03/25/2026
We discuss this a lot in training.
There are many studies that have proven that simulations do more harm than good.
In one study, they polled participants prior to the simulation training and then gave them the same survey after taking the training.
100% of the participants rated people with disabilities as *less* competent after they participated the training. Every single participant.
These trainings have been proven to foster feelings of fear and perceiving people with disabilities as victims to be pitied.
Disability simulation trainings were one of the driving factors in the creation of our training video- Disability Download: The Human Perspective.
Visit our website https://caireconsulting.com to learn more!
We get asked to do disability simulations fairly often, and always refuse. Disability simulations are where a non-disabled person uses a wheelchair, blindfold, ear coverings, or other device to pretend to be disabled for a day. The intent is to build empathy, but it does far more harm than good.
Instead we design field experiences and feedback sessions that bring people with a variety of disabilities together with decision makers. This is far more meaningful because:
- it centers disabled people and their lived experience
- it doesn't reduce the experience of disability to adaptive equipment
- it provides a fuller experience of not only the barriers, but the ways disabled people use and move through a space
- it builds leadership, connection, and value
- it gives opportunity for conversation and feedback
- it builds empathy based on actual experiences
Disability is a culture and a way of experiencing the world. You can never understand that by pretending to be disabled for a day.
Get in touch if your park of organization is interested in creating a Disabled-led experience together!
ID: text reads why we don't do disability simulations. Photo of a group of disabled folks on a paved trail. One person using a self-propelled wheelchair, two walking with a cane, one walking unassisted.
