Encore Immersive Training Solutions

Encore is a 501(c)(3) that creates customized animated training videos for individuals with disabilities and for organizations in the human services field. The nonprofit is now working towards developing virtual reality (VR) programs to create flexible training solutions for professionals in the human services field and for individuals with disabilities.  

The process will involve collaborating with current VR developers, job coaches, and employers to create a new job training experience for individuals with disabilities so they may work on practical hard and soft skills prior to and during employment. The goal is to create customized virtual experiences specifically designed to improve employment equity and outcomes for individuals with disabilities, which, in turn, benefits businesses looking to improve and diversify their workforce by hiring those individuals.

Job training through VR allows the trainee to practice specific skills in a safe, low-risk, low-stakes environment, reducing anxiety and improving overall job performance and satisfaction. It allows the trainee to practice skills they have yet to master, which can range from soft skills like basic customer service to more technical, job-specific hard skills like bagging groceries, making lattes in a café, changing the oil in a car, or tending a cash register, for example.  

 Encore plans to not only work with employers to create these training experiences, but to also work closely with vocational rehabilitation organizations and job coaches that already serve individuals with disabilities who are seeking gainful employment.

Encore’s Immersive Training Solutions will revolve mainly around animation software and Virtual Reality (VR) to train current or potential employees with disabilities on specific hard and soft skills required to successfully perform job duties.  

With VR, the user wears a headset to view and interact with computer-animated simulations that mimic real-life scenarios. Immersed in a virtual world, the individual can move objects, interact with characters, and overcome obstacles with little to no risk involved. VR headsets track the user’s movements—sometimes even their eye movements—to allow the individual to explore and interact with the virtual world. The trainee uses handheld controls that allow them to manipulate objects and move throughout the simulated environment.  

VR trainings can be fully customizable. Depending on the individual’s disability, needs, or skill level, simulated environments can highlight particular objects or interactions, and distractions can be added or removed as the learner progresses. As the individual works through the training, which can be repeated as many times as necessary, a job coach will be able to monitor their progress and redirect or help the participant correct their mistakes in real time, allowing for greater knowledge and skill retention.  

A good example of a potential application of this technology is virtual job training for a packager at a screen-printing company. The initial stage of the training would involve introducing the trainee to all items required to complete the job—boxes, tape, labels, products ready for shipment (like t-shirts or hats), tables used for boxing items, scales, etc. The program would then ask the individual to interact with those items and “pick them up,” “turn them around,” or “set them on the table.” Once the trainee is sufficiently familiar with the items they will be handling, the program will have them complete small, simple tasks, such as folding or laying out the product to be shipped. These tasks can be repeated as often as necessary and the individual's skill level and progress will be recorded. If an individual has difficulty with a particular task, the job coach working with them can intervene or prompt them to try something different.  

There are multiple options for animating the background environment in a VR simulation, but Encore hopes to work with the VR developer to recreate the work environment as realistically as possible, as opposed to building a cartoon-like or animated environment. This means that developers will use 3D stereoscopic photography to capture the entire environment of a work site before building the program to simulate what will be encountered in reality. Stereoscopic VR involves photographing an area with two lenses as opposed to one, which mimics the perspective of two human eyes and feels more realistic to the user.  

Encore has already made connections with interested VR developers and has had several meetings to discuss how this project will progress.  

Encore’s Immersive Training Solutions serve individuals with disabilities (especially those with intellectual and developmental disabilities—or I/DD), professionals in human services fields (especially those serving individuals with I/DD), and businesses looking to diversify and improve their workforce. 

According to “National Snapshot of Adults with Intellectual Disabilities in the Labor Force,” a report funded by The Special Olympics, the unemployment rate among individuals with I/DD is twice as high as others in the general population, and this is a chronic problem. This is true despite the fact that individuals with I/DD receive just as much gratification and meaning from gainful employment as anyone else, and many individuals with I/DD are willing and able to work. What’s more, businesses often overlook individuals with I/DD as potential employees due to erroneous preconceived notions about their capabilities.  

