How nice to find your blog. I am a Malaysian who has lived too many years abroad but I am involved in Disability Equality field. As a wheelchair user, I think perhaps our objections is that the person in a simulation exercise can get up and walk away. And then “there but for the grace of God” – I think there is a whole disability culture discussion to be done here. My wheelchair is not a barrier -it is a facilitator. People who go in a chair and then give anecdotes about how s/he finds being in it a “experience” misses the complexity of being a wheelchair user. It follows the medical model in a way – if you understand what I am trying to explain here.
People who are visually impaired or blind do not object – perhaps because they do not ‘ see’ it happening. However, I am not sure my visually impaired friends do not feel the same objections about this kind of stimulation.
But you are right in that it can be included carefully into a well designed training system…to get away from the ‘ sayang….’ attitude.
I am learning to do accessibility audits at the moment. I would love to come back and do an audit as a trial…any chances of that?