Chef Craig Chaytor creates fundraiser to bring real time VR to children with a disability
Chef Craig Chaytor started the I.M.M.E project to create a book with VR sensory, to help children with disabilities stimulate their brains.
Whilst working five days a week as a head chef, Craig would use his spare time to develop the I.M.M.E project, which stands for ‘Imagine Making Memories Everywhere’.
It began when Craig’s daughter was diagnosed with Williams' Syndrome, which is a rare genetic condition that is characterised by mild to moderate intellectual disability or learning problems, unique personality characteristics and distinctive facial features.
“It was all based around my daughter Imogen and when I bought a standard VR headset for myself and the kids," he explained. "When she had a go on it, she started crying and during this point she was struggling at school too. I scouted the internet, there was nothing out there to help Imogen with her learning, so I took it upon myself to make this project so she could watch VR worlds herself and really learn from it. “
Craig records using a 360-degree camera to capture spectacular worlds and the amazing landscapes. From the footage, Craig selects specific scenes and makes them into a short VR movie clip. The carefully selected scenes stimulate the mind to learn or relax. With sensory calming sounds and music, it helps stimulate the brain activities, which will create the calm and amazing world the children should see. In doing so, it helps children with their development and progression.
Craig saw 'amazing progress in Imogen' and said: “She was starting to remember the things she was seeing in the world and her mobility improved as well. She had to use a walking frame for support and then she suddenly didn’t need it anymore. Her mathematics and her speech too, we started to see improvements in many different aspects."
He went on to test the project further when he asked if he could bring it in to his daughter's school, Craig wanted to see if it worked on other children.
He said: "They all adapted to it instantly. One boy, who didn’t speak for months, started speaking again.”
Craig is hoping to fund raise £10,000 to go towards finishing the prototype and finishing the book. He said: "I created the book so each page is a new lesson and at the bottom of the page is a QR code so that any smart phone can scan that code and then your phone becomes within the virtual reality. These lessons can range from animals, Maths, English and many more.”
{{user.name}}