Empathy Simulation Training Suit and Training Program

Discover the experience of people living with a disability or impairment
For ten years the Empathy Suit has been helping educate students on what it feels like to live with and care for a person with an age or disability related physical impairment.

About the Empathy Simulation Training Suit

The Empathy Simulation Training Suit has been used as an in-house simulation training tool for over 250 health sciences students.

Aims of the Empathy Suit

The Empathy Suit is designed to:

  • give the wearer a first-hand opportunity to experience what it feels like to live with and care for a person with an age or disability related physical impairment,
  • build an experiential understanding of the importance of empathy in healthcare,
  • encourage healthcare workers to incorporate this into their professional practice.

After significant interest from the aged care and health service industries, the Empathy Suit and a one-day training package are available for purchase.

Learn about how the Empathy Suit works

What's it like to live with a disability? An introduction to the Empathy Simulation Training Suit.

Empathy Simulation Suit Training Program

  • An experiential understanding of some of the challenges that people living with disability or age related physical impairments face in their daily lives.
  • Build participants experiential understanding of the social marginalisation and isolation that can be experienced by people living with a disability or age-related physical impairment.
  • Challenge participants’ existing perceptions of the difficulties of undertaking daily activities with a disability or age-related physical impairment.
  • Generate a greater sense of empathy among current and future health professionals, particularly those working in the provision and delivery of health services for people with disability or age-related physical impairments.
  • While originally designed for inter-professional groups of undergraduate health science students, the Empathy Suit Training Program is relevant and suitable for any person or health professional whose work (including unpaid carer’s work) involves the provision of health services and/or care for people living with an age or disability related physical impairment.
  • The Empathy Simulation Suit Training Program is designed as a full day experiential learning activity. It can be delivered by educators in a face-to-face format in conjunction with the Empathy Simulation Training Suit – Training Manual. The programme can be adapted to meet local needs and situations.

How can I purchase a suit or book the training?

After significant interest from the aged care and health service industries, the Empathy Suit and a one-day training package are available for purchase.

Please either complete our enquiry form or send us an email at: empathy-suit.info@sydney.edu.au.