When working with caregivers of individuals with mental disabilities, it’s important to create a safe space for practice. Veerle Andries, a researcher at the VU, chose to use VR as a way for support staff to practice interacting with individuals with mental disabilities. This allowed for mistakes to be made in a controlled environment, where the consequences were less severe than in real life. The ultimate goal of this research was to provide caregivers with the necessary skills to create a positive and inclusive environment for their clients.

In the past, researchers have used actors to create scenarios for their studies. However, using VR technology can provide a more realistic environment tailored to the study’s specific needs. In this case, VR was chosen to create an individual scenario with Simon, the character participants met in VR. This allowed for a more accurate and consistent experience, which could not have been achieved with an actor.

Although VR can be a powerful tool in research, it can also be intimidating due to its technical nature. However, Veerle found that it was helpful to have someone with technical expertise to assist in setting up the study. Through trial and error, they were able to create Simon in a suitable environment. She noted that she was initially hesitant but ended up enjoying the possibilities created with VR.

The hardest challenge she faced, concerning using VR for the first time, was coming up with the virtual environment. With having someone that can program what you want, the difficulty lies in what elements an environment needs. In case you feel similarly, we recommend contacting Tilo Hartmann with any questions you might have about designing an environment and choosing what elements your study needs.