well-being and marketplace behaviour.

Anne Odile Peschel

Associate Professor Department of Management

Lizette Vorster

Assistant Professor School of Communication and Culture - English Business Communication