Monday, January 30, 2012

Human Factors and Universal Design: Light, dark, sound, and noise

PRESENTER: Julie (Lolli) Bluebird
Saturday February 4, 2012 5:30 pm PST
The Sojourner Auditorium, Virtual Ability Island, Second Life

Introduction to the effects of light, dark, sound and noise in our home environments; the pros and cons and what we can do to help ourselves. Julie Bluebird is from the UK, and has a background in psychology.

Another in Virtual Ability's series: Waiting on the World to Change.

Are Disability Rights Human Rights Too?

 ... the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

PRESENTER: Oronoque Westland
Wednesday February 1, 2012, 1 pm PST
The Sojourner Auditorium, Virtual Ability Island, Second Life

A discussion of the significance of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, with time for Q&A.

Presenter Bio: Oronoque Westland (SL)/Roberta Walker Kilkenny (RL) teaches Caribbean history, economic transformation and women's studies at a NYC university.

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

The WHO/World Bank Report on Disability...

...What it means for research, human rights efforts and you

PRESENTER: Bathsheba Darkfold (SL) / Katie Vizenor (RL)
Sunday January 29, 2012, 11 am PST
or
Tuesday, January 31, 2012, 5 pm PST
The Sojourner Auditorium, Virtual Ability Island, Second Life

On September 12th and 13th, 2011, The World Health Organization and World Bank hosted a two day discussion to celebrate the publication of their World Report on Disability. The presenter, a disability policy researcher and PhD candidate was lucky enough to attend. This presentation will provide a brief overview of some of the interesting findings.

Presenter Bio:  In real life, I am Katie Vizenor, a disability policy researcher and PhD candidate in Anthropology at SUNY-Buffalo. I have been conducting ethnographic research in Second Life since 2008.

Another in Virtual Ability's series: Waiting on the World to Change.

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Waiting for the World to Wake Up to Trauma's Toll

PRESENTER: DrFran Babcock
Friday February 3, 2012, 4 pm PST
The Sojourner Auditorium, Virtual Ability, Second Life

This talk is going to frame many of the problems of the world today in the context of the outcomes of early trauma and abuse. Through this lens the idea of Sanctuary and Trauma-informed Care become the only way to move to the future. The Adverse Childhood Experiences study, the Sanctuary Model, and the work of van der Kolk will be highlighted

Presenter Bio:  DrFran Babcock is the avatar of a long time Occupational Therapist and administrator in a psychiatric hospital. She has 30 years of experience in Behavioral Health, and is an advocate for the needs of the mentally ill. She has published a book, several articles, and a chapter in a textbook on netiquette, which contains information about Second Life.

Another in Virtual Ability's series "Waiting for the World to Change."

VAI Art Tour- Winter Nightfire

ARTIST: Winter Nightfire
Saturday, January 28, 2012, 4 pm PST
Winter's Gallery, Hotel Chelsea, Lanestris Sim, Second Life  (Mature sim)

This is the next in the series of Art Tours conducted by Nutron Ornitz.

