Virtual Reality (VR) in Special Education: Cooking Food App to Improve Manual Skills and Cognitive Training for SEN Students Using UDL and ICF Approaches

Virtual reality (VR) enters educational processes today as a tool capable of promoting immersive learning experiences and facilitating the engagement and participation of all students, including those with Special Educational Needs (SEN). This paper aims to present a case study concerning the use of VR to improve manual skills and promote immersive and enjoyable cognitive training for students with disabilities. A VR cooking food preparation app is introduced to illustrate how VR serves as a tool for skill training on one hand and as a genuine digital learning environment on the other. In addition to presenting the technical features of the app, the International Classification of Functioning (ICF) approach by the World Health Organization (WHO) will be discussed. This approach is useful for identifying the best strategies to promote learning for students with cognitive disabilities who participated in this case study. Furthermore, the perspective of universal learning design (UDL), also known as Universal Design for Learning (UDL) by CAST, will be explored to guide teachers and trainers in designing digital and innovative learning activities that can accommodate all students.