Social and Physical Inclusion of Paraplegic Youth by Using Virtual Reality Erasmus Project

Project Title

Social and Physical Inclusion of Paraplegic Youth by Using Virtual Reality

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for youth

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2017

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Access for disadvantaged; Disabilities – special needs

Project Summary

A person with a disability has much more disadvantages than one without disability such as insufficient education, bad health conditions, low employment and poverty. One of the most frequent disabilities is the Spinal Cord Injury (SCI). A significant proportion of people with SC paralysis lose some or all of their ability to walk and have to use wheelchairs. This permanent damage leads to loss of muscle functions, sensation and autonomic functions. According to the Ministry of Health data, the number of SCI in Turkey is about 150.000. Of the current SC paralysis cases, 34% have been recorded in young people between 20 and 29 years of age. While there is no comprehensive statistics available for Turkey, the age range in which SCI is most seen in the world is 20-29 for men and 15-19 for women (WHO) and %30 of SCI patients face severe depression and self-dissatisfaction as a result.

Many of the consequences associated with SCI do not result from the condition itself, but from inadequate medical care and rehabilitation services, and from barriers in the physical, social and policy environments that exclude people with SCI from participation in their communities. Gündüz (2010), underlined that the employment rate of people with SCI in Turkey is just a %21 and there is a need to maximize the employment capacity by social and educational activities after injury. Kurtaran (2014) also indicates that the rate of returning to work was found is only %14.6 among people with SCIs. In the EU, there are similar problems, causes and consequences, as well as changes from country to country. For example, in our project partners’ countries, the level of life satisfaction of individuals with SCI in Poland is around 23.5%. The EU average is 36.1%. Again, the same research shows that the life satisfaction of young people is low; (CORDIS 49543) that they are not able to participate in sports activities, get married and work. In addition, one of the most important problems of young people with SCI is their lack of self-sufficiency and active living. At home, depressed and desperate, young people who spend time in need of assistance are faced with problems such as muscle loss and uncoordinated use of muscles.

The ultimate goal of our project was to strengthen young people with the SC paralysis to get involved in social life and support them to be self-sufficient young people. This aim has achieved by bringing technology and sports together with innovative outputs. We produced three intellectual outputs to answer that need. To that end;

– It has made field research for analyzing the current situation
– It has created three VR (virtual reality) mobile applications that help them overcome the inaction problem of spinal cord paralysis.
– It has produced and test a social inclusion program built using international, non-formal teaching methods complementary to the VR practice to be developed

Our project consortium consists of 5 different members from different sectors. Bahçeşehir University, International Spinal Cord Injury Association, Development and Innovation Office from Turkey, Trytaios Disabled Sports Club from Greece, lastly Politechnica Slaska from Poland were in our consortium.

Accordingly, two study visits were held, one to the VR Center in Poland and the other to a disabled sports club in Greece. VR games and social inclusion training program, produced by using input from field research and study visits, were tested in the Learning & Teaching activity in Istanbul with international participation. Then the final development of the games and program was carried out.

The outputs which are ready to use were disseminated, introduced and distributed in the dissemination activities held in Istanbul, Ankara, Bursa, Izmir, Athens in Greece, Gliwice in Poland.

– A total of 103 people benefited from training & learning activities.
– More than 303 individuals and more than 160 institutions attended the dissemination activities
– Thanks to online and face-to-face tools, approx 14000 people and institutions informed of the project.
– The games produced in the project have been downloaded more than 650
– A number of 27 institutions used and tried the produced games and social inclusion program in their own works.

Our project has demonstrated significant positive impacts on the target audience and related institutions and people in the short term. In the medium and long term, the outcomes will offer added value to the lives of spinal cord paralyzed young people and individuals, thanks to the differentiation of games and development for the google and Oculus store, cooperation with the local government and the disabled units of the academy and the sustainable work of the partners. This is also the first content within this scope, which is produced for the target audience and has achieved significant success in attracting the attention of the private sector, game developers, decision-makers and educators to this field.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 179474,15 Eur

Project Coordinator

BAHCESEHIR UNIVERSITESI FOUNDATION & Country: TR

Project Partners

• KALKINMA VE INOVASYON OFISI DERNEGI
• POLITECHNIKA SLASKA
• “tyrtaios” sports club for disabled
• Uluslararasi Omurilik Felclileri Dernegi