One of the potential participants in our study is a paraplegic. As I was investigating how he could participate in SL and in our study, I found some interesting information. So far in this class I have only looked at the use of virtual enviroments as a method for bringing people who are not physically co-located together. If we look at virtual environments simply as a way to bring people who are far apart close together for a presentation or meeting, you can see how it would increase the opportunities and cost-effectiveness of such activities. Virtual environments provide a tool to allow people to virtually gather and share information, ideas and experiences.
Beyond that, virtual environments are providing new options for those who have physical disabilities. There are currently several groups who have started using Second Life to meet and support each other. Further research and development of virtual worlds may open up entirely new experiences for those who are not physically able to go and do in the real world:
http://www.news.com.au/technology/story/0,25642,22835200-5014108,00.html
http://nwn.blogs.com/nwn/2008/01/disabled-find-s.html
http://www.secondeffects.com/2008/02/they-walk.html
http://2ndisability.blogspot.com/
http://eurekadejavu.blogspot.com/2008/01/story-of-heron-sanctuary.html
I have asked the student to share with me his experiences in SL and I will report back here when he does. I am very interested to hear what he thinks.
Tawnya
Showing posts with label Disabilities and SL. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Disabilities and SL. Show all posts
Monday, March 3, 2008
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
If only...
As always, my life last night and today interferred with my life. By this I mean my son got sick last night with one of his attacks. He gets these attacks occassionally, always in the wee hours, where his throat closes and he can barely breathe. We've made trips to ER with these while my son slowly turns blue. Last nights was not so bad, but didn't occur until around 4 am, meaning he was still dealing with Stridor (the term for it) this morning, so no daycare for him. Not because he's "ill", but rather that if he starts to run, he'll have another attack. While Mom and Daddy know what to do for him and how to calm him, others do not. At 4 am, my mental capacity is pretty low, so as my hubby held my kiddo on his bedroom floor and I raced around geting a humidifier and his nebulizer (just increases oxygen to him with each breath, doesn't stop the attack) and eventually sat down in front of him to help calm him, I kept thinking, Gee, if he was an avatar, we could just blow up his throat and this wouldn't be a problem!
While this thought is new, I've had similar ones with him as he was growing. Jonathan was early and did not have jaw or muscle development needed to suckle. We spent hours in occupational therapy helping to stregnthen and coordinate those muscles. He finally learned to take a bottle. Then we started solids, and it was all back to square one. Now we had to help him learn to chew and swallow. He mastered apple/pear sauce, and then we moved onto potatoes, and again, back to square one. Let me tell ya, most children eat chicken nuggets by a year, it was 18 months for my little guy. And the entire time, I kept thinking, if only you could somehow put your hands on his jaws and make them function properly. As a new mother, it was awful to spend 3 hours coaxing a few ounces of milk into him, then to have to get more milk outta me for another hour, then do it all over again. Is it no wonder I wanted a magical solution? At this point, we aren't sure if the attacks are related to the original problems or not, but it seems likely.
I began to wonder about those that have health problems and are challenged physically. Do they get a sense of freedom with walking/flying? I take it for granted that my avatar can walk and travel. She doesn't get tired, she doesn't get out of breath, and she has no problems, healthwise to worry about. Her kneecaps don't dislocate when she tries to hold up her motorcycle (Man I miss my bike!) The conversation about the mainstream vs. "gamers" seemed to connect to this. Is that draw? You can create a perfect person who can ultimately do anything.
Just a thought. Thanks for reading my rambling to this point.
While this thought is new, I've had similar ones with him as he was growing. Jonathan was early and did not have jaw or muscle development needed to suckle. We spent hours in occupational therapy helping to stregnthen and coordinate those muscles. He finally learned to take a bottle. Then we started solids, and it was all back to square one. Now we had to help him learn to chew and swallow. He mastered apple/pear sauce, and then we moved onto potatoes, and again, back to square one. Let me tell ya, most children eat chicken nuggets by a year, it was 18 months for my little guy. And the entire time, I kept thinking, if only you could somehow put your hands on his jaws and make them function properly. As a new mother, it was awful to spend 3 hours coaxing a few ounces of milk into him, then to have to get more milk outta me for another hour, then do it all over again. Is it no wonder I wanted a magical solution? At this point, we aren't sure if the attacks are related to the original problems or not, but it seems likely.
I began to wonder about those that have health problems and are challenged physically. Do they get a sense of freedom with walking/flying? I take it for granted that my avatar can walk and travel. She doesn't get tired, she doesn't get out of breath, and she has no problems, healthwise to worry about. Her kneecaps don't dislocate when she tries to hold up her motorcycle (Man I miss my bike!) The conversation about the mainstream vs. "gamers" seemed to connect to this. Is that draw? You can create a perfect person who can ultimately do anything.
Just a thought. Thanks for reading my rambling to this point.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)