CODY (Co-design for You): An Immersive Technology Tool for Experiencing and Assessing Home Alterations

Accessible housing is a widespread need in this country. This is particularly true among those persons with mobility impairments and movement disorders. While design and construction guidebooks exist for modifying homes for people with disabilities, there are also many documented instances where a standard, "by-the-book" alteration or assistive technology did not support the need or condition of the particular individual it was intended for. Just as occupational therapists recognize that a critical component of successful rehabilitation assistance is a person-centered plan that facilitates individualized solutions, likewise diverse design (or home alterations/modification, referred here as HM) approaches which approximate a person-centered plan also provide a more effective fit for persons with disabilities. A "one-size-fits-all" approach is not comprehensive for the diverse disability community.

This research entails the design and development of CODY (co-design for you), a Virtual Reality (VR) tool and Application Programming Interface (API), which uses an immersive, interactive environment for using, experiencing and co-designing home alterations. The 'co-design' nature of CODY denotes that persons with movement disorders, such as Parkinson's disease can: virtually interact with and experience a home alteration/modification (HM) in a virtual, simulated environment; have multiple variations of a HM that the user can choose from; and is able to assess and manipulate the HM for appropriateness to one's need and circumstances before actually installing devices or making modifications to one's own home. As such, CODY is a new assistive technology that aids and enhances the ability of individuals with disabilities to live in adapted homes that supports their needs.

This study focuses on movement disorders faced by persons with Parkinson's disease (PD) to demonstrate how effective CODY may be for those with major movement challenges, characterized by tremor, bradykinesia, postural instability, and freezing of gait (FoG). Collectively, these symptoms increase fall risk, fear of falling and impact the quality of life when compared to other age-matched non-PD adults. While clinical observations suggest that attributes of the physical interior environment may make daily activities easier or harder for persons with PD, few studies have actually examined the impact of specific changes in interior design on an individual's performance. One research study revealed that FoG, one of the major contributors to falls, was induced by doorways. Another study similarly revealed a significant increase in doorway-provoked FoG indicators by decreasing doorway width.

The aims of this research are: (1) To develop the Virtual Reality-based CODY tool and corresponding API; and (2) To assess the efficacy of using CODY to aid and enhance the ability of persons with PD to experience and choose appropriate home modifications. The underlying purpose of CODY is to provide opportunities for the growing population of persons with movement disabilities and disorders to actively engage in decisions affecting their living environment. Although VR games have been used for rehabilitation and therapy purposes, no research studies exist that demonstrate the use or effectiveness of integrated VT simulations in allowing persons with disabilities to interactively design residential alterations. The study team's expectation is that CODY will not only be successful in this short-term pilot study, but will lead to further refinement, development and, potentially, a commercial product. The investigators envision CODY's integrated, immersive, and interactive simulation will be used by neurologists, rehabilitation specialists, and occupational therapists for working with consumers to assess and determine optimal home modifications for those with ambulatory and other movement impairments.