by Sydney Scientist


A disability can be anything really; a loose definition of a disability is something that prevents a person from living a full, normal life (Lancaster 2009). Using this definition, a disability can be anything that inhibits someone from living the way they would like to. A disability can be an inability to drive a car, open a door, type on a computer; anything. A disability affects the way a person lives their daily lives, hinders them from functioning in a capacity in which they would like to. According to the U.S. Department of Education there are many types of disabilities, they range from physical, sensory, cognitive, psychiatric, and health-related. They can affect anything from the senses like blindness or they can be learning disorders like A.D.D. (Lancaster 2009). Those with disabilities have differing view points. Some feel or are physically unable to function within society. Some use whatever means they can to live within society's constraints. Others feel that society should cater to them, they are not the ones with the problem, and society is by not making the world functional to them. Along this topic, I have had the opportunity to experience a form of technological disability within SL and was given a guide dog to try to work within this virtual world. The practical application of using a guide dog in SL is something I have had the opportunity to experience in Second Life, and I will discuss the uses and advantages of having a guide dog. I will also talk about the reception of people with disabilities in Second Life. Disabilities are variable and come in different forms and effect people uniquely.

Second Life is a virtual world where people use avatars as a representation of themselves and the "residents" of SL use these avatars to socialize with others. Each person's avatar is unique to them and it represents their personality. In Second Life you can change the appearance of your avatar, and is important when studying socialization of people in virtual worlds how much their appearance can play a role in their lives. In Second Life there has also been a trend that people with disabilities are able to represent their particular disability, whether it is through a wheelchair, a guide dog, or by animating their avatar to have characteristics similar to their own.

The use of Second Life permits social interaction for people with disabilities; in other instances, people with disabilities are more comfortable interacting with others in environments where they can control things, such as their appearance. Second Life is an online virtual world where people interact socially and can “live” as they do in actual life. In SL there are business, places of entertainment, places of residence and even automobiles. Avatars are formed by their user; at first a generic female or male is provided and the user can manipulate the avatar to look however they wish. Pink hair, extra legs, abstract forms are all common in Second Life where everyone can be anything. Communication is performed in two ways, one through instant message where the users type to each other, or through voice chat where each user has a microphone. Movement is controlled by mouse or keyboard; avatars can walk, run, drive and fly amongst other modes of ambulation. Second Life provides a way for people to interact with one another, and in doing so people can create networks and communities within this virtual world.

Second Life is home to many communities and social networks created for those with certain disabilities. These organizations have helped give support to thousands of people. Simon Walsh created “Wheelies,” a club where people of all types can be part of a supportive environment where people are treated equally, regardless of their abilities. Virtual ability is a program in SL, run by volunteers. These programs allow users to have virtual guide dogs which help their avatar navigate SL, find people, read signs and generally improve their experience in this virtual world.

In Second Life, there are only differences in your appearance or physical appearance if you want them to be. One trend that has popped up in SL since its launch in 2003 is the appearance of wheelchairs as well as guide dogs for the use of the virtual residents. An article in On the Issues Magazine claimed that avatars are a way of dealing with disability through abstract representation: "in some cases it is also therapeutic, allowing the individual to explore alternate identities or to deal with a physical or emotional disability in a safe environment," (Collingwood 2009).

It is easy to forget that Second Life is different from Real Life, Second Life is a virtual community where people have an identity and existence separate from their real life. .In SL people can have disabilities represented for them, but there are also non-disabled residents who struggle in their lives in Second Life. Some people suffer from having an outdated computer, while others suffer from dyslexia or screen sickness. It seems that SL is trying to accommodate those with and without physical limitations by advancing their technology. Software is constantly being updated so as to allow those with both physical and technological issues the ability to try and have the same types of opportunities in a virtual world. One article states that they have plans to make SL accessible to the blind or those with vision issues by making Second Life into a text based environment (Folmer 2007). Another advancement made is the voice chat; over 50% of users are able to use voice chat and 97% of SL’s regions are voice enabled (Linden 2009). It seems as if the future is racing toward the present with the technological advances made for SL.

As avatars are important to a person's interaction in Second Life, the application of wheel chairs represent a lot to disabled residents. One such resident, Seshat Czeret, feels that "A wheelchair gives someone with limited mobility but otherwise functional in the real world the ability to go out and do things and be a functional member of the community, From my computer chair, I can teach, run a business, have an active social life, and be a functioning member of a community. Second Life is my wheelchair." (Metaverse Journal 2008). Czeret does not use a wheelchair in SL but in RL she is unable to function as she would like to in society and she finds that she can interact more functionally in Second Life.

Wheelchairs and guide dogs are a good representation of disability in Second Life, but there are also other physical and social representations of disability surviving in the virtual world. One example is a group of people afflicted with Asperger's Syndrome, a form of Autism. This group has created their own island and group for support and socializing, they are called "The Naughty Auties". These people feel more comfortable in SL and also in an environment with people who share their problems. (Mangan 2008) Another example is a woman with cerebral palsy who is able to interact with others in SL using a head wand to control her avatar when in RL she has a difficult time getting around and socializing with others. (Wheeling in Second Life 2009) These are a few ways that Second Life is both helping and affecting people with disabilities, allowing them to have the ability to socialize with others in a forum that allows them equal footing with others who may not have disabilities.

