International Disability Rights Affirmation Conference- July 23/24, 2011 |
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Virtual World Conference about Real World Rights
Virtual Ability, Inc. announces the International Disability Rights Affirmation Conference (IDRAC2011) to be held Saturday and Sunday, July 23/24, in Second Life®. In 2006, the United Nations held a Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The text of the Convention was adopted by the UN General Assembly, and now has over 100 signatory states, including the US and the European Union. Legislation to protect the rights of persons with disabilities is becoming common around the world. However, the June 2011 World Health Organization study, the World Report on Disability, found significant barriers to equal access for persons with disabilities still exist. This international conference will begin to explore legal protections around the world for persons with disabilities. Featured panels of persons from around the world will discuss local legislation that supports the rights of persons with disabilities. Panelists come from Australia, Belgium, Costa Rica, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and the UK. Featured presenters include Scott Gill, Simon Walsh, Sister Abeyante, and Roberta Walker Kilkenny. Gill is Executive Director of Access 2 independence, a Center for Independent Living in Iowa, US; he will talk about the independence movement. Walsh is head of his own consulting firm in the UK; he will compare the US ADA legislation with the UK’s DDA. Abeyante is a Salvatorian Sister; she will discuss advocacy for disability (civil and human) rights. Kilkenny is a college instructor; she will present about the significance of the UN Convention. Presentations by the National Service Inclusion Project and the Job Accommodation Network will highlight disability services available in the US. Other sessions will feature peer support, comedy, and dance, both as part of the affirmation celebration. Presentations will take place in Sojourner Auditorium on Virtual Ability Island within Second Life®: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Virtual%20Ability/54/170/23. The full schedule of confirmed presenters is posted inworld, and at http://virtualability.org/IDRAC2011.aspx. Alice Krueger, president of Virtual Ability, Inc., stated: “It is a great pleasure to host so many wonderful speakers. Our audience will gain information about the extent of the issues facing people with disabilities, and the potentials for solutions to barriers.” About Virtual Ability, Inc. Virtual Ability, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation based in Denver, Colorado, dedicated to enabling 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 www.VirtualAbility.org. For further information, contact: Alice Krueger,
President
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August 23, 2010 - Virtual Ability Launches Project to Make Second Life® Viewer More Accessible |
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Virtual Ability, Inc. today announced the inauguration of a new project to help enhance the Second Life® viewer by making it more accessible to people with various disabilities. Working in alignment with Linden Lab’s Snowstorm project, Virtual Ability will bring together Second Life® users with a range of physical disabilities, manufacturers of assistive technology, and the technical resources needed to make targeted improvements in the Second Life® viewer software. Virtual Ability’s technical team for this project will be led by LordGregGreg Back, a veteran developer whose most recent contributions helped the Emerald Viewer become the most widely used third-party viewer for Second Life®. Alice Krueger, President of Virtual Ability, Inc., said, “The improvements we plan to make will benefit thousands of people who use Second Life every day to help overcome their Real Life disabilities, as well as attract additional government, education, and enterprise users to the Second Life platform. We are very pleased and honored that Greg will be working with us on this important and exciting initiative.” LordGregGreg states, “I will be able to continue working on open-source viewer development for Second Life, just focused in a way to make it more accessible to people who really need it.” Virtual Ability, Inc. is a non-profit corporation based in Aurora, Colorado, dedicated to enabling people with a wide range of disabilities by providing a supporting environment for them to enter and thrive in online virtual worlds like Second Life®. For more information on Virtual Ability, Inc., including the benefits of virtual reality for people with disabilities, please contact Alice Krueger at akrueger@virtualability.org or in Second Life as Gentle Heron. For more information about Linden Lab, Second Life®, and the Snowstorm project, please see www.secondlife.com and http://bit.ly/a8Qdf1
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November 2, 2009 - AVESS |
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Can Virtual Worlds Provide Support to Military Amputees?
Virtual worlds can provide military amputees with an opportunity to enhance their overall quality of life, expedite their reintegration into society, and improve their physical and mental wellness. ADL Company Inc. (ADL) and Virtual Ability, Inc. (VAI) announced today the start of a project to establish best practices and protocols for the provision of on-line peer-to-peer support services to this community, with funding from the Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center (TATRC) of the US Army Medical Research and Materiel Command (USAMRMC).
