Tag: Virtual Ability

Virtual Ability announce 2014 Mental Health symposium schedule

Posted on by Inara Pey

Mental Health SymposiumOn Saturday April 26th 2014, Virtual Ability will be holding their 2014 Mental Heath Symposium, and as a part of the run-up to the event, they issued the symposium schedule on Saturday April 12th.

The event will run from 07:00 SLT through to 16:00 SLT at the Sojourner Auditorium on Virtual Ability island, with the theme of “Quality of Life”, and the seven speaker will be presenting a series of talks and topics on research, practice, and insight reflecting this theme.

At the time of writing, the schedule reads as show below, all times are SLT.

  • 07:00: Insights from Research: Depression Among Older Adults – Dr. Hillary Bogner, MD, University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine
  • 08:30: Employment Equality Through Accommodation and Self-Advocacy –
    Teresa Goddard, MS, Senior Consultant, Job Accommodation Network, West Virginia University
  • 10:00: Well-being Among Persons at Risk of Psychosis: The Role of Self-Labeling, Shame, and Stigma Stress – Dr. Nicolas Rüsch, Ph.D., University of Ulm, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany
  • 11:30: Super-good: Why People Serious About Addiction Recovery can become “Weller than Well”  – Dick Dillon, CEO, Innovaision, LLC
  • 13:00: The Role of Counseling in Quality of Life and How Counselors are Exploring Virtual Service Delivery – Christine Karper, Ph.D. and Michelle Stone, B.S. Psychology, College of Social Sciences, University of Phoenix
  • 14:30: A Healing Space built with Veterans in Mind: Virtual Worlds and Psychological Health – Jacquelyn Ford Morie, Ph.D., All These Worlds, LLC
  • 16:00: Creating a Vibrant Life: Lessons from Adversity – Colleen Crary, M.A. / Anya Ibor in SL
    Executive Director, Fearless Nation, Inc., Doctoral candidate in Psychology, Walden University.

In case of any unanticipated changes having to be made to the event, please check back with the Virtual Ability blog for further updates ahead of the symposium.

About Virtual Ability

Virtual Ability, Inc. is a non-profit corporation, chartered in the state of Colorado, USA.  We are a non-profit tax exempt organization under section 501(c)(3) of the United States Internal Revenue Code. This means that for US citizens, contributions made are deductible as a charitable donation for federal income tax purposes.

For further information on the board of directors, please visit the Virtual Ability About Us page.

For those wishing to keep up with Virtual Ability news and updates when on the move, you can follow them on Twitter.

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Virtual Ability: “Quality of Life” – the 2014 Mental Health symposium

Posted on by Inara Pey

Mental Health SymposiumOn Saturday April 26th 2014, Virtual Ability will be holding their 2014 Mental Heath Symposium, and both Gentle Heron and  Sister Abeyante from Virtual Ability have asked if I’d help spread the word – which I’m delighted to do!

The symposium is an all-day event, commencing at 07;00 SLT on the 26th April and running through until 17:00 SLT.

The theme for this year’s event is Quality of Life, and it will take place at the Sojourner Auditorium on Virtual Ability Island. I’ll be joining them in passing-on news on speakers and presentations as the schedule is finalised.

The Mental Health symposium is one of two major events Virtual Ability host in-world each year, the other is the annual International Disability Rights Affirmation Conference (IDRAC), which is held later in the year.

The Sojourner Auditorium, Virtual Ability Island
The Sojourner Auditorium, Virtual Ability Island

Those wishing to learn more about either the Mental Health symposia or IDRAC can view the archives of past events as follows:

Virtual Ability Island - the hub of Virtual Ability's work in Second Life
Virtual Ability Island – the hub of Virtual Ability’s work in Second Life

About Virtual Ability

Virtual Ability, Inc. is a non-profit corporation, chartered in the state of Colorado, USA.  We are a non-profit tax exempt organization under section 501(c)(3) of the United States Internal Revenue Code. This means that for US citizens, contributions made are deductible as a charitable donation for federal income tax purposes.

For further information on the board of directors, please visit the Virtual Ability About Us page.

