VR Comes to CPU’s West Farms Center
“Go towards the policeman. What does he have to say?” urges Jonika Rice, Direct Support Professional, to Rodrigo, one of CPU’s persons supported. The interaction will help bolster social skills, create trust, and deepen autonomy except no one is outside and there is no actual law enforcement on scene. This is all playing out digitally as participants in the Agency’s Day Habilitation program in The Bronx utilize virtual reality to grow their knowledge and independence.
Working with FLOREO, CP Unlimited recently incorporated several VR headsets to both Day Hab and Day Hab Without Walls to diversify the opportunities and activities accessed online. Games like “Find the Fish” improve coordination, “On the Farm” helps participants identify animals, and others teach handwashing (for example) that stress daily skills. Other programs focus on dialogue and conversation; Tara was taking a lesson on navigating an airport, complete with TSA screening, during this morning’s session. An independent life skills trainer follows along on a companion iPad to help guide the lesson.
The best part is that most anyone can take advantage of the variety of engaging options and find something enriching to enjoy. Even the wait screen to begin a lesson is an experience in space. Looking around means seeing comets, stars, planets, and other fascinating discoveries.
As part of CPU’s commitment to innovation and development, our promise is to always leverage technology to better the lives of people we support.
Nikolye goes to the farm
The VR class (back in reality)
