Empatheia (Prototype)
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.
Controls
- WASD/Arrow Keys: Move around
- Cursor: Look around
- ESC Key: Show cursor
- Spacebar: Jump
Instructions
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.
Acknowledgments
This app is an attempt to create a speculative future where underrepresented groups are fully considered by and integrated into the institutions whose systems have historically denied access to these communities.
This particular world focuses specifically on the education system in America and persons with disabilities. We acknowledge that this experience does not represent the full spectrum of differently abled beings, as no simulated experience could truly recreate what people with disabilities – and other underrepresented communities – face in real life.
Worldbuilders: Erin Carr, Greg Chan, Alexis Sanders & Reeca Soriano for IMA Low Res Virtual Worlds '22
Special thanks to Pierre Depaz & Enrique García-Alcalá
