PERSPECTIVE article
Front. Virtual Real.
Sec. Virtual Reality and Human Behaviour
Volume 6 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/frvir.2025.1648971
This article is part of the Research TopicEnabling EnvironmentsView all articles
Using Virtual Reality to Support Autistic Employees: A Perspective on Creating Inclusive Neurodiverse Work Environments
Provisionally accepted
Nigel Newbutt*
Roderick C Tatom- University of Florida, Gainesville, United States
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The double empathy problem underscores a two-way gap in understanding between autistic and neurotypical individuals, contributing to systemic barriers in workplace communication and inclusion. Virtual reality (VR) technologies offer immersive, low-pressure environments for autistic users to build confidence, regulate stress, and navigate high-stakes workplace interactions. A strengths-based approach to VR design emphasizes autistic individuals’ unique capabilities, such as attention to detail and innovative problem-solving, by incorporating user feedback, customizable prompts, and participatory co-design. To advance equity in neurodiverse employment, this paper concludes with five actionable strategies that position VR as a vehicle for systemic change, empowering autistic professionals and encouraging organizations to adopt inclusive design, universal learning principles, and long-term evaluation metrics.
Keywords: Autistic adults, Employment, inclusion, Neuroinclusion, Virtual Reality, environments
Received: 17 Jun 2025; Accepted: 28 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Newbutt and Tatom. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Nigel Newbutt, University of Florida, Gainesville, United States
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.