Co-designing virtual reality modules and leveraging a certified social enterprise network to empower ADE’s to transition people with intellectual disabilities into open employment

The overarching goal of this project is to show how Australian Disability Enterprises (ADEs) can be leaders in transitioning people with intellectual disabilities (ID) into Open Employment (OE).
Wallara and Monash University’s Occupational Therapy Lab and Opportunity Tech Lab identified a need to make the job discovery phase more efficient, engaging and cost-effective. By co-designing, testing, and evaluating innovative virtual reality (VR) job modules, the current project aims to place 20 people with ID into OE, supported by a Disability Employment Service and Monash University’s world-leading developers and occupational therapists. This project builds on Wallara’s two years of work in this space, leveraging its unique training facilities and partnerships with five certified social enterprises.
The higher goal is to show that ADEs can be instrumental in improving workforce participation for people with disabilities, providing a scalable solution that transforms the perception of ADEs.