Second Life and Disability

1
Second Life and Disability

• A review of the issues

2
Overview

• Who is Simon Stevens?
• Who is Simon Walsh?
• Why Secondlife?
• The History
• The Issues
• The future
• Discussion
• Conclusion

3
Who is Simon Stevens?

• Lives in Coventry, UK
• Has cerebral palsy
• Chief Executive of Enable Enterprises
• Disability Consultant and Trainer
• Love watersports
• Hate peanut butter
• www.simonstevens.com

4
Who is Simon Walsh?

• Born in May 2006
• Uses a wheelchair
• Owner of Wheelies andSecond Ability
• Has celeb status
• Loves dances
• Hates griefers
• www.secondability.com

5
Why Secondlife?

• Sense of community
• More equal environment
• Escapism(!)
• International audience
• Can meet rl access needs
• Disclosure
• 24/7 contact with others

6
The History

• Little visibility
• Hostile reactions
• Constant questions
• SL just as escapism
• Wilde Cummingham
• Dublin Sim
• Dreams

7
The issues

• Visibility of disability in Secondlife
• Accessibility of the software
• Environmental access within SL
• Cultural identity of disability
• Use of voice

8
The future

• Better accessibility in rl and sl
• Better visual representation of disability
• Improved technology
• Worldwide social change
• Mass use of secondlife

9
Conclusions