RehabCare Dundalk members experience virtual reality technology

Members of RehabCare Quayside in Dundalk have glimpsed the future with the help of state-of-the-art virtual reality headsets, gifted to the centre by Mark Baldwin of innovative software company, SchooVR, and Facebook parent company, Meta.

The support service has taken delivery of four Meta Quest 2 headsets which allow members to discover the streets of New York, take in an art exhibition, visit Graceland, or hop on a roller-coaster, without leaving the resource centre in Quayside Business Park.

With co-operation from RehabCare staff member Stephen Caraher, SchooVR and Meta teamed up to sponsor the virtual reality headsets enabling members of the service to access new and exciting opportunities for education and exploration.

Stephen spoke about the possibilities that the virtual reality (VR) headsets have afforded the members of the service.

“In RehabCare Quayside, virtual reality has been introduced in an unimaginable way which will allow members in our service to progress in areas such as education, fitness, and social abilities. With Mark's knowledge and skills as both a teacher and digital expert, his company, SchooVR, promotes pioneering methods of education in an exciting way through VR.”

Stephen continued: “Mark kindly came to visit our group with the VR headsets and gave a demonstration to our staff members Laura Houston and Katie Fox. Mark showed us how the VR headsets can create scenarios to develop practical life skills, such as an immersive experience of entering a shopping centre, selecting an item and purchasing it at a counter - an excellent opportunity to gain key social and money management skills.”

“One member of RehabCare, Niall Coleman, was able to achieve his long-term goal of skydiving through the use of VR. Even though Niall may not have the ability to physically experience a skydive, emotionally he felt as though he actually jumped out of a plane” added Stephen.

Mark Baldwin, owner of SchooVR, expressed his excitement about the sponsorship, saying: "We are thrilled to be able to provide our immersive technology to support the RehabCare centre in Dundalk. It's an honour for us to contribute to the centre’s mission of improving the lives of people by making everyday activities more engaging and exciting.”

Stephen said: “The technology can bring our members to places in the world that they may never visit but now, through VR, they have the opportunity to access a multitude of cultural and social experiences. The educational possibilities are endless.

"This hopefully will be a new beginning for our members and we are very grateful to Mark, SchooVR and Meta, for giving us this opportunity.”

Founded by post-primary school teacher Mark Baldwin, SchooVR is on a mission to provide memorable, technology-enhanced learning experiences. Using the latest WebXR technology, teachers and students can use SchooVR to visit different locations around the world or build their own immersive experiences.

RehabCare offers a wide range of programmes from I.T. skills to cookery and crafts, as well as work experience opportunities in the community. RehabCare’s community-based resource centres help people achieve their full potential and improve their quality of life.