Virtual Ability, Part Two

 

By Gemma Cleanslate

 

To follow up on my first article about Virtual Ability (link), let me tell you more about what goes on during the week for members and friends of members of the group. Sunday there is a fun party at the Tavern on the Cape Heron region. This is a residential community where many members have rental apartments or land parcels. Stepin (Stepinwolf Darkstone) is DJ and always has great tunes for the party. I attended the Lunar New Year Party and went as a rabbit to open the year of the rabbit! There are other events that take place there too.

Two other residential communities where not only disabled members of the group can rent but others who enjoy the quiet living also can live. This region caters to the deaf and has a Coffee Shop replicating the real-life Deaf Chat Coffee House. Cape Able has rentals but also hosts a Museum featuring the creations of deaf and other disabled artists in Second Life. I have been to several openings held there in the past and stop in to view the art on occasion. There is a resource center with information on American sign language and more.

Cape Serenity, another region with rentals is Cape Serenity which also hosts a library featuring works by disabled authors and a poetry garden outside.

I took a walk through and read some of the lovely thought provoking poetry. At the garden I found a poem by my old friend who passed away a few years ago and was thrilled to see it again. There is still a memorial there for her too. 

 

This is a very active group and offers something to members and friends almost every day of the week. Linn Darkwatch keeps everyone informed of all that is going on every week with a reminder every day. Monday is an exploration day with ღ Andee ღ (Andee Cooper). Her visits take participants to various sites around the grid , new and old. The latest tours are to the Da Vinci .. one of the older venues in second life where spending time is worthwhile. There is so much to see it takes more than one trip to take it all in so she has scheduled several to cover all the sites.

Across the bridge from Cape Heron is the region called VAI Sanctuary. Many activities take place here. Vulcan Viper has his game day here on Tuesdays. All are invited to take part in this activity. I tried to learn Hand and Foot a while back and got the gist of it but need to practice more. Greedy is popular as well as bowling. Wednesday There is a “rant and rave” Campfire gathering just to talk about life in general in sl or real life in fellowship. Members and friends gather just to chat about anything at the fishing hole at Sanctuary. Iskye Silverweb hosts and invites others to take over hosting if they like.

Saturday morning there is a gathering at the Project Done event. Members meet to share something that they have accomplished .This can mean many things. Some come and work on a creation while there and hope to get it done or even wash the dishes in real-life. Some come and clean inventory. I tried that once but I ended up talking so much I got nothing done! That is an early event. Later in the day is another gathering called Show and Tell. This is a fun event where people share anything, like a gift to all attendees. Gentle passed a fun penguin at one meeting. Some share new places to visit and pass a landmark or a notecard about an activity. That evening on Sanctuary there is another Campfire get together just to close out the day hosted by Stepin.

Many more interactions with real world take place at the Virtual Ability Island during the year.

“Virtual Ability, Inc. organizes and hosts two acclaimed international conference series each year.  These conferences bring together noted researchers, entrepreneurs, advocates, and thought leaders from around the world.  They make presentations in a virtual world environment, where all may participate.  Each conference session is followed by interactive participation from the audience – also from around the world.

The International Disability Rights Affirmation Conference is Virtual Ability’s annual conference celebrating disability rights. Held annually in the fall, the conference covers legal, social and cultural aspects of disability rights from around the world.

The Virtual Ability Mental Health Symposium is an annual gathering of mental health professionals and others interested in academic and practical topics pertaining to mental health.

Both conferences are conducted virtually, on Virtual Ability Island within Second Life®.”

I enjoy greeting at both of the conferences and learning so much about what is going on around the world to help those with disabilities have a better life.

This is just a thumb nail of Virtual Ability and second life participation. The website give you more of the resources and extensive information about real-life and SL. Check out the new exhibits at Health Island too. February is heart health month.

https://virtualability.org/

Gemma Cleanslate

Virtual Ability

 

By Gemma Cleanslate 

 I have not written about Gentle Heron and Virtual Ability group for a while and was reminded of that when we were asked to attend a most interesting conference, 2023 Rural Disability Research and Practice Summit. Here the emphasis was on how difficult rural communities have such difficulties accessing digital life, and often real life activities. There are so many gaps in infrastructure, access, affordability and so little recognition by not only state government but also national government.

Gentle(Alice Krueger), a real example of having rural living issues, gave her presentation explaining what people could experience in second life that enhanced their real life and made it more enjoyable regardless of disabilities. There are so many on line communities that assist others. Three others made presentations affirming their real life situations and use of the internet and broadband. Gentle would send you access to the entire Summit is you want it.

