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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Vrsensory: Designing Inclusive Virtual Games With Neurodiverse Children, Ben Wasserman, Derek Prate, Bryce Purnell, Alex Muse, Kaitlyn Abdo, Kendra Day, Louanne Boyd Oct 2019

Vrsensory: Designing Inclusive Virtual Games With Neurodiverse Children, Ben Wasserman, Derek Prate, Bryce Purnell, Alex Muse, Kaitlyn Abdo, Kendra Day, Louanne Boyd

Engineering Faculty Articles and Research

We explore virtual environments and accompanying interaction styles to enable inclusive play. In designing games for three neurodiverse children, we explore how designing for sensory diversity can be understood through a formal game design framework. Our process reveals that by using sensory processing needs as requirements we can make sensory and social accessible play spaces. We contribute empirical findings for accommodating sensory differences for neurodiverse children in a way that supports inclusive play. Specifically, we detail the sensory driven design choices that not only support the enjoyability of the leisure activities, but that also support the social inclusion of sensory-diverse …


A Virtual Reality System For Practicing Conversation Skills For Children With Autism, Natalia Stewart Rosenfield, Kathleen Lamkin, Jennifer Re, Kendra Day, Louanne E. Boyd, Erik J. Linstead Apr 2019

A Virtual Reality System For Practicing Conversation Skills For Children With Autism, Natalia Stewart Rosenfield, Kathleen Lamkin, Jennifer Re, Kendra Day, Louanne E. Boyd, Erik J. Linstead

Engineering Faculty Articles and Research

We describe a virtual reality environment, Bob’s Fish Shop, which provides a system where users diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) can practice social interactions in a safe and controlled environment. A case study is presented which suggests such an environment can provide the opportunity for users to build the skills necessary to carry out a conversation without the fear of negative social consequences present in the physical world. Through the repetition and analysis of these virtual interactions, users can improve social and conversational understanding.


Leveling The Playing Field: Supporting Neurodiversity Via Virtual Realities, Louanne E. Boyd, Kendra Day, Natalia Stewart, Kaitlyn Abdo, Kathleen Lamkin, Erik J. Linstead Nov 2018

Leveling The Playing Field: Supporting Neurodiversity Via Virtual Realities, Louanne E. Boyd, Kendra Day, Natalia Stewart, Kaitlyn Abdo, Kathleen Lamkin, Erik J. Linstead

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

Neurodiversity is a term that encapsulates the diverse expression of human neurology. By thinking in broad terms about neurological development, we can become focused on delivering a diverse set of design features to meet the needs of the human condition. In this work, we move toward developing virtual environments that support variations in sensory processing. If we understand that people have differences in sensory perception that result in their own unique sensory traits, many of which are clustered by diagnostic labels such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Sensory Processing Disorder, Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Rett syndrome, dyslexia, and so on, then we …


Challenges And Opportunities In Dfo-At: A Study Of E-Nable, Jeremiah L. Parry-Hill, Daniel L. Ashbrook Apr 2016

Challenges And Opportunities In Dfo-At: A Study Of E-Nable, Jeremiah L. Parry-Hill, Daniel L. Ashbrook

Articles

In this paper, we present the results of a study of the e‑NABLE community–a distributed, collaborative volunteer effort to design and fabricate upper-limb assistive technology devices for distant strangers. We position e‑NABLE as the prototypical example of “Do-it-yourself For Others Assistive Technology” (DFO‑AT) and describe three key findings: how the project does and does not meet the recipient's nuanced needs for functional and social support; how e‑NABLE volunteers' motivations compare to those of volunteers for other efforts, including open source software projects; and we explore the challenges inherent in the distance between volunteers and recipients. We also describe opportunities for …