Related links

 

Disability and Virtual Worlds: New Frontiers of Appropriation

Posted on by Inara Pey

Virtual AbilitySaturday October 26th will see three well-known figures from Second Life sit as a panel at the Association of Internet Research (AoIR) conference, which takes place in Denver, Colorado between October 23rd and October 26th.

Together. they will be presenting Disability and Virtual Worlds: New Frontiers of Appropriation, and the event will take place simultaneously in real life and Second Life on Saturday 26th October, commencing at 09:30 SLT. Following their initial presentation, all three panellists will be answering questions from both their real life and virtual audiences.

The three researchers are:

BoellstorffTom Boellstorff (Tom Bukowski in SL), a professor of anthropology at the University of California, Irvine. His interests have included the anthropology of sexuality, the anthropology of globalization, the anthropology of virtual worlds, Southeast Asian studies, the anthropology of HIV/AIDS, and linguistic anthropology.

The winner of the 2009 Dorothy Lee Award for Outstanding Scholarship in Ecology of Culture, Media Ecology Association, his has authored several books, including Coming of Age in Second Life: An Anthropologist Explores the Virtually Human, (Princeton University Press, 2008), the result of two years fieldwork in Second Life, living among and observing its residents in exactly the same way anthropologists traditionally have done to learn about cultures and social groups in the so-called real world. He has also co-authored Ethnography and Virtual Worlds: A Handbook of Method (Princeton University Press, 2012) a concise, comprehensive, and practical guide for students, teachers, designers, and scholars interested in using ethnographic methods to study online virtual worlds, including both game and non-game environments.

davisDonna Davis (Tredi Felisimo) is a strategic communications professor at the University of Oregon who specialises in mass media & society, public relations, strategic communication, virtual environments and digital ethnography.

Her research focuses on Second Life culture and the influence it has on our physical lives, which is currently centred on individuals with Parkinson’s disease. Within Second Life she founded and runs Frantastica, which is located alongside the Creations (for Parkinson’s) Park region, and is dedicated to the research and support of individuals touched by Parkinson’s Disease.

KruegerAlice Krueger (Gentle Heron) is the president and co-founder of Virtual Ability Inc, a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation based in Denver, Colorado, which is dedicated to empowering people with a wide range of disabilities  by providing a supporting environment for them to enter and thrive in on-line virtual worlds like Second Life.

Virtual Ability operate a number of regions within Second Life, centred on Virtual Ability Island, and offer a range of programmes for those with disabilities who enter Second Life, as well as providing in-world residential opportunities, events, activities, and talks and presentations on a range of subjects which are geld throughout the year and are open to all.    

Those wishing to attend the panel in-world can do so at the Sojourner Auditorium, Virtual Ability Island. Voice + text transcription will be available.

The Sojourner Auditorium, Virtual Ability Island -
The Sojourner Auditorium, Virtual Ability Island – setting for the in-world presentation by Tom Boellstorff, Donna Davis and Alice Krueger on Disability and Virtual Worlds: New Frontiers of Appropriation, Saturday October 26th, 09:30 SLT

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Virtual Ability announce IDRAC panelists

Posted on by Inara Pey

Virtual AbilityFollowing-on from the initial announcement about the 3rd Annual International Disability Rights Affirmation Conference (IDRAC), which I previewed here, Gentle Heron of Virtual Ability Inc has supplied details of the panellists who will make up the four international panels which will be held during the conference.

IDRAC will take place on Friday 27th and Saturday 28th September 2013 at the Sojourner Auditorium on Virtual Ability Island. The central theme is “Let Me In”, focusing on different perspectives about access that are of interest to persons with disabilities, and seeks to address issues of inclusion and freedom of participation.

As well as keynote speakers on each of the two days and presentations from noted experts and specialists from around the world (again, please refer to my previous post for details), the conference will include four panel sessions over the two days, in which disability rights around the world will be discussed.

