Virtual Reality
From: Assistive Technology Journal, Volume 37, October 2001

No longer just the province of games for "video nerds," virtual reality has
come into its own as a tool for teachers and therapists. As such, it is used
for assessment, teaching, and practice, according to Skip Rizzo, research
assistant/professor at the University of Southern California. For example,
virtual reality has been used effectively to assess students' depth
perception, with the results being quite different from those obtained from
traditional paper and pencil tests. It is also used to help students gain
transition skills: Students with autism or developmental delay can visit a
virtual supermarket, take public transportation, cross the street, or
organize his or her day. Students in wheelchairs can learn how to navigate
buildings. And the beauty is, these students can make any number of mistakes
without endangering themselves. 

In fact, one of the biggest virtues of virtual reality is that it allows
students to learn in a safe environment, and this holds true for students
with behavior disorders. After a student has learned an appropriate behavior
or way of controlling his or her anger, the student is put in progressively
more difficult virtual social situations where he or she can practice the new
technique. The student can also be exposed to antagonists or other situations
where he or she can try different reactions and see what happens, as well as
learn how to handle challenging situations. (Adults use this same type of
virtual experience to overcome their fear of public speaking or learn
assertiveness training.) And it is expected that future teachers will be
exposed to virtual classes, complete with "difficult students" to help them
master behavior management techniques. 

Virtual reality even allows us to tailor the world to meet a child's needs.
Let's say we're teaching a child to cross the street by paying attention to
traffic signs. Educators have found that it is often difficult for the child
to locate the traffic sign in a busy environment. With virtual reality, we
can blow up the "walk sign" so the student knows what it looks like. Then we
gradually begin shrinking the sign and adding other environmental elements.
Once the student has mastered this virtually, he or she transfers the
knowledge to the real world. 

One other area where the virtual reality is changing the way we do business
is in the identification of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, says
Rizzo. Through virtual reality, we can systematically provide audio and
visual distractions and record how quickly the child reacts to tasks and the
attention challenges. 

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