“Social Inclusion of People with Autism Spectrum Disorder Through Virtual Reality” is a project that deals with the social inclusion and employment of people with ASD. People with ASD experience persistent difficulties with social communication and social interaction. The lack of social skills makes it difficult for them to navigate standard everyday situations as well as having a job. Thus, they often experience social exclusion. This project will develop VR tools that through simulated everyday situations will train and enhance the social skills of adults with ASD and improve their ability to navigate standard situations. The innovative part of the project is that the VR toolkit will be developed by people with ASD, which means that the tools will be made by those who will also use them for training. It will also develop a Handbook to help potential employers deal with people with ASD. It will also showcase good practices along this field. A multi-skilled partnership composed by organizations active in the field of digital-based technologies, social, labour market integration, and special educational needs, will develop a VR training toolkit for people with ASD with the purpose of rehabilitation and training of social skills. Furthermore, potential employers will be informed about the advantages of hiring a person with ASD. To reach this final goal partners will: - Make a needs analysis and a VR environment design based on interviews with people with ASD, relatives and professionals working with people with ASD (01) - Develop and implement the VR toolkit (02) - Train key persons in helping people with ASD on how to use the VR tools. - Create a Manual for employment of people with ASD and include good practices (03) - Arrange local multiplier events to disseminate information about the project and it’s outputs. These activities will increase the target group’s ability to navigate standard everyday situations as well as work-related situations. In this way, the project aims to foster social integration and employment opportunities of the target group through VR technology.
We would like to reduce the discrimination against persons with autism in the field of education across the EU, as autistic pupils and students, especially those in need of intensive support, did not have adequate access to education services. We thought that people with autism spectrum disorders should enjoy equal opportunities for educational interventions that are appropriate to their needs and work towards social inclusion.
We found that persons with disabilities in all Member States of the EU are shown to be considerably less likely to leave school with qualifications, go to university or find employment (www.autismeurope.org). They are also more likely to find themselves in financial precariousness than the average population. This also includes people with ASD. People with ASD experience persistent difficulties with social communication and social interaction. The lack of social skills makes it difficult for them to navigate standard everyday situations as well as having a job. Thus, they often experience social exclusion. There is no cure for ASD, but we knew that rehabilitation and training is possible. We wanted to develop training materials based on Virtual Reality (VR), since its technological showed great promise.
“Social Inclusion of People with Autism Spectrum Disorder Through Virtual Reality” is a project that deals with the social inclusion and employment of people with ASD. People with ASD experience persistent difficulties with social communication and social interaction. The lack of social skills makes it difficult for them to navigate standard everyday situations as well as having a job. Thus, they often experience social exclusion. This project will develop VR tools that through simulated everyday situations will train and enhance the social skills of adults with ASD and improve their ability to navigate standard situations. The innovative part of the project is that the VR toolkit will be developed by people with ASD, which means that the tools will be made by those who will also use them for training. It will also develop a Handbook to help potential employers deal with people with ASD. It will also showcase good practices along this field. A multi-skilled partnership composed by organizations active in the field of digital-based technologies, social, labour market integration, and special educational needs, will develop a VR training toolkit for people with ASD with the purpose of rehabilitation and training of social skills. Furthermore, potential employers will be informed about the advantages of hiring a person with ASD. To reach this final goal partners will: - Make a needs analysis and a VR environment design based on interviews with people with ASD, relatives and professionals working with people with ASD (01) - Develop and implement the VR toolkit (02) - Train key persons in helping people with ASD on how to use the VR tools. - Create a Manual for employment of people with ASD and include good practices (03) - Arrange local multiplier events to disseminate information about the project and it’s outputs. These activities will increase the target group’s ability to navigate standard everyday situations as well as work-related situations. In this way, the project aims to foster social integration and employment opportunities of the target group through VR technology.