Development and Validation of Virtual Reality Scenarios to Improve Disability Awareness among Museum Employees

Salman Nourbakhsh, Ume Salmah Abdul Rehman, Hélène Carbonneau and Philippe S. Archambault ()
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Salman Nourbakhsh: School of Physical and Occupational Therapy, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3G 1Y5, Canada
Ume Salmah Abdul Rehman: School of Physical and Occupational Therapy, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3G 1Y5, Canada
Hélène Carbonneau: Département d’Études en Loisir, Culture et Tourisme, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Trois-Rivières, QC G8Z 4M3, Canada
Philippe S. Archambault: School of Physical and Occupational Therapy, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3G 1Y5, Canada

Disabilities, 2024, vol. 4, issue 3, 1-14

Abstract: To improve inclusion of persons with disabilities (PWD), it is important to create suitable physical and social environments. This can be done by improving awareness about disability, specifically for employees working in the service and cultural sectors. Virtual reality (VR) simulation can be advantageous by providing an engaging experience highlighting physical accessibility issues, as well as social interactions with virtual avatars. This study’s objective was to validate the content of two disability awareness VR scenarios in museum employees and individuals with disabilities in terms of perceived usefulness. Five PWD and seven museum employees experienced two VR scenarios illustrating a museum visit for a person with low vision or using a wheelchair. The scenarios consisted of different scenes such as finding an accessible entrance and interacting with virtual employees. Participants were interviewed about their experience, with questions related to the realism of the scenarios and their perceived usefulness. Four main themes were identified specifically: emotions, experience, usefulness, and realism. Our scenarios were seen as useful in describing social and physical barriers experienced by PWD. VR can be a valid tool to promote disability awareness among employees in a sociocultural setting, representing a step towards the inclusion of PWD.

Keywords: disability awareness; virtual reality; museum; employee training; visual impairments; motor impairments (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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