With Edith Jolicœur & Josianne Caron

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Virtual reality is increasingly used to simulate certain situations (e.g., the transition to secondary school) and to foster a better understanding of others lived experiences. Les pieds en haut : Lou offers an immersion into the reality of a young autistic person. Over the past few years, an experiment was conducted in collaboration with the creators of the work and a research team at the Université du Québec à Rimouski (UQAR). Its goal was to assess the overall appreciation of this autism‑related immersive experience, as well as its possible effects on empathy, attitudes, and knowledge among student teachers in initial training programs.

This presentation will focus on the experiment carried out, the methodology, the challenges encountered, and the adjustments made.

This lecture is produced in collaboration with the X·RE Chair and the 1P1 Laboratory as part of the 2026 Interdisciplinary Encounters.

About the Speakers

Edith Jolicoeur, Ph.D., is a professor‑researcher at the Université du Québec à Rimouski, Lévis campus. She is a regular researcher at the Institut universitaire en déficience intellectuelle et en trouble du spectre de l’autisme. Her research focuses on access to literacy and on issues related to the educational, professional, and social inclusion of people with specific needs. She teaches in the certificate program and short graduate program specializing in autism.

Josianne Caron is a professor‑researcher in classroom management within the Education Sciences Unit at the Université du Québec à Rimouski, Lévis campus. Since completing her doctorate, her interests have centered particularly on training in classroom management at the elementary level and in special and inclusive education, as well as on the relationship between theory and practice.

Cover image : courtesy of 1P1 Laboratory

Published on March 19, 2026

Cette publication est également disponible en : Français (French)