The US is facing a growing labor shortage, and businesses that overlook individuals with I/DD (or disabilities in general) are not only discriminating against a significant portion of the population, but they are limiting their workforce potential.  

Although Encore is based out of Cheyenne, Wyoming, which, according to the US Census Bureau, is populated by about 64,600 people—where individuals with disabilities make up just over nine percent of the population—the nonprofit has partnerships with several human service organizations that span multiple states (currently Wyoming, Colorado, Montana, and Nevada). Because of the mobile nature of the platform, Encore could easily ship VR headsets and provide software to vocational rehabilitation organizations, job coaches, or other human service organizations around the country.  

The problem Encore is addressing with its VR solution is two-fold:

1. Small businesses, especially since the COVID-19 Pandemic, are facing a diminishing eligible workforce. As mentioned in the Challenge, technology played an integral role in small business survival during and after the pandemic, and Encore’s proposal is an innovative technological solution to the ongoing staffing problem.

2. Individuals with disabilities, including those with I/DD, are willing and able to work, but they face significant stigma and prejudice from many businesses. They are twice as likely to deal with unemployment as those without disabilities. 

The solution—VR simulated training to upskill the disability workforce—not only improves employment outcomes for individuals with disabilities, but it has the potential to alleviate the problems businesses face from a severe lack of trained and willing employees.  

Many individuals with disabilities are on state Medicaid waivers and receive billable services in the form of Vocational Rehab or Supported Employment. This means that human service agencies providing those employment services can bill Medicaid to provide job training to individuals on the waiver. The businesses that hire individuals on the waiver are, therefore, not required to pay extra to train the potential employees with disabilities. This solution will open the door for many undercapitalized businesses looking for a mostly untapped market of skilled workers at no additional cost to the business.  

Encore uses a simple logic model for its VR Immersive Training Solution Theory of Change. Each category listed below is directly impacted by the preceding category above it. 

 Inputs:  

• Creative collaboration with VR developers, job coaches, human service organizations, employers, and individuals with disabilities to create realistic and beneficial training environments. 

• VR hardware and software. 

• Tools required to create the software, including specialized cameras, animation software, and other audio-visual technologies. 

• Encore’s Executive Director and Training Manager’s time and expertise to guide and manage the project.  

Activities: 

• Creating VR trainings alongside developers.  

• Conducting outreach with local businesses to give demonstrations and share the benefits of Encore’s solution. 

• Working with human service/vocational rehabilitation organizations and job coaches on how to implement the training with the individuals they serve.  

• Conducting and testing trainings with participants to prepare them for job placements. 

• Following up with trainees, job coaches, and employers to determine effectiveness of the solution. 

• Continued training for employees as needed.  

Outputs: 

• Number of participants successfully trained.  

• Number of participants who are hired by employers after successfully completing the VR training. 

• Number of participants who remain in jobs for three months or more after training. 

• Level of satisfaction of both employers and trained employees with the VR training. 

Outcomes: 

• Successfully trained and prepared individuals who are ready to work. 

• Employers hiring capable job candidates who diversify their workforce. 

• Job coaches who are trained to help participants with the simulations. 

Impacts: 

• Improved employment outcomes for individuals with disabilities. 

• Increase in capable employment candidates for businesses facing hiring droughts. 

• Increased Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging among participating businesses.  

• Strengthening communities 

Although Encore technically serves hundreds of employees in multiple human service organizations, including Beken Holdings (an organization that provides HR, IT, and other administrative support to other human service organizations), Overture (an organization that provides support services for individuals with I/DD), and Array Clinical and Therapeutic Services (an organization that provides behavioral services to individuals with I/DD), the individuals directly impacted by this proposed solution are the individuals with disabilities themselves and are located in the Sheridan, Wyoming and Cheyenne, Wyoming areas.   

