| KEYWORD |
Enhancing museum accessibility for ASD users in Virtual Reality by anticipation
keywords AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS, MUSEUMS, VIRTUAL AND AUGMENTED REALITY, VIRTUAL VISIT
Reference persons FABRIZIO LAMBERTI
External reference persons JACOPO FIORENZA
Research Groups GR-09 - GRAphics and INtelligent Systems - GRAINS
Thesis type RESEARCH THESIS
Description In the realm of social inclusion, numerous studies and applications have aimed at assisting individuals on the autism spectrum. Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) encompasses a wide range of conditions that differ greatly among individuals. Some common challenges faced by those with ASD include: difficulties in social communication, such as interpreting emotions, understanding non-verbal cues, and building friendships or relationships; restricted and/or repetitive behaviors, motor movements, interests, and instances of hyperactivity; co-occurring neuro-cognitive disorders, including intellectual disabilities or specific syndromes.
Research has shown that Extended Reality (XR) technologies, such as Virtual Reality (VR), can effectively support this group by enhancing social skills, education, and User eXperience (UX) in several types of environments. However, the topic of accessibility for ASD has not been explored enough when it comes to Cultural Heritage (CH) environments, such as historical buildings and museums. These environments can provide significant learning opportunities for ASD users but also present many challenges: loud or sudden noises, crowded rooms, bright or blinding lights; each of these elements can cause sensory overload, with common reactions among ASD users (repetitive movements, anxiety, panic...) or completely different reactions based on the individual user's characteristics.
This proposal aims to explore techniques and tools in a Virtual Museum (VM) environment to enhance CH accessibility for ASD users. For this purpose, the thesis will involve the creation of a VM experience that will be responsible for anticipating the physical environment in an accessible way. This investigation will possibly involve also a testing phase with ASD users.
Suggested readings:
- Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: Fifth Edition Text Revision DSM-5-TR™;
- A. Adjorlu, E. R. Høeg, L. Mangano and S. Serafin, "Daily Living Skills Training in Virtual Reality to Help Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in a Real Shopping Scenario," 2017 IEEE International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality (ISMAR-Adjunct), Nantes, France, 2017
- Moon, J., Choi, G. & Seo, J. Revisiting multimedia learning design principles in virtual reality-based learning environments for autistic individuals. Virtual Reality (2023).
- Sanku Bhavya Sri, Li Yi (Joy), Jung Sungchul, Mei Chao, He Jing (Selena), Enhancing attention in autism spectrum disorder: comparative analysis of virtual reality-based training programs using physiological data, Frontiers in Computer Science
See also http://grains.polito.it/work.php
Deadline 15/01/2025
PROPONI LA TUA CANDIDATURA