I thought I would remind you all that there is such a wonderful group in second life that has so much information that can help one experience second life regardless of disability. Virtual Ability offers people places to learn about how to use second life viewers, to chat, mingle, experience exploring and find groups that might assist one with their individual issues.

Just visiting the region is a pleasure. A great place to start is just outside the Sojourner Auditorium where there is a teleport to many other locations on the regions, Virtual Ability (68/168/23), or enter at the Welcome Center. Here visitors can see a map of the region and find out about the background of the whole project and the mission.  http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Virtual%20Ability/127/127/23

For newcomers to Second Life the stop at the Orientation Path is easily reached by tp. The path has instructions from moving through camera control, flight training and more to make the people feel comfortable enough to move on.

Talking with Bob the Chatty Monkey (an intelligent bot) who inhabits the orientation path is fun so try it if you walk through the instructions path. Social interacting is also addressed as well as using inventory, map skills and teleporting. They can also pick up some basic free clothing to get started. When I stopped in I even grabbed a free pair of loafers that looked great. When one leaves they are ready to fly into second life activities especially if they visit the advanced tutorials area. In your travels stop by Mentor Park and take a balloon ride to see the whole region from above. It is a very pleasant region to visit. There are other ways to access second life for those visually impaired.

Right next to this region is an associated region called Health Island. This is such a boon for any people needing or just interested in any health issues physical or mental.
1. Welcome Center (Current)
2. Consumer Health Library
3. Health Exhibits
4. Conference Center
5. Herb Garden
6. Path of Support
7. Health & Wellness Center
8. Healthy Living Displays
9. Research Pavilion
10. Reading Room
11.Tai Chi Center
12. Outdoor Meditation
All these are available and easily reached by teleport at the entrance area.

I love the Path of support. I have taken friends there who are seeking a group that will support them in time of need. There are so many groups to check out and they all have a poster with the name and by right clicking seeing the group information and invitation to join.

As Gentle says about the island “It's a good idea to plan a monthly visit to Healthinfo island to check out at least one of the displays and exhibits. Informative and useful, they change each month. There's lots of variety! January's topics are: about sleep, lefthandedness, potatoes, dry skin, Braille, COVID test results, and how to interact with someone who has chronic pain. I stopped by one on sleep. This is such a basic need that I think we all have issues with at one time or another or chronically.
Start your tour here.
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/128/128/24

That is not the end of all that Virtual Ability has to offer and I will be writing more about it. The extent of presence in second life is not just on these two regions. If you are interested in becoming a member of the group you can contact Gentle Heron, Treasure Ballinger, or Eme Capalini. To learn more about Virtual Ability and all it’s resources check the website. https://virtualability.org/

Gemma Cleanslate

HealthInfo Island

By Gemma Cleanslate

Right next to Virtual Ability region there is a region called Healthinfo Island. I was asking Gentle Heron for information for two friends and she sent me there to search for a support group I was trying to find . “The mission of Healthinfo Island is to provide timely, accurate, and accessible information on topics of physical, emotional, and mental health.  This is done through interactive displays, links to outside resources, group events, and personalized assistance. The Consumer Health Library at HealthInfo Island is here to help SL residents with health information needs.” The region is supported and maintained by Virtual Ability. 

I was amazed at the wealth of information I found. There seem to be inworld support groups for almost anything you or a friend need! There is a Path of Support that displays a myriad of signs with information about the groups. I was able to locate three groups that seemed to fit and brought my friends there to see.

           
All around the island  there are Health Exhibits that offer a multitude of knowledge about various illnesses, and some slide shows. Each poster contains a notecard with information in most of the exhibits.

 

There is a delightful herb garden with each herb named on a placard. Next to it  a beehive with a warning about the loss of bees going on now.There are some programs that take place either at the Herb Garden, The Farmer’s Market near the garden.

The Research Pavilion is filled with Studies from all over the world on many diseases and all available right here in second life. It is a treasure trove of information . Gentle told me, Researchers”   describe their upcoming research at the Research Pavilion, and recruit there, and come back and tell us the results."

Another treasure is the Consumer Health Library. Here you can find urls to lists of resources on the internet. 

One room is named Daisy’s Reading Room. I went in. I learned the room is named Daisyblue Hefferman .”Daisyblue Hefferman dedicated her time in Second Life to helping those in need. Daisy spent countless hours providing medical knowledge as Consumer Health Librarian on Healthinfo Island.” It is a lovely place to sit and read or work as I did on this article. Gentle told me she loves this place to sit and read also. 

I would recommend anyone with any kind of illness, or a caretaker, or have friends with issues to take a long walk through the region to see what is there that can be helpful. 