The Sojourner Auditorium, Virtual Ability Island - locations of the 3rd IDRAC
The Sojourner Auditorium, Virtual Ability Island – locations of the 3rd IDRAC

In all the four panels comprise:

International Panel 1: Friday September 27th, 17:30 SLT

  • Roth Grut – Brazil
  • Losairam – Ecuador
  • Jens Nerido – Denmark
  • Moderator:  Svea Morane (United States)

International Panel 2: Saturday September 28th, 07:00 SLT

  • Letty Pienaar – Germany
  • Winter Wardhani – Portugal
  • JayJay Zifanwe – Australia
  • Moderator: Tom Bukowski (United States)

International Panel 3: Saturday September 28th, 13:00 SLT

  • Slatan Dryke – Italy
  • Libido Siemens – Greece
  •  jihan wonder – Egypt
  • Moderator: Blu Heron (United States)

International Panel 4: Saturday September 28th, 17:30 SLT

  • LifeSkillsWorker – Canada
  • Loquacia Loon – Malaysia
  • Kiremimi Tigerpaw – Japan
  • Zsuzsa Tomsen – United States
  • Moderator: Kopilo Hallard (Australia)

Commenting on the upcoming conference, organiser Gentle Heron said, “We are so excited! We invite you to attend the conference if you can, and tell your friends about it – bring them along! The slate of presenters is broad and varied. Presenters hail from places as diverse as Germany, South Africa and the Netherlands. Panellists come from places as widespread as Brazil, Italy, Japan, Ecuador, and Denmark.”

For full details on the conference programme schedule, including updates and changes, please refer to the IDRAC Presentation Schedule.

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“Let Me In”: The 3rd Annual International Disability Rights Affirmation Conference

Posted on by Inara Pey

Virtual AbilityFriday September 27th and Saturday September 28th will see the 3rd Annual International Disability Rights Affirmation Conference (IDRAC) take place in Second Life.

The theme of this year’s conference is “Let Me In”, and focuses on different perspectives about access that are of interest to persons with disabilities, and seeks to address issues of inclusion and freedom of participation.

Virtual Ability Island - the hub of Virtual Ability's work in Second Life
Virtual Ability Island – the hub of Virtual Ability’s work in Second Life

Persons with all types of disabilities can be fully functioning community members, given appropriate accessibility accommodations when needed. However, despite increasing legal protections ensuring access and community participation, significant barriers to equal access for persons with disabilities still exist:

  • A person with a disability or chronic health condition may not have access to all the facilities, resources, and communities that persons without these conditions have. A person with a mobility disability may be stymied by a flight of stairs leading to a public building, by public transportation their wheelchair won’t go into, or even by the tall threshold of a shop
  • A person with a visual impairment may be unable to benefit from daily newspapers or printed textbooks
  • A Deaf person may not be able to communicate on the phone, or receive information on radio announcements or at public lectures. Persons with developmental or intellectual disabilities may have difficulty understanding public policies or getting appropriate health care.

Panels of citizens from around the world will provide background as conference participants explore both policy and implementation aspects of providing full accessibility.

Commenting on the upcoming conference, Alice Krueger (Gentle Heron in SL), President of Virtual Ability, Inc., said:

For persons with disabilities, access to information is critical. We must be included in research about the world, and our needs must be considered in policy development. We also should have access to buildings, transportation, and all the other resources used by persons who do not have disabilities. Having access to the full function of communities in which we engage is equally important. “Let me in” is a logical follow-up to last year’s IDRAC conference which focused on communities people with disabilities belong to.

The conference will take place at the Sojourner Auditorium on Virtual Ability Island.

The Sojourner Auditorium, Virtual Ability Island - locations of the 3rd IDRAC
The Sojourner Auditorium, Virtual Ability Island – locations of the 3rd IDRAC

Programme Outline

For full details on the conference programme schedule, including updates and changes, please refer to the IDRAC Presentation Schedule. All times given her are SLT.

