.png)
About
​
During the simulation, the user is immersed in the perspective of a person suffering from an intellectual disability. The user experiences what it’s like to feel overwhelmed, misunderstood and frustrated. This experience allows professionals to get a glimpse of what it is like “to walk a mile in their shoes” and how contact is perceived on “the other side”. Getting familiar with how their clients perceive contact, helps professionals to respond and communicate more effectively. This simulation has been made in collaboration with the ministry of justice and William Schrikker group.
​
A person with an intellectual disability has the mental capacity for learning, reasoning, problem-solving of someone with the IQ of around 70-75. This disability in intellectual functioning and adaptive behaviour covers a range of everyday social and practical skills that makes it almost impossible for a person with an intellectual disability to function completely on his own.
​
The project is nearly done after around six months of production. The project is currently being fine-tuned and playtested around The Netherlands with professionals and students working with clients an intellectual disability.
​
​
​
The reactions to the simulation are overwhelming. A few quotes from professionals that experienced the simulation first handed:
Andre van der Reest, municipality Goes.
Andre van der Reest, municipality Goes.
Koen van Zeventer, child protection council
The Intellectual disability simulation has proven that during the pilot, empathy and understanding had increased in our professionals. In our opinion, this simulation is THE tool to train our (upcoming) professionals.
Andre van der Reest, municipality Goes.
I can imagine how this feeling can lead to aggression. The simulation gives insight into how to treat and not to treat this target audience.
Moniek Gehring, MEE
Gelderse Poort.
Both students and professionals think that the simulation gives an excellent insight into the experience of being a person with an intellectual disability. They are confident that they can handle the target audience better.
My contributions
​
My goal was to recreate the experience of someone with an intellectual disability from A to Z. What kind of story would the user need to experience? The first step was research. How could I make a story if I didn’t understand what someone with an intellectual disability was going through every day? This was crucial for making this simulation a success. I read a lot of research and personal stories about intellectual disability trying to get into the head of such a person. To combine research with virtual reality is a powerful tool that induces a lot of emotions. Narrative design was key to induce the correct emotions. The story and interaction had to be something ‘simple’ and ‘ordinary’. These ‘simple’ and ‘ordinary’ tasks through the eyes of a person with an intellectual disability become world challenges.
​
Next up is the narrative design. I helped to coach voice actors and recorded the voice-overs for the simulation. I was present during a lot of playtesting with professionals so I could iterate the simulation to make the flow of it better. During the rest of the production, I helped with all kinds of things like, UI design, flyer promotion, the logo and other small tasks. That is what I do as an all-rounder.