Current number of individuals with disabilities served: Encore works with Overture Wyoming, which currently serves 23 individuals, 12 of whom are in employment services.  

Number of individuals projected to be served (by our product) in one year: 12 (this number is based off the individuals served by Overture who are currently in employment services. 

Number of individuals projected to be served in five years:100+ This number is a projection of individuals served who use Overture and Array services in Wyoming and other states as well as Vocational Rehabilitation/Employment services in Wyoming and other states.  

As previously mentioned, Encore serves individuals in Wyoming, Colorado, Montana, and Nevada, and plans are in place to expand nationwide. Stakeholders include Beken Holdings, Overture, and Array, who are all considered Encore’s human service partnering organizations. Encore often bases its strategy on the current training needs of those organizations and works collaboratively with them to deliver high quality, animated training videos.  

Other stakeholders include local (Cheyenne, Wyoming) case managers, job coaches, and the businesses already employing individuals in employment support services with Overture. These businesses give valuable feedback to Overture on the current job coaching/supported employment process and how it can improve. 

Equally important to the other stakeholders are the individuals with disabilities and their families and/or guardians. These individuals give invaluable feedback on employment supports and how the system can make improvements.  

Encore utilizes networking, outreach events, email list serves, key community partnerships, and word of mouth to build trust within the community. The organization is also a member of the Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce and is a regular participant in their meetings.  

Because Encore’s community partner, Overture, has gained such clout in the area as a provider of services to individuals with I/DD, Encore has benefited from that relationship and has gained further connections with businesses in the area.  

Encore also has connections with the Wyoming Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities, as its current Executive Director, Aleyta Zimmerman, used to work closely with the Council on making improvements for individuals with developmental disabilities throughout the state.  

Current Year Goals: 

1. Create a VR program and successfully deploy the solution to human service agencies. Successfully train 10 to 15 individuals.  

Plan: Continue current work on VR development. Encore is utilizing grant funds to begin building its VR training prototypes and the nonprofit has made connections with multiple potential VR software developers. This current fiscal year will show the first iteration of the product as well as testing and feedback results from trainees, job coaches, and employers.  

2. Help individuals with disabilities learn self-advocacy skills and how to request accommodations. 

Plan: As part of the VR curriculum, Encore will include training specific to self-advocacy skills, communication, and how to request accommodations.  

3. Improve training and service delivery for human service professionals. 

Plan: Continue to create customized animated training videos for professionals in the human service fields. Encore is hoping that with success from the VR project, it will eventually be able to deliver VR training to those professionals as well. 

Impact goals for the next 5 years: 

1. Expansion: Continue to build programs and grow a nationwide program, not just for people with disabilities.  

2. Increase the number of individuals with disabilities who are trained and gainfully employed. Covid significantly reduced employment numbers for people with disabilities (30% to 18%) and Encore is hoping to help be a change agent to improve those numbers. 

3. Improve the relationship between employers and people with disabilities. Help to reduce the stigma and prove that individuals with disabilities are viable potential employees.  

Encore is applying to the Truist Foundation Inspire Awards because the funder and award fit perfectly with Encore’s vision, mission, and values. Previous awardees have represented similarly inspirational endeavors to Encore’s project, but Encore’s project remains unique among previous awardees.  

Because funds are the largest barrier to maximizing this solution, the Truist award would be impactful at any level.  

Encore has also learned that Truist has significant influence in the innovative technology industry, which Encore believes would also benefit the proposed solution.  

Encore has already started the process of making connections with potential partners in the VR development field. The Executive Director and Training Manager have had several meetings and interviews with these developers to determine which company most aligns with Encore’s vision, mission, values, and goals. However, support in finding the right developers would be a huge help to the project and for an ongoing partnership. 

Encore would also benefit from assistance with marketing and distribution of the product after the initial VR trainings have been developed. To accomplish its marketing and distribution goals, the organization would appreciate assistance with outreach, website development, and creating promotional materials.