Register Now for September Salon Series with Nigel Newbutt

Posted by Jessica Stasik on Friday, September 19, 2025 in Uncategorized.

Event Information

Register now for our monthly Salon Series event with Frist Center for Autism and Innovation Fellows and Affiliates. In partnership with the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center.

Where: Hybrid (Virtually on Zoom or in OMC241)

When: Monday 22nd September 12:00pm — 1:00pm Central

Register for virtual attendance here.

Topic of the talk

Reframing Communication Through the Double Empathy Paradigm: AiCoVE as an Inclusive Learning Technology

This talk presents AiCoVE, an innovative AI-based, multimodal collaborative virtual environment designed to improve cross-neurotype communication and collaboration. Traditional approaches often frame autistic individuals as having communication challenges. In contrast, this project is grounded in the double empathy paradigm, which emphasizes that difficulties arise mutually between neurodivergent and neurotypical people. Through this project, we embed the double empathy paradigm into learning technologies using sensing technologies, combined with affective computing and real-time intelligent feedback,  to identify when communication breakdowns occur on both sides. By engaging autistic and neurotypical young adults in shared problem-solving tasks, AiCoVE seeks to demonstrate how inclusive, co-designed technologies can foster empathy, teamwork, and ultimately prepare a more diverse and innovative STEM workforce.  The talk will outline the double empathy paradigm in detail, our planned approach to co-designing the technology, and how we plan to integrate theory into practice.

About the speaker

Dr. Newbutt directs the Emerging Technology Research Lab at the University of Florida, where he pioneers work on technologies for autistic and neurodivergent communities. He led some of the first studies exploring how these groups use and experience virtual reality headsets, and his current focus is on co-developing VR tools that support autistic youth in their daily lives. Beyond VR, his interests span a range of innovative technologies aimed at expanding access to STEM education and employment for neurodivergent individuals. His work is deeply participatory, community-driven, and designed to challenge existing barriers while shaping the future of inclusive design in education and workplace contexts.