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March 19 – 30, 2025

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Cripping Up VR

Amy Crighton, Ben Glover & Jade Parkin / Meg Fozzard / United Kingdom

Cripping Up is a 360 VR documentary film that immerses viewers in the daily challenges faced by a wheelchair user—myself. As the audience experiences the world through my eyes, mundane situations take on new significance, revealing the obstacles non-disabled individuals may overlook.

Cripping Up, a groundbreaking 360 VR documentary, invites viewers into the intimate realm of my life as a wheelchair user, navigating a world that is not designed to be for accessible. This Meta Oculus 2 headset experience unravels my personal journey, shedding light on the often-overlooked challenges that define my daily existence. From boarding a bus to traversing seemingly simple roads, the audience witnesses the hurdles that go unnoticed by those not living as a wheelchair user.

Built on my firsthand experiences and informed by my studies in Creative Producing for Digital Platforms at the National Film and Television School, Cripping Up stands as a unique critique of VR films and experiences attempting to depict disability. I’ve uncovered a recurrent theme: VR is hailed as an empathy machine, with reviewers expressing a deep connection, especially evident in experiences like Notes on Blindness.

However, my frustration lies in the ephemeral nature of this empathy, dissipating once the headset is removed.

My distinct perspective, informed by both personal encounters and academic exploration, challenges the common narrative surrounding VR empathy. In a post-experience title screen, viewers are prompted to reflect on the transience of their immersion—while they can walk away, wheelchair users cannot. The term “cripping up,” often associated with non-disabled actors portraying disabled characters, takes on new meaning, highlighting the limitations of understanding that persist even in the apparently empathetic world of VR.

Filmed using a 360 camera affixed to my wheelchair, the project recreates five pivotal scenes from my life. These scenes, enacted by a cast of actors, offer a visceral portrayal of the challenges faced by wheelchair users on a daily basis.

But the innovation extends beyond the content—Cripping Up aims for inclusivity behind the scenes as well. In a deliberate effort to counteract the underrepresentation of disabled individuals in the VR, my goal is to assemble a project team where every member identifies as D/deaf, disabled, or neurodivergent. This intentional diversity amplifies the authenticity of the project and challenges the prevailing norms in the production of disability-related content.
At its core, Cripping Up transcends the boundaries of traditional VR experiences, aiming not just to immerse but to provoke lasting reflection and foster genuine understanding.

Amy Crighton

Director

Biography

Amy Crighton is a theatre director and dramaturg from the Midlands with a particular focus on developing new work in conjunction with writers, and an interest in working with new technologies. They are the Co-Artistic Director of Votive Theatre who were selected for the Barrel Organ & Company development scheme 2022. Amy was recently the recipient of the Jerwood New Work Fund, which supported them to direct CHOOSE YOUR FIGHTER in a sold-out run at Camden People's Theatre. They were an associate of Nottingham theatre company New Perspectives in 2022/23 and have had work showcased at the Curve Theatre.

Ben Glover

VR Consultant

Biography

Ben Glover is a deaf video designer and creative captioner who uses interdisciplinary skills in both creative and technical fields producing innovative and often expressive creations typically informed by his background in theatre, film and computing. He is a recent Fellow of the Royal Shakespeare Company for his research on creative captioning. He has previously received the Mead Fellowship award for his Virtual Reality project, Simple Misunderstanding and is a recipient of the Epic Games MegaGrants programme.

Jade Parkin

Executive Producer

Biography

Jade is an experienced producer with experience in producing both festivals and theatre productions. Since 2018 Jade has worked with the National Student Drama Festival in the production of 4 festivals and also produced the New Work Festival at Curve in 2022 and has also produced across many projects at Curve Theatre including Billy Elliot, Finding Home, The Color Purple National Tour and The Wizard of Oz. Jade has also worked for the Royal Shakespeare Company producing on productions such as Cowbois, Julius Caesar (UK Tour) Macbeth, First Encounters: Romeo and Juliet.

Meg Fozzard

Producer

Biography

Meg Fozzard is a South London based disabled freelance producer and journalist. Her career as a producer began back in 2018 when she studied Creative Producing for Digital Platforms at the National Film and Television School. There, she learnt how to produce for AR, VR, podcasts, smart home devices and social media. She graduated in February 2019 and became disabled in April 2019, drastically altering her career. Her career highlights include working as a Producer on the Museum of Austerity XR experience with director Sacha Wares, the National Theatre and the English Touring Theatre.