At Treloar’s, we empower children and young people to live more independent and fulfilling lives. We work collaboratively with families, students and external stakeholders to prepare our young people for life beyond Treloar's. Our one-year Supported Internship Programme is one of the projects that gives students personalised experiences, knowledge, skills and planning tools which will enable them to make informed decisions and choices about future, paid or unpaid, employment.
Making the most of her internship with Southampton Airport, college student Hope together with Gemma, the Operations Manager at Southampton Airport, have developed an exciting new immersive experience that will give Treloar's students a virtual tour through the airport environment.
Making travel more accessible for disabled people
Disabled people can face a wide range of barriers when travelling. Immersive virtual airport experiences can play an important role in making travel more accessible and less daunting for disabled people. This is why Hope and Gemma have been working towards creating an immersive virtual experience for Treloar's students by using a range of camera technologies.
Hope has captured different perspectives and areas of the airport to help students understand what happens during a real airport visit and build confidence around travel and independence. This kind of exercise will allow our young people to familiarise themselves with the airport environment and what that process entails, which can significantly improve the future travel experience.
Ariza, Treloar's Educational Technologist, was part of the project and was responsible for the digital side. She said: "To overcome areas that could not be filmed due to security restrictions, I used AI technology to create realistic scenes that seamlessly complemented the real footage. The result is an engaging and enriching learning experience that combines innovation, accessibility and real-world preparation, while also providing Hope with valuable hands-on experience in digital media production and emerging technologies."
By utilising our Immersive Zone, we can create various immersive experiences that can reduce anxiety, increase confidence and give our students a greater sense of understanding of different real life situations, such as travelling or shopping for groceries in a supermarket.
Treloar's supported interns at Southampton Airport
Treloar's students have been able to do their supported internship at Southampton Airport since 2024. Our students have worked on passenger experience together with the airport team.
Southampton Airport is working towards ‘Creating Accessible Communities’ in partnership with Treloar School and College.
Our partnership with Southampton Airport
