Abstract
Virtual reality is an emerging technology that has resulted in rapid expansion in the development of virtual immersive environments for use as educational simulations in schools, colleges and universities. This article presents an overview of virtual reality, describes a number of applications currently being used by special educators for personnel preparation in colleges and universities and for service delivery to children and adults with disabilities in K-12 schools and community services, and discusses possible future directions in virtual reality applications and their implications for rural special education.