Theses and Dissertations Collection

When I started working with the Autism Mixed Reality Institute (AXRI) I wanted to find and create opportunities for young adults to develop individual skills that would contribute to improving their quality of life. I found that, like myself, individuals who have Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) share a common community identity with individuals with Autism. This encouraged me to explore what organizations are doing to engage with neurodiverse community capital growth. The community capitals framework is typically applied to analyzing the seven areas of social value in a geographic community. This helps identify gap and growth areas in social infrastructure. If the framework were to be applied to a virtually connected community via interactive virtual environments, then community driven solutions would have higher probability of growing, sustaining, and thriving.By establishing the foundational social infrastructure that has led-to and developed meaningful community growth, leaders in immersive technology and mental health advocacy at the Autism Mixed Reality Institute (AXRI) are driven to focus on adapting service models for the Autism community in Idaho and the wider Neurodiverse community. Extended reality (XR) technology that emphasizes the value in visual learning and high user engagement can lead to developing community growth across the internet; From encouraging Idaho communities through the Surel’s Place Art Gallery to Neurodivergent and Indigenous community members sharing their stories on a web-based immersive platform. Web-based meeting platforms like Spatial.io are allowing communities to develop virtually built capital. Through collaboration, advocacy, and accountability AXRI is developing the tools necessary to develop sustainable social infrastructure on extended reality platforms. Through advocacy we gain perspective, through accountability we can hold others and ourselves to the standards of human equality. With the guidance from community members, specialists, mentors, peers, advisors, community leaders will continue connecting people with people by combining virtual technology with necessary social infrastructure to meet the challenges of today.