The Divergent Classroom
- Build Fest

During the Texas Immersive Institute’s Social Impact Build Fest Hackathon [wow a lot of capitalizations there], my team and I focused on the lack of accessibility in the classroom for students who have ADHD, ADD, and/or are on the Autism spectrum. Through our research, we found that there was a lack of accountability and understanding from faculty members who are not aware of the challenges those in neurodiverse communities face in the classroom setting. The Divergent Classroom emulates the classroom environment that negatively affects neurodivergent individuals daily. Faculty and staff members walk through the WebVR experience from the perspective of a student whose accommodations have been delayed in getting approved and thus the professor refuses grant extended time on their quiz. I developed the 3D assets and world in MozillaHubs and integrated 360º video into the experience with distracting audio and visual elements.