Utoo Radio with Other News Sources - April 10 2025 - Virtual reality technology has been shown to improve empathy towards groups like schizophrenia, refugees, and unhoused individuals.

A study in Canada tested this in residential schools, where a virtual reality school was created and a group of survivors were interviewed.

The virtual school was designed to be on-the-tracks, allowing viewers to feel physically small and listen to recordings of their experiences.

The study found that people who received either the virtual reality or transcript intervention responded more favorably toward Indigenous people, but the differences between groups disappeared over time.

The findings suggest that a meaningful story doesn't require sophisticated technology to have impact, and that ongoing education about residential schools is needed to create lasting change in feelings and attitudes.