Recent US military casualty figures for Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom indicate that between September 2001 and mid-January 2009 over a thousand amputation injuries occurred. Of the 935 amputations considered major, one in five wounded warriors lost more than one limb. While the rehabilitation goal is for the soldier to return to active duty, many reintegrate into their civilian communities. In either case, military amputations are often accompanied by additional wounds, depression, fear, phantom limb pain, and post traumatic stress disorder.
About ADL Company, Inc.
Virtual Ability, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation based in Denver, Colorado, dedicated to enabling 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®.
The Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center (TATRC) is the US Army Medical Research and Materiel Command’s (USAMRMC) corporate or central laboratory for advanced technology research. Its diverse assortment of unique collaborative relationships with government, academia and industry comprise a workforce that focuses on world-class integrated research and development for the Department of Defense. TATRC’s research programs consist of seven portfolios and a new initiatives and basic science program for addressing the ever-changing world of medical requirements both on the battlefield and in hospitals of the future. For further
information, contact: Doug Thompson,
President Alice Krueger,
President
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April 30, 2009 - Virtual Ability Wins the Linden Prize! |
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Virtual Ability, Inc. is honored and pleased to win the first Linden Prize, awarded by Linden Lab, creator of Second Life®, for “an innovative inworld project that improves the way people work, learn and communicate in their daily lives outside of the virtual world.” Virtual Ability, Inc. is a non-profit corporation based in Aurora, Colorado, dedicated to enabling people with a wide range of disabilities by providing a supporting environment for them to enter and thrive in online virtual worlds like Second Life®. Alice Krueger, President of Virtual Ability, Inc. said, “On behalf of Virtual Ability, Inc. we are humbly grateful to receive the honor of winning one of the Linden Prizes. We thank Linden Lab for their support of our work and recognition of our efforts. The list of finalists was prestigious, and we are honored to be considered with them. We especially want to thank the Alliance Library System, which helped us get started in Second Life and provided significant funding for the development of our new resident orientation center, and the NonProfit Commons which has been an incubator for many real-world / virtual-world efforts.” Krueger continued, “We will use the award to grow our programs and services in Second Life and in real life. More important, we hope the recognition brought by this award will be appreciated and shared by the tens of thousands of people who are using Second Life every day to help overcome their Real Life disabilities. For many of us, Second Life is not a game – it is a second chance at life. We thank also the members of our Virtual Ability community, for this honor is bestowed on us all, and we will all benefit from it.” For more information on Virtual Ability, Inc., including the benefits of virtual reality for people with disabilities, please see www.VirtualAbility.org or contact Alice Krueger at akrueger@virtualability.org or in Second Life as Gentle Heron. For information on the Linden Prize, please see
http://lindenlab.com/lindenprize. |
April 23, 2009 - Virtual Ability is a Finalist for the Linden Prize |
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Virtual Ability, Inc. has been selected as one of ten finalists for the Linden Prize. This award by Second Life® creator Linden Lab will recognize an innovative inworld project that improves the way people work, learn and communicate in their daily lives outside of the virtual world. Virtual Ability and
the other nine finalists were selected from over 230 entries from
all over the world. The winner of the $10,000 (US) prize will
be announced on April 30, 2009. Alice Krueger, president of Virtual Ability, Inc., noted, “We are very proud to be selected as a finalist for the Linden Prize. We are honored to be considered in such esteemed company as the other finalists, and extend our congratulations to them. We are excited that the recognition this announcement brings will help us further achieve our goal of enabling more people with disabilities to realize the very real benefits and potential of Second Life. For many people with disabilities, Second Life is not a game. It provides a whole new world where we can interact with others who share our concerns, where we can do things we never would be able to in real life.” Virtual Ability, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation based in Aurora, Colorado, dedicated to enabling people with a wide range of disabilities by providing a supporting environment for them to enter and thrive in online virtual worlds like Second Life®. For more information on Virtual Ability, Inc., including the benefits of virtual reality for people with disabilities, please see www.VirtualAbility.org or contact Alice Krueger at akrueger@virtualability.org or in Second Life as Gentle Heron.
