Second Life

Second Life (SL) "is a virtual world developed by Linden Lab that launched on June 23, 2003 and is accessible via the Internet. A free client program called the Second Life Viewer enables its users, called Residents, to interact with each other through avatars. Residents can explore, meet other residents, socialize, participate in individual and group activities, and create and trade virtual property and services with one another, or travel throughout the world, which residents refer to as the grid. Second Life is for people aged 18 and over, while Teen Second Life is for people aged 13 to 17." (from Wikipedia)

• Thoughts on Second Disability, Second Life, Empathy and a Second Chance
• Virtual Worlds Offer Opportunities for People with Disabilities
• Virtual Ability Friends and Family Stories--Examples of how Second Life has changed the lives of many individuals with disabilities.

Getting Started

• Virtual Ability Islands in Second Life--Virtual Ability, a nonprofit organization, runs several disability-related projects in Second Life. These include Virtual Ability Island, which provides the home for their new resident orientation and training, developed for people with disabilities or chronic illnesses. Here, new residents can learn Second Life® fundamentals in an accessibility-friendly environment, and existing residents can receive ongoing training and information about health-related issues and support groups. This island was created through a partnership with the Alliance Library System. They also have Cape Able island, which is a haven for deaf, hard of hearing and people with disabilities and The Heron Sanctuary, which provides an ongoing community of support for people with disabilities once they are inside and trained in Second Life.
• Virtual Ability Second Life Orientation--Virtual Ability has created a YouTube Orientation to their community.
• Tech Soup's Guide to Second Life--answers your basic questions about Second Life from a nonprofit perspective.
• Second Life FAQs--from Linden Labs, the creators of Second Life.
• Media:SecondLife_Basics_Intro_Class.pdf--A PDF of a text-only PowerPoint on getting started with Second Life
• Media:Second_Life_Quickstart.pdf‎--An excellent quick-start guide with visuals. Note that this is not fully accessible for screen readers.
• What Is Second Life?--This YouTube presentation provides a nice overview of Second Life and discusses various educational possibilities for its use.
• Max, the Virtual Guide Dog--Online virtual world Second Life now has its own virtual guide dog available to help blind and partially sighted people – meet German Shepherd Max. Max revolutionises how people with a visual impairment navigate the global community and can even read signs, using text to speech technology. The cyber pooch is keyboard controlled, rather than having to use a mouse. It simulates the experience of the ‘real world’, listening to sound and other helpful messages to find its bearings; so being unable to see the screen isn’t a problem. Max makes it easy for visually impaired users to log on. And he’s a problem solver; designed to help people with sight loss navigate by finding any object (including other avatars (online character) and taking the blind person’s avatar to a virtual meeting. He gives constant feedback about the immediate surrounding area, so like a real guide dog, he helps visually impaired users avoid crashing into other people and objects. He assists them in navigating the virtual world, reading messages and information with text to speech technology... even a real guide dog can’t do that!

Participating in Second Life

• Second Life Disability Resources
• Disabilities in Second Life
• Disability Charity Sets Up Virtual Advice Center in Second Life
• Wheelies in Second Life--Simon Walsh, who has cerebal palsy, has set up a nightclub in Second Life called Wheelies. He says, "Wheelies aims to make guests feel comfortable about disability as well as dancing and just plain having a good time."
• Second Life is My Wheelchair--"Seshat Czeret runs a successful clothing and furniture business in Second Life. She runs classes for the NCI, and is a respected member of their staff. She has several friends whom she is routinely in contact with, and many more people she communicates with regularly. She is an avid roleplayer. All these things would not be possible without access to her high-end computer and broadband connection which enable her to access Second Life."
• EASI-sponsored webinars on Second Life--scroll down the page for information on three upcoming webinars on Second Life and accessibility issues.
• Podcast and Helen Keller Day in Second Life--Listen to a podcast on accessibility and Second Life and learn more about the Helen Keller Day even held in June.
• Raising Money and Creating Communities in Second Life--includes several examples.
• The School of Second LifeAn NPR podcast on how one professor is using Second Life to supplement his teaching.
• Second Life's Role in a Curriculum