Employing Disability Simulations and Virtual Reality Technology to Foster Cognitive and Affective Empathy Towards Individuals With Disabilities

Abstract

The chapter will begin by defining empathy and theory of mind (ToM), key constructs for showcasing the importance of simulations and immersive experiences to help typical children better understand the lived experiences of individuals with disabilities. The authors will delineate strengths and limitations associated with Autism, ADHD, Visual, Hearing and Physical Impairment. Next, the chapter will introduce Affect/Effort Theory to demonstrate how formulating positive expectancies of individuals with disabilities will be critical to interest typical children in their peers with disabilities. Moreover, the chapter will highlight the strengths, limitations and best practices for optimizing VRT and disability simulations to enhance typical children's knowledge, intentions and attitudes towards peers with disabilities. Finally, the authors will share qualitative data from a pilot disability simulation of eight children in third through sixth grade from a Camp in Liberty, NY. The results will be discussed in light of future possibilities for effective VRT-based disability simulations.

HearMeVirtual Reality: Using Virtual Reality to Facilitate Empathy Between Hearing Impaired Children and Their Parents

“…Disability simulations in virtual environments (VE) allow users to embody an avatar designed to enable them to experience the world from a disabled person's perspective (Silton et al, 2019). Simulations in VR can help immerse individuals in highly sensorial and realistic worlds, creating the feeling of presence (Cummings and Bailenson, 2016).…”

“…Studies show feelings of environmental presence and immersion in VR can in turn help foster greater feelings of empathy and compassion, when embodying an avatar and its traits one does not possess in real life (Yee et al, 2009;Kilteni et al, 2012;Bailey et al, 2016;Nilsson et al, 2016). This is in turn helped by the individual's concept of Theory-Of-Mind (Silton et al, 2019). These feelings materialize more easily because of the ecological validity of VR.…”

“…Disability simulations can be implemented as virtual environments (VEs) featuring an avatar the user can embody. The avatar can feature certain disabilities that complicate interaction with the immediate environment (Silton et al, 2019). Participants without disabilities are put in situations designed to briefly mirror the lives of those with disabilities as realistic as possible.…”

“…However, limitations and weaknesses of disability simulations exist in the form of how participants perceive and act upon the stimuli introduced in the VE. For example, actively engaging participants also make lessons livelier and more appealing, and therefore more likely to be recalled later (Silton et al, 2019). However, the disability is only presented to participants for a short periods of time, and participants are not given the time to develop the coping skills necessary to successfully absorb the simulation experience, which can often lead to negative feelings toward the simulated disability (Kiger, 1992).…”

“…Such problems can quickly be overlooked by teachers and peers creating issues in inclusion and mutual understanding (Andersen, 2011). Consequently, children can be subject to bullying, victimization, and isolation, resulting in lower quality of life (Silton et al, 2019;Organization, 2020). For individuals with severe hearing loss, a cochlear implant (CI) can be surgically implanted; such a device processes sounds from the outside environment and sends electric currents to the auditory nerve (of America, 2018;on Deafness and Disorders, 2016).…”