Short Definition
Able-bodied people's attempt to imagine disabled people's experiences by navigating through environments using assistive technologies/devices like the wheelchair.
Relevance
Disability simulations are criticized for reinforcing ableist perspectives by failing to capture the full experience of disability. There’s ongoing debate about how to ethically educate the public on disability without resorting to these oversimplified, harmful practices, and how to center disabled voices instead.
Further Reading
Costanza-Chock, S. (2020). Design Practices: “Nothing about Us without Us.” In S. Costanza-Chock, Design justice: Community-led practices to build the worlds we need. The MIT Press. https://designjustice.mitpress.mit.edu/pub/cfohnud7/release/4