At first glance, it would appear that online virtual worlds with their emphasis on 3D graphics and complex interface controls have little to offer people with disabilities. On the contrary, virtual worlds serve as a form of augmented reality where users transcend physiological or cognitive challenges to great social and therapeutic benefit. A number of intriguing developments exist within the accessibility sector, particularly for users of Linden Lab’s Second Life framework: haptic input devices for the blind, virtual regions developed according to universal design principles, communities dedicated to people with cognitive disorders, the use of the avatar as counselor, applications in higher education, and customizable personae that either transcend or represent a disabled person’s self-identity. Therefore with the increased ability to participate on a “level playing field,” it is possible to engage in interactions with other inhabitants in a way in which specific physical characteristics are a matter of preference rather than default of visually apparent as they are in the real world. As noted above, the fact that people choose to portray themselves as “augmented” or enhanced is not surprising, but that individuals would intentionally portray themselves as disabled, potentially facing the consequential results of negative disability schemas, is of interest, which led us to our second research question:
RQ2. Given the lack of visual cues, are there groups created in Second Life that are specific to people with disabilities? Are any of these groups additionally identified by gender?
When Second Life achieved mainstream attention at the close of 2006, collective attitudes regarding virtual worlds were still evolving. These graphical landscapes, built from bytes of computer code and populated by self-constructed identities, called avatars, offered virtual residents the opportunity to engage in new forms of social and physical interaction. A virtual world is a simulated three-dimensional (3D) environment accessed through a computer. More than a flat (2 dimensional) website and utilizing the same technological aspects as games; virtual worlds are typically accessed via the Internet. Participants then interact with their environment, and with other users of the environment through a presentation layer consisting of such features as animated avatars, customizable objects, instant chat messaging and voice-activation. The use of virtual worlds has been explored for many purposes spanning entertainment, socialization, education and commerce industries.
Virtual worlds are sometimes considered an extrapolation of “serious games” — a software or hardware player application developed with gaming technology or design principles, intended for use beyond pure entertainment (Hinton, 2006). These programs have been developed and deployed for such purposes as education, marketing, advertisement, workplace training, or health awareness. The main difference between a “game” and a virtual world is in the objective: game players expect to be confronted with obstacles that are intentionally built into the software, while users of virtual worlds seek to engage and navigate their way through an environment empathetic to achieving user-centered goals (Smith, 2009).
Second Life, the virtual world platform developed by Linden Lab, has attracted the most widespread attention and name recognition outside of specialized gaming communities. While other applications such as Blizzard’s World ofWarcraft, boast greater numbers of simultaneous users, they tend to focus more on goal-driven gameplay rather than on social interaction (Hinton, 2006). There are other multi-user virtual environments, for example the IMVU platform, that provide such tools for peer-to-peer collaboration as 3D messaging, personalized profile pages, developer tools and group forums (Caoili, 2008).
From an accessibility standpoint, it would appear that gaming interfaces and virtual worlds have little to offer people with disabilities. The experience is largely visual in nature, with multiple interaction paradigms offering deep levels of customization. User inputs often require extensive hand/eye coordination to precisely control an avatar’s movements. Some applications use nonpersistent sound and fading messages to deliver information; for users who are unaccustomed to this level of multitasking, the resulting cognitive load can be severe.
It is interesting, then, that a new form of social literacy has begun to take shape. There exists a vital demographic of virtual world participants with a wide range of functional limitations (i. e. “disabilities”): visual impairments, motor skill disorders, degenerative illness, limited mobility, and cognitive difficulties, among others. Many of these users utilize virtual technology to great social and therapeutic benefit. For these users, avatar-driven 3D environments serve as more than a game (Deeley, 2008). Virtual worlds operate as a form of augmented reality, one where it’s possible to transcend a user’s physiological or cognitive challenges into something extraordinary. In fact, the choices users make when creating and maintaining their avatars, can lead to the creation and maintenance of new environments and cultures that exist within Second Life (Diehl & Prins, 2008).