Friday September 27th

  • 08:30-09:30 – Keynote Address, Dr. Letitica De León:- Play to the Strengths: Accessible Fun and Learning for All Children
  • 10:00-11:00 – Dr. Sarah Rule: Training Community Based Rehabilitation Personnel in South Africa
  • 11:30-12:30 – Vulcan Viper: Accessibility in Mind
  • 13:00-14:00 – Vicki Robinson:  Teaching Physics to Deaf Students in a 3-D Immersive World
  • 14:30-15:30 – Jennifer Sarrett:  Disability in the Developing World: The Case of Autism in Kerala
  • 16:00-17:00 – Teresa Goddard: Service Animals in the Workplace
  • 17:30-18:30 – International Panel #1: Disability Rights Around the World

Saturday September 28th

  • 06:00-07:00 – Dr. Wisdom Mprah Does Disability Matter? Disability in Sexual and Reproductive Health Policies and Research in Ghana
  • 07:00-08:00 – International Panel #2: Disability Rights Around the World
  • 08:30-10:00 – Keynote Address, Dr. John Stone, The World Report on Disability
  • 10:00-11:00 – Christel Schneider:  European Language Portfolios for Specific Purposes
  • 11:30-12:30 – Dr. Margaret Stineman:  Empowerment Medicine: Engaging Together
  • 13:00-14:00 – International Panel #3: Disability Rights Around the World
  • 14:30-15:30 – Mike Rose: Inclusive Emergency Preparedness, or “I’ll Open My Own Doors” 16:00-17:00 – Dr. Nina Slota: Gender, Community, and Collaboration: The Experiences of Women Living with Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy
  • 17:30-18:30 – International Panel #4: Disability Rights Around the World.

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Virtual Ability Mental Health Symposium

Posted on by Inara Pey

Press Release from Virtual Ability Inc

Virtual Ability, Inc. announces the 2012 Virtual Ability Mental Health Symposium, to be held Saturday, April 28, in Second Life®.

Our society too often takes mental health for granted and too frequently stigmatizes people with mental health issues. Saturday’s 2012 Virtual Ability Mental Health Symposium offers a variety of perspectives for thinking positively about mental health

The symposium’s keynote presenter is Dick Dillon of Innovaision, LLC. Dillon’s topic is “Why Virtual Counseling Should Be Viewed as Advanced Telemedicine.” He will explain why using virtual worlds for counseling allows better service than “real life” counseling. He was recently Senior VP of Planning and Development for Preferred Family Healthcare, and has spent over five years actively involved in Second Life®.

Featured presenters include Dr. Tina Garcia, Frank Hannah, Dr. Marty Jencius, Dr. Debra London, Anya Ibor, and DyVerse Steele.

Dr. Garcia, a lawyer with TBI, will discuss cognitive rehabilitation and brain injury. Hannah, a retired clinical mental health counselor, will share a method for developing and maintaining positive self-concept and optimum mental health.

Drs. Jencius and London run the Counselor Education in Second Life yearly SL conference. Ibor, executive director of Fearless Nation PTSD Support, will explain the neurobiology of post-traumatic stress disorder. Steele, a peer support leader for HIV/AIDS and diabetes, will offer information about mental health and minority communities.

Not all sessions will be formal presentations. MermaidSue Bailey, a counselor from the United Kingdom who conducts an active Second Life support group for people with disabilities, will lead a discussion of the importance of peer support for mental health.

Roberto Salubrius, a former medical student misdiagnosed with agoraphobia, will use the story of his life to explain why mental health issues aren’t all mental. The audience will be invited to think about the nature of self in the context of a reading from Paul Brok’s book “Into the Silent Land.”

Presentations will take place at various locations in Second Life®, including the Sojourner Auditorium on Virtual Ability Island.

The full schedule of confirmed presenters is available in-world, and at the Virtual Ability website.

Alice Krueger (Gentle Heron in-world), president of Virtual Ability, Inc., noted, “A symposium is a formal meeting where individual presentations are followed by discussion. We intend these sessions to encourage audience participation with the presenters and especially with the content the presenters share. Mental health is too important a topic to ignore.”

About Virtual Ability, Inc.

Virtual Ability, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation based in Denver, Colorado, which is dedicated to empowering people with a wide range of disabilities by providing a supporting environment for them to enter and thrive in on-line virtual worlds like Second Life®.

For more information on Virtual Ability, Inc., including the benefits of virtual reality for people with disabilities, please see http://www.VirtualAbility.org.

For further information, contact:
Alice Krueger, President
Virtual Ability Inc.
Office: 303/400-3306
akrueger@VirtualAbility.org