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/243/128/23

Gemma Cleanslate  

Exploring eLab City

By Grey Lupindo

      While on another assignment for SL Newser a few weeks ago, I met Froggy (sanfroggy) a SL photographer whose home is located in eLab City.  She invited me to tour the city, which is located at eLab City West (103, 141, 33).  Froggy took the photographs that accompany this article. 

SL resident Professor Lax, who in RL is Professor Thomas P. Novak, started eLab City as a research project to study behavior in virtual worlds.  He conducts his RL academic research at the University of California at Riverside.  The eLab City project began in 2008, and it soon involved over 5,000 SL residents as visitors and participants in the research.    To create the city, he contracted with SL developers to create two regions where a true community of living, working, and playing could be conducted.   Professor Lax, through his RL persona, wrote that “...eLab City’s primary functions were to be a working laboratory and a mechanism for building a subject pool of participants for academic research studies.”       

     Although the research project has ended, eLab City remains as an interesting urban/university site to explore.  A good beginning point is the eXpress kiosk located at eLab City West (103, 141, 33).    When the research was going on, SL residents could sign up for study panels if they wanted to take part in the research project and earn some Lindens.  Since the research has ended, ignore any of the signs about signing up.  But do step inside the eXpress building and pick up a free messenger bag that is hanging on the wall.  It’s a stylish and free souvenir, and it’s filled with some freebies. 

      From this point you can get a view of the river and many of the buildings that make eLab City a realistic and fun place to explore.  Inside Building E is the student lounge.  A little grimy, with out-of-date mags, games that don’t work, and a snack shop with lousy service.   Just like I remember my college student lounge.  If you need an old computer or desk, you can pick up a copy of one here for free.  

      If you go out the back door, you can walk down to the river or explore some of the buildings and shops.  Although there appears to be some things to buy, many of the shops are decorative only now that the research has ended.

       On the street level you can borrow a car to drive.  Or take a walking tour.   Since the site allows flying, it’s fast and easy to tour.  There are also a lot of interactive maps that show key locations in eLab City.   A built in teleport system provide quick transport, too. 

      Like all good cities, eLab City has apartments, shops, gardens, a theater, a library, and places to meet and work.  The Library and Theater can be found at eLab City East (136, 83, 22).   The Library has some interesting note cards about companies that had been in SL in the past.   I was especially sorry to learn that I had missed the Ben & Jerry sim.   I bet they gave out great freebies.    Another display shows books and movies that have a presence in SL and offers a teleport to them.  

       The apartments can be found at  eLab City West (84, 115, 25). The apartments were originally built for the RL students/SL residents who were working on the research project.  The buildings were labeled Building A and Building B.  One of the interesting things that Professor Lax discovered was that the students/residents “quickly displayed a sense of ownership. For example, when the first set of student residents moved in, they changed the name from the non-descript ―Building A‖and Building B --to ―Oceanside Suites North and Oceanside Suites South.”   

      Most of the office buildings are empty, although they are quite detailed and contain conference rooms, auditoriums, visitor centers, and other space.  An exception to this, however, is the Design Center, located at eLab City East (44, 143, 28).   A collection of animated art work by Peter Stanick, titled “Virtual Virtual”, is on display here.  A note card by Stanick explains the origins of this collection.  “... I decided to put together a program that basically took all of my existing images and generated an animation from those images. ... Basically that program produces an animation, but a secondary function of that program is that it does produce secondary images which are part of this exhibition here at eLab.  And ...what we're dealing with here is a series of images that are really produced on the computer and shown online and therefore exist in a virtual reality before they become an actual reality. ... so what we have is a virtual reality within a second virtual reality of the eLab project.”    

        There are many other sites within eLab City East and West to explore.   Unfortunately, the third sim, Northwest Island, is not going to remain.  It can be found at Island of the Lost - NW, eLab City Northwest (16, 129, 30), although how long it will be there is not known.  It was not part of the original plan.  Unlike the rest of urban  eLab City, it is a nature lover’s delight.  There are miles of rocky coasts, and plenty of sea life.  Orcas and sea lions can be found at NW, eLab City Northwest (104, 226, 21).  

        As to the future of the original eLab City, Professor Lax told me that he is “exploring some ideas for using it in new academic research projects.”  The research is on hold at the moment, but Professor Lax said that  eLab City East and West are funded through 2014.  “SL remains unique in its combination of a dedicated user base, outstanding collection of user generated content, and a functioning virtual currency,” he said.  “For me, these three factors make SL very useful for academic research on user behavior in virtual environments.”

           He stated that he is “interested in connecting with like-minded others who might be interested in forming a research community centered around eLab City.”  He pointed out that “it could serve as a virtual campus for a community of Second Life researchers who are looking for a common home in which to explore ideas. “   

Grey Lupindo