Virtual Reality for increased knowledge about hidden disabilities
How are hidden disabilities reflected in everyday situations and in the workplace? Funka is now investigating experiences from people with hidden disabilities, to produce a concept of empathy exercises through Virtual Reality films.
There is a large knowledge gap in society about how social, communicative and mental disabilities are expressed. The project "VR films on hidden disabilities for more inclusive and efficient workplaces" aims to raise understanding of these issues, thereby contributing to creating a more inclusive and efficient work environment. The most important part of the project is that it is based on individual users own experiences, which they share through visualizations.
Funka has long experience of working with empathy exercises to raise awareness and understanding among our customers, focusing on physical impairments. Through a fruitful collaboration with the BBC, we now want to expand our range of simulations and empathy exercises to include social, communicative and mental impairments.
In the pilot study that we are now granted, we will map the needs of employers and design learning modules and concepts for the VR experiences in collaboration with target groups and future customers.
Funding: Vinnova, Sweden’s innovation agency (Challenge-driven innovation)
Consortium: Certec, Department of Design Sciences, Lund University (Project Coordinator), Funka and DART Communication and Data Center at Sahlgrenska University Hospital.
Period: April 2018 - December 2018
Budget: 46 500 EURO (Step 1)