Wei Wang

Research Fellow

“We feel and know that we are eternal”

Baruch Spinoza

Easy Read Mode Off

Workplace readiness program for young people with disabilities using VR

1

Investigators

  • Charmine Hartel, Opportunity Tech Lab, Monash University
  • Wei Wang, Monash University
  • Tanner Person, Monash University
2

Funding details

This project is funded by the State Trustees Australia Foundation.

Funding amount AU$20,000
3

Project summary

This project helps young people with disabilities prepare for supported work.

The team will build a VR experience called Welcome to Your New Workplace. The VR experience will show what it is like to work at Waverley Social Enterprises before a young person starts there.

The aim is to reduce stress, sensory overload, and uncertainty. The project gives people a safer way to learn about the workplace before they enter it.

People with disabilities who already work at Waverley will help design the VR experience. Their input will shape the story, scenes, and support features.

  • The VR is for learning and preparation.
  • It is not used to judge work performance.
  • It is not used to make employment decisions.
School VR practice Workplace Confidence
4

Status

This grant is linked to a current research project page.

Open current research status
Current research status

👤 Investigators

  • Charmine Hartel - Distinguished Professor & Director Opportunity Tech Lab, Monash Business School, Monash University
  • Wei Wang, Research Fellow, Faculty of Business and Economics, Monash University
  • Tanner Person, Research Fellow, Faculty of Business and Economics, Monash University;

💲 Funding details

  • State Trustees Australia Foundation
  • AU$20000

🎓 Project summary

Waverley Social Enterprises proposes creating Welcome to Your New Workplace, an engaging Virtual Reality (VR) onboarding module designed to facilitate the transition from school to supported employment for young people with disabilities. In collaboration with Monash University, this project will utilise VR headsets and interactive storytelling to simulate Waverley’s inclusive workplace. It tackles barriers such as sensory overload, anxiety, and unfamiliarity, offering a supportive pre-placement experience. This study aims to co-design, with people with disabilities employed at Waverley Social Enterprises, a virtual reality (VR) module that depicts what it is like to work at Waverley Social Enterprises, and to evaluate the impact of this VR experience on potential clients’ perceptions of Waverley Social Enterprises as a place of employment.

The VR module will be co-designed through structured workshops with people with disabilities currently in supported employment at Waverley Social Enterprises. Co-design activities are intended solely to inform the development of the VR module and will not involve performance assessment or employment-related decision-making.

📌 Status