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February 7, 2009 - VAI and ALS Extend Partnership |
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Virtual Ability, Inc. and the Alliance Library System are pleased to announce the extension of their partnership to provide health information and services within the virtual world of Second Life®. The extension of the partnership ensures the continued operation of the highly successful Virtual Ability Island, that provides orientation, training, and consumer health information for people with disabilities and chronic illness within Second Life®. Virtual Ability Island is widely recognized as one of the best training facilities in Second Life® - providing a self-paced, multi-dimensional, structured learning experience that helps new residents quickly come up to speed with core Second Life® skills. Catching dragonflies, chatting with Bob the Monkey, and trying on free clothes all help residents learn Second Life® essentials in an enjoyable environment that is accessibility friendly. Virtual Ability Island was recently designated as one of eleven English language Community Gateways by Second Life® creator Linden Lab. This designation makes Virtual Ability Island available to anyone who signs up for a new account through Linden Lab’s www.secondlife.com web site. Alice Krueger, president of Virtual Ability, Inc., noted, “We are very pleased to continue our successful relationship with Alliance Library System. Through this partnership, we are achieving our goal of enabling more people with disabilities to realize the very real benefits and potential of a virtual world like Second Life. For many people with disabilities, Second Life is not a game. It provides a whole new world where we can interact with others who share our concerns, where we can do things we never would be able to in real life.” Virtual Ability, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation based in Denver, Colorado, dedicated to enabling people with a wide range of disabilities by providing a supporting environment for them to enter and thrive in online virtual worlds like Second Life®. For more information on Virtual Ability, Inc., including the benefits of virtual reality for people with disabilities, please see www.VirtualAbility.org or contact Alice Krueger at akrueger@virtualability.org or in Second Life as Gentle Heron. Alliance Library System is one of nine multitype library systems, cooperating to provide vital library services to the citizens of Illinois. For more information on the Alliance Library System, please see www.alliancelibrarysystem.com or contact Lori Bell at lbell@alliancelibrarysystem.com or in Second Life as Lorelei Junot. For more information about Second Life®, please see www.secondlife.com |
November 17, 2008 - VAI Expands Second Life Presence Through Partnership with Cape Able |
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Virtual Ability, Inc. is pleased to announce the expansion of it’s presence within the virtual world of Second Life® through a partnership with Cape Able, a leading community of support for the deaf and hard of hearing. Through this partnership, Virtual Ability has acquired ownership of Cape Able Island, and will develop the property to include an art gallery for deaf/disabled artists, and a social services center. Alice Krueger, president of Virtual Ability, Inc. said, “We are pleased to partner with Cape Able and support the work of this important community. This is the next step in the growth of Virtual Ability’s provision of services for people with disabilities.” Treasure Ballenger, Estate Manager of Cape Able said, “Collaborating with Virtual Ability brings us stability, and will enable our community to grow. We welcome visitors from the other VAI locations, and look forward to a long and mutually beneficial relationship.” Virtual Ability, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation based in Denver, Colorado, dedicated to helping bring people with a wide range of physical and mental disabilities into virtual worlds like Second Life®, and providing them with a supporting environment once there. For More Information about Virtual Ability, Inc., please see www.VirtualAbility.org or contact Alice Krueger at akrueger@virtualability.org or in Second Life as Gentle Heron.
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August 16, 2008 - Training Center for People with Disabilities Opens in Second Life® |
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Virtual Ability, Inc. is pleased to announce the opening of “Virtual Ability Island,” a new facility within the virtual world of Second Life® that provides orientation, training, and consumer health information for people with disabilities or chronic health conditions. Developed in partnership with the Alliance Library System, Virtual Ability Island provides customized Second Life orientation in an accessibility-friendly environment, and ongoing classes and training for people who want to search for and evaluate health information. Alice Krueger, president of Virtual Ability, Inc., noted, “This beautiful new facility allows us to provide a unique signup, training, and support environment that enables people with disabilities, their friends, relatives, and caregivers, to better realize the benefits and potential of Second Life. For many people with disabilities, Second Life is not a game. It provides a whole new world where we can interact with others who share our concerns, where we can do things we never would be able to in real life.” Initial funding for Virtual Ability Island was provided by a grant from the US National Library of Medicine, Greater Midwest Region. The project is sustained by the generosity of individual contributors to Virtual Ability, Inc. Virtual Ability, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation based in Denver, Colorado. It is dedicated to helping bring people with a wide range of physical and mental disabilities into virtual worlds like Second Life, and providing them with a supporting environment once there. For more information about Virtual Ability, Inc., please see www.VirtualAbility.org or contact Alice Krueger at akrueger@virtualability.org or in Second Life as Gentle Heron. For more information on the Alliance Library System, please see www.alliancelibrarysystem.com or contact Lori Bell at lbell@alliancelibrarysystem.com or in Second Life as Lorelei Junot. For more information on the Greater Midwest Region / National Library of Medicine, please see http://nnlm.gov/gmr/. For more information about Second Life, please see
www.secondlife.com For information on the benefits of virtual reality for people with disabilities, please see www.VirtualAbility.org.
