Club Accessible in Second Life - Hang out with friends – Joymell Reporting...

In Second Life we can learn many things about the technological environment, but also learn more about ourselves and others in the global virtual community.

The Club Accessible is one of the places that shows us that virtual actions can make a difference in the real world. 

The club provides a safe and friendly environment for everyone to enjoy, regardless of their differences. There are people with disabilities and those who do not have disabilities, the bottom line being all can enjoy fun, dancing, friendship and social interaction in a warm and inviting atmosphere.

In the club, you will find different environments, such as a beach and a coffee house ... just come hang out with friends! Enjoy the open view of the sea, chat with friends with a cup of coffee in the little coffee house "The Captain's Cup."

Accessible Club is a region where everyone can enjoy their Second Life.  Real life people with disabilities are often unable to participate in certain events, which sometimes can lead to a feeling of isolation.   At the club, a disability does not affect the enjoyment of anyone.  Some members show their disability with the use of a wheelchair, prosthetics or hearing aids, others hide their deficiencies and yet other members are not disabled at all. The atmosphere makes everyone feel comfortable and secure, regardless of their differences …

The focus of the club is to be social and friendship is highly valued.   It’s a great source of support for many people.  Joining the club assists recently injured people, some of whom are still in rehabilitation, to find the support of other members with similar life events.

I interviewed Mrs. Megan Flinders, one of the owners of the club.   See the interview below:

Joymell: What is the Club Accessible?

Meghan Flinders: “The Club Accessible is a place where everyone can enjoy his or her Second Life through music and friendship. Everyone is equal and fully accepted. Whether you have a disability or not... you are welcome to come visit us at Club Accessible or at the Captain's Cup”.

Joymell: What events are offered by the Club, currently?

Meghan Flinders: “The club presently has DJs who entertain us three days a week. We hope to expand this and are always looking for new DJs and entertainment. There is a lovely beach across from the club where you can swim, relax on the sand or gather with friends at the lounge area. Beside that there is a small romantic gazebo for quiet moments or peaceful contemplation. For some extra fun we have a "Greedy" table and a "Can't Stop" table which you are welcome to play. A special part of Club Accessible is our cozy waterfront coffee house....perfect for you to "sit awhile" and catch up with some friends. A small snack bar is guaranteed not to make you gain weight! The theme of the area is a beach front look but we love decorate for every possible holiday or event (especially for Halloween or in winter)!”

Joymell: How can people get more information, and contact the group?

Meghan Flinders: “If you have any questions please feel free to message any of the following owners...and their native language are listed: Alexis Odgar (Spanish), Meghan Flinders (English) or Zirrus Zabaleta (German).”

Taxi to The Club Accessible:

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Taupo/12/40/21.

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SL enhances the quality of life for people with some disabilities - Joymell Reporting...

If you ask people about what they like the most about Second Life, they will certainly have a variety of answers; however, they all share one thing in common: Second Life allows us to do amazing things and often what is impossible for most of us in real life. We can be astronauts, visit an alien world or travel back in time, or visit a place of the past. Or we can, for example, fly on a plane, dive in the ocean, go bungee jumping or even dance ballet.

The fact is that virtual reality enhances people’s lives and their possibilities. More and more advantages are being gradually discovered, and are showing great promise. Virtual reality can put pilots in training as if they were in heaven and can also provide people, including those with some forms of disability, experiences that they cannot have in the real world.

The great advantage of virtual reality is its ability to create full immersion situations, carrying people to a fully virtualized world.  In practice, what this means is that the virtual content sends stimulation so that the user perceives them through their senses. Virtual reality enables the creation of scenarios where the brain understands that mind and body are in the same sensory plane.

With virtual reality, you can go anywhere without even having to leave your bed. Many disabled people have to stay long term at home, idle. Having to go through life without being able to experience all that life has to offer. In Second Life virtual world, a person is able to, for example, experience (virtually speaking) the outdoors, cycling, surfing or walking on the beach. The fact that the brain perceives and processes the stimulus as "real" enables numerous applications. Researchers are increasingly seeing the therapeutic potential of interaction "Brain - virtual world".

Burn victims, for example, that suffer from excruciating and constant pain that intensifies during the treatment of wounds or during physical therapy. To help them relieve this pain, a virtual game where the player must throw snowballs at penguins, congesting pathways responsible for the sense of pain was created. In some cases this therapy has had better results than that of morphine.

Many other experiments have been done with the application of virtual reality.  In this virtual world we can forget our pain and give freedom to our imagination and fantasies.  In this world, people with disabilities can also have wings and fly, which can contribute to fun moments of relaxation and leisure.

Virtual Ability region provides a customized resident orientation center targeted at people with RL disabilities, helping bring people with a wide range of disabilities into Second Life, and provides them with a supporting environment:

Taxi to Virtual Ability region:

URL: http://secondlife.com/destination/1160

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