Co-Creating Authentic VR Stories with Young Adults with Disabilities: Why Does This Matter in Transformative Research

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First published online 30 June 2026.

Why this study was done

People with disability are often underrepresented in research and in decisions about the design of their communities. Research can sometimes ask people with disability to share their experiences without giving them a meaningful role in deciding how those experiences are represented or used.

This study explored how young adults with disability could work alongside researchers as co-researchers and co-creators, rather than simply being research participants.

The researchers were interested in whether combining people's lived experiences with storytelling and virtual reality (VR) could create a powerful way to help planners, decision-makers and the wider community understand what inclusive communities look and feel like.

What the study did

The research team included three young adults with disabilities, an academic researcher with disability and an independent researcher.

Three young adults with diverse disabilities from different parts of Tasmania were selected to become co-creators. They worked with the researchers through a series of online workshops to share their experiences and develop stories about their everyday communities.

The workshops involved:

  • sharing experiences of living in their communities;
  • discussing what makes a community inclusive or exclusionary;
  • developing story ideas and scripts;
  • creating storyboards;
  • learning about VR and how it could be used to tell their stories;
  • making decisions together about how their experiences would be represented; and
  • reviewing and approving the final stories.

The project ultimately produced three VR short films, each based on the experiences and perspectives of a young adult with disability, as well as a collective call-to-action film. The researchers also reflected with the co-creators on what worked, what was difficult and what could be improved in future co-research projects.

What the study found

The study found that genuine co-creation can give people with disability greater control over how their experiences are represented in research.

The young adults involved described the experience as different from previous research and co-design experiences because they had a meaningful role in shaping the project. Their lived experience was treated as valuable knowledge, rather than simply information for researchers to collect.

The study highlighted several things that helped make the process inclusive:

  • giving co-creators real opportunities to make decisions;
  • building relationships and trust before developing the stories;
  • allowing enough time for people to participate at their own pace;
  • providing flexibility around fatigue, pain, sensory needs and other changing circumstances;
  • using online workshops to reduce barriers associated with travel and geography;
  • providing information in accessible formats;
  • offering additional individual support when needed; and
  • ensuring co-creators had control over the final stories and how they were represented.

The researchers also found that VR can provide a powerful way of communicating lived experience. Immersive stories may help audiences understand not only what happens to someone, but also something about the environment and circumstances in which their experiences occur. However, VR also has limitations. It can be technically difficult to learn and access, and it may create new barriers for some people with disability. The researchers therefore emphasised that technology should support inclusion rather than become another barrier to participation.

What this means

This study shows that research can be more meaningful when people with disability are actively involved in creating the research, making decisions and shaping the final outcomes. It suggests that lived experience should be recognised as a form of expertise. Researchers need to share decision-making power rather than simply asking people with disability to contribute their stories. The study also demonstrates how creative technologies such as VR can provide new ways to communicate lived experience and encourage planners and decision-makers to think differently about inclusive communities. For future research, the findings highlight the importance of time, flexibility, accessibility, trust and genuine power-sharing. These should be built into research from the beginning rather than added later. Ultimately, the research demonstrates that when people with disability have meaningful control over how their stories are told, creative research methods such as VR storytelling can help amplify their voices and contribute to more inclusive communities and social change.

This study was conducted by: Ms Nicole McKillop, Dr Lisa Stafford, Dr Samantha Abbato, Mr Isaac Tye and Ms Ana Pike

To read the full article, visit the journal.

For other accessible formats, please see the column to the right.

Disclaimer: The QDRN has utilised generative AI to refine the wording of this plain language summary. All content has been checked for accuracy, appropriate tone, and clarity and approved by the author.

First published online 30 June 2026.

Why this study was done

People with disability are often underrepresented in research and in decisions about the design of their communities. Research can sometimes ask people with disability to share their experiences without giving them a meaningful role in deciding how those experiences are represented or used.

This study explored how young adults with disability could work alongside researchers as co-researchers and co-creators, rather than simply being research participants.

The researchers were interested in whether combining people's lived experiences with storytelling and virtual reality (VR) could create a powerful way to help planners, decision-makers and the wider community understand what inclusive communities look and feel like.

What the study did

The research team included three young adults with disabilities, an academic researcher with disability and an independent researcher.

Three young adults with diverse disabilities from different parts of Tasmania were selected to become co-creators. They worked with the researchers through a series of online workshops to share their experiences and develop stories about their everyday communities.

The workshops involved:

  • sharing experiences of living in their communities;
  • discussing what makes a community inclusive or exclusionary;
  • developing story ideas and scripts;
  • creating storyboards;
  • learning about VR and how it could be used to tell their stories;
  • making decisions together about how their experiences would be represented; and
  • reviewing and approving the final stories.

The project ultimately produced three VR short films, each based on the experiences and perspectives of a young adult with disability, as well as a collective call-to-action film. The researchers also reflected with the co-creators on what worked, what was difficult and what could be improved in future co-research projects.

What the study found

The study found that genuine co-creation can give people with disability greater control over how their experiences are represented in research.

The young adults involved described the experience as different from previous research and co-design experiences because they had a meaningful role in shaping the project. Their lived experience was treated as valuable knowledge, rather than simply information for researchers to collect.

The study highlighted several things that helped make the process inclusive:

  • giving co-creators real opportunities to make decisions;
  • building relationships and trust before developing the stories;
  • allowing enough time for people to participate at their own pace;
  • providing flexibility around fatigue, pain, sensory needs and other changing circumstances;
  • using online workshops to reduce barriers associated with travel and geography;
  • providing information in accessible formats;
  • offering additional individual support when needed; and
  • ensuring co-creators had control over the final stories and how they were represented.

The researchers also found that VR can provide a powerful way of communicating lived experience. Immersive stories may help audiences understand not only what happens to someone, but also something about the environment and circumstances in which their experiences occur. However, VR also has limitations. It can be technically difficult to learn and access, and it may create new barriers for some people with disability. The researchers therefore emphasised that technology should support inclusion rather than become another barrier to participation.

What this means

This study shows that research can be more meaningful when people with disability are actively involved in creating the research, making decisions and shaping the final outcomes. It suggests that lived experience should be recognised as a form of expertise. Researchers need to share decision-making power rather than simply asking people with disability to contribute their stories. The study also demonstrates how creative technologies such as VR can provide new ways to communicate lived experience and encourage planners and decision-makers to think differently about inclusive communities. For future research, the findings highlight the importance of time, flexibility, accessibility, trust and genuine power-sharing. These should be built into research from the beginning rather than added later. Ultimately, the research demonstrates that when people with disability have meaningful control over how their stories are told, creative research methods such as VR storytelling can help amplify their voices and contribute to more inclusive communities and social change.

This study was conducted by: Ms Nicole McKillop, Dr Lisa Stafford, Dr Samantha Abbato, Mr Isaac Tye and Ms Ana Pike

To read the full article, visit the journal.

For other accessible formats, please see the column to the right.

Disclaimer: The QDRN has utilised generative AI to refine the wording of this plain language summary. All content has been checked for accuracy, appropriate tone, and clarity and approved by the author.