For my final group project in Virtual Worlds course, we wanted to explore a speculative future where the word “Disability” no longer exists. Instead, in this society differences are recognized and people are trained from a young age to understand those difference through an empathy-driven immersive training. Below is an excerpt of our final.
Welcome to Empatheia!
Simulate differences and experience life from a new perspective.
It is the year 2075 and the term “disabilities” no longer exists. In Empatheia, there are no lack of abilities – just different abilities. That is why the Office of Special Education Programs has adapted IDEA from the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and transformed it into the Individuals Developing Empathy Act. Now that our classrooms are integrated and accessible to all types of individuals and learners, the new IDEA helps bridge the gap between differently abled students.
It is now a requirement to implement empathy exercises in schools as a way for students to proactively learn about each other and the world. By integrating standards that focus more on humanistic and social aspects of life, we hope to foster a more collaborative community and society that’ll benefit everyone in the classroom and beyond.
It is Perspective Day in Empatheia. As a student, that means you get to participate in some special empathy exercises. Begin your exercise by navigating to the portal in the classroom.
Select a perspective: optodivergent, aurodivergent, or neurodivergent.
Explore Empatheia and complete the treasure hunt by finding the sculpture landmark and chirping birds.
