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Virtual reality as a tool supporting self-motivated training for disability support workers.
Jeni Paay1, Esther Wilding1, Kim Vincs2
1Centre for Design Innovation, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia.
Digital Health
|June 22, 2026
Summary
Virtual reality (VR) training engages disability support workers when the virtual client and storyline are relevant to their work. This approach motivates them to build essential skills for supporting individuals with disabilities.
Area of Science:
- Health Sciences
- Education Technology
- Human-Computer Interaction
Background:
- Disability support workers require specialized skills for positive behavior support (PBS).
- Training accessibility is often limited by time, resources, and funding.
- Virtual reality (VR) offers a self-paced, practice-based training solution.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify engaging aspects of VR training for disability support workers.
- To understand motivations for choosing VR for skill development in positive behavior support (PBS).
Main Methods:
- Studied two VR learning environments designed for PBS skills.
- Collected data through observations, surveys, and interviews.
- Included 21 health industry students and 29 disability support workers.
Main Results:
- Four key aspects influenced user experience: narrative, environment, interaction, and immersion.
- Narrative, including storyline relevance and character empathy, was crucial for engagement.
- Engaging virtual clients and meaningful storylines enhance VR training effectiveness.
Conclusions:
- VR is effective for motivating disability support workers' personal training.
- Effective VR design requires engaging virtual clients and relevant, meaningful storylines.
- VR training can enhance skills for supporting individuals with disabilities requiring PBS.
