Accepting the challenge from Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Arganil, a team of student researchers from LASIGE led by integrated researcher Tiago Guerreiro travelled up north in late May 2026 to deliver a half-day workshop on Virtual Reality (VR) in Healthcare, particularly in the context of palliative care. The initiative aimed to empower the professional team at Santa Casa to incorporate VR technology into their own activities. For instance, enabling individuals receiving palliative care to virtually revisit meaningful places, reconnect with cherished memories, or experience environments that may no longer be physically accessible.

The workshop began with a presentation of LASIGE’s longitudinal work on data-driven healthcare and accessibility. The LASIGE members highlighted how they have been exploring VR for cognitive training, contextual assessments, exposure therapy, and inclusion (further details available at techandpeople.github.io). Following the presentation, PhD students João Ferreira, Manuel Piçarra, and Mariana Tomás conducted live demonstrations of research prototypes and led a hands-on training activity with the professionals at the centre.

For Tiago Guerreiro, who also serves as LASIGE’s coordinator, this initiative reflects the core values of the research centre: “This initiative reflects how we understand our role as researchers. Beyond pursuing long-term fundamental and applied research questions, we also seek opportunities to create immediate impact in the communities we work with. These experiences, in turn, inform and sharpen the research questions that drive our future work.”

LASIGE has a longstanding record of research contributions in accessible computing—evaluating, designing, and developing accessible interfaces for people with disabilities, older adults, or those facing situational impairmentsfor individuals with diverse abilities. This initiative directly showcases the impact of LASIGE’s Inclusive Human-Computer Interaction (IHCI) research line.