Lay summary
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is a lifelong disability that is misunderstood, often not recognised, and blanketed with stigma in Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ). A common misconception is that FASD individuals are destined to be lifelong ‘burdens’ on health, education, and social systems. Unless one has FASD, it’s hard to imagine—let alone begin to understand—what living with FASD is like on a day-to-day basis. Increasingly, virtual reality (VR) is being used to help destigmatise and build empathy for a wide range of health conditions. We propose to 1) use novel data collection methods to capture everyday lived experiences of FASD individuals, and 2) using the data gathered, develop and test if the VR game can raise awareness and foster positive attitudes toward individuals with FASD.