In SL you can never be sure what or who is a resident; as mentioned previously, residents can take whatever form they want, a rock, race car or a raven if they choose. In reality people tend to discriminate, not always knowingly, against people who are different from themselves. Some people using Second Life embrace how they are in real life and choose to represent themselves as how they truly are. Some choose to represent their disabilities with 2ndisability, a website that simulates physical disabilities in Second Life, such as deafness and blindness (Kratzer 2007). Another option is Wheelies, created by Simon Stevens to both receive a wheelchair and to interact in his club Wheelies. Anyone can visit Wheelies and interact in their club or even receive a wheelchair if they wish.

It may not matter to others what they look like on Second Life, and that aspect has made life more fulfilling for those who can use virtual worlds and not be discriminated against. From a stroke victim visualizing herself walking again to an agoraphobic who is able to explore the vast world of Second Life, these people have seen the advantages of using Second Life, and for the most part they feel that it has given them a part of their lives back (Stein 2007). Although virtual worlds can be fulfilling and healing to those that feel they can not socialize with others well in reality, it has also become a place of therapy for others. Some residents may have physical and mental disabilities that leave them unable to interact with others but others may suffer from mental disorders that need mental health therapy from a certified health care professional but it seems a growing trend of people have started trying to use virtual worlds as therapy instead of going to a health care professional. Just as these virtual tools can help those with disability issues and their ability to socialize, it can also hinder their health physically and mentally. Some people see using these virtual worlds as a form of "Internet Therapy", making medical therapy obsolete for these people, and this is not a safe route for those who are psychologically frail. (Stein 2007) Even though SL is a virtual world that seems free from judgment in the case of mental health it is still necessary for these individuals to seek physical medical attention.

SL provides individuals with the ability to interact in a comfortable forum for themselves but there is also other organizations that have been created because of this virtual community. Such organizations as Dreams and Health InfoIsland are two of the many organizations and websites that people can use in this virtual world to find social groups. (Virtualability 2009) Virtualability in particular provides an assessment for those newly entering the virtual world; they do an assessment and give help in integrating new people into Second Life.

These organizations have been created because of the high use of the internet by people with disabilities. It has been shown that those with autism and cerebral palsy have had better quality of life because of the internet and virtual reality simulations. (Kuhlen 2000 ,Weiss 2003) Children with autism also had more positive interactions socially after having virtual simulation training. (Herrera 2008) The organizations in Second and Real Life are supported by research like this as well as by groups promoting education in virtual or internet forms that makes it easier for students to acclimate themselves. Disabled people should have the same rights and access and groups like the American Disability Association make it possible legally for others to modify their sites or programs so they are entirely EVERY-user friendly (ADA 2009). There are also others fighting for the rights of disabled people to access the internet (Arch-online.org, 2009) While much work is being done in Second Life to acclimate people with disabilities, less attention has been paid to another kind of disability.


All that is needed to participate in Second Life is a good computer and a fast internet connection; however, there can be complications when using SL if your computer is not up to the task. In Second Life there are applications that can be used to help those hindered by "technological disabilities", as well as those who have actual physical problems. Another example of a technological aid for people with disabilities that can be used to help the “technologically disabled” is a virtual guide dog that helps the user navigate what can seem like chaotic world.

In an effort to add credibility to this paper I obtained a guide dog to experience disability. The guide dog helped to navigate the depths of SL which I could not with my slow and outdated computer. It helped me to read signs, find friends and in general help my daily Second Life. Others have done the same thing in SL, investigating blindness, deafness and even having tics like musculoskeletal disorders (Yellowless 2006). It was a new and frustrating experience to lack capabilities that I normally have control over. It felt like something was taken away from me that should have been natural, at least natural as functioning in a virtual world. I think in general it made me aware of the frustration of such limitations. Trying to work within a world where those with faster computers could function with ease. I found myself becoming very impatient and angry because I could not speak in voice chat, I could not read or see things that others could and I couldn’t navigate the land as well as others could. When visiting Wheelies I met others with disabilities, they were very helpful, and one individual even gave me a lesson on how to use my guide dog. I found that even when getting instructions from others it was hard to interact with them because my computer would not allow me to function as I wanted. I could not move quickly enough to dance; I could not run or fly because my graphic card could not keep up. In essence I felt very isolated both with my classmates and with people that I met in Wheelies. I felt as if I was the only one who could understand what I was up against and the only one who could understand what it was like to be in my position. No matter how people tried to help me it was difficult to communicate what exactly I was experiencing and what I needed.

The virtual guide dog helped me with many of these problems. It is a fascinating application; it helped me to read signs and described pictures which I could not see. It helped me maneuver around the island where our class is held, and helped me not to get lost in the ocean. The guide dog comes with its own instruction guide, and after reading it and having an open area in which to practice it was easy to master. It helped me to find where my classmates were meeting, as I had to walk and could not teleport because my internet connection was too slow. It was comforting knowing that despite my internet and computer I could still function within Second Life even in a limited fashion.

Second Life provides a platform for socialization but it also helps those who do not have the opportunity or functional capability to socialize in the real world by using their avatars to represent their true character, disabled people have found a new way to unite and have created organizations for support both in the RL and in SL. In using an application to simulate a virtual disability, I learned that that it is debilitating and frustrating to have to function in a world where anything is possible yet you are hindered by the technology that creates this world. Disability affects those in both RL and SL, but the world seems to be moving to a world where accessibility is possibility in any arena, virtual or real.



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