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June 8, 2008 |
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Virtual Ability, Inc. has been officially designated as a Non-Profit, Tax-Exempt Organization under section 501(c)(3) of the United States Internal Revenue Code. The US government asked no questions about our almost 100-page application form. Much of the text of the application has been reused on our website (www.VirtualAbility.org). The 501(c)(3) designation has two important results. One is that any donation to Virtual Ability, Inc. is deductible as a charitable donation for federal income tax purposes in the United States. We hope this encourages US members to support the growth of VAI by making a tax deductible donation through our web site. The second result is that VAI can now begin to
apply for grant and foundation support for its work. If anyone
knows of a grant or foundation funding opportunity, or if you would
like to assist in finding and writing for such opportunities,
please let Gentle Heron know within Second Life, or send an email
to info@VirtualAbility.org. Being a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization also assures our SL group of half-price for purchasing an island, and half-price tier payments to Linden Lab. This amounts to a considerable savings over a year. We are proud of our 501(c)(3) status. Please let all your US friends know that our hard work has paid off, and that we are now a registered non-profit organization. A copy of our determination letter is available
upon request, by sending an email to info@VirtualAbility.org. |
June 4, 2008 |
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The Partnership of Virtual Ability, Inc. and the Alliance Library System is extremely pleased to announce the selection of a building team for our new Second Life® island called Virtual Ability. Sambivalent Spork, Sabine Stonebender and Anhayla Lycia will be working closely with project coordinators Carolina Keats and Eme Capalini to construct a welcome center, an orientation center with beginning, intermediate and advanced areas, and several training and meeting facilities. Sambivalent, Sabine and Anhayla have completed many high quality builds and bring with them years of experience in education and design technology. They also have a commitment to supporting the growth of nonprofit SL communities such as Virtual Ability, Dreams, and a number of charitable efforts. We would like to express a special word of appreciation to the VAI/ALS Building Advisory Committee that has provided guidance to the island design and oversaw the evaluation of proposals from 6 different builders. This committee will continue to provide oversight during the build process. The members of this committee consist of Namav Abramovic, Namro Orman, Ricken Flow, Stepinwolf Darkstone, and The Sojourner. We anticipate a two month build process. Access to Virtual Ability island will be restricted during construction.
Eme Capalini and Carolina Keats, |
March 20, 2008 |
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Virtual Ability, Inc. (VAI) is pleased to announce that it has entered into a partnership with the Alliance Library System (ALS). This partnership will develop a new island with an orientation, training, and consumer health information center for people with disabilities and chronic illness. The new facilities will expand VAI's services in Second Life® beyond its current presence as "The Heron Sanctuary," which provides a community of support for people with disabilities. ALS will provide funding to the partnership based on its receipt of a grant called Share the Health: Training People with Disabilities and Chronic Medical Conditions on how to Locate Quality Health Information from the Greater Midwest Region/National Library of Medicine. This grant is intended to provide consumer health information to people with disabilities and chronic illness in Second Life. For more information on Virtual Ability, Inc., please see www.VirtualAbility.org or contact Alice Krueger at akrueger@virtualability.org or in Second Life as Gentle Heron. For more information on the Alliance Library System, please see www.alliancelibrarysystem.com or contact Lori Bell at lbell@alliancelibrarysystem.com or in Second Life as Lorelei Junot. For more information on the Greater Midwest Region/National Library of Medicine, please see http://nnlm.gov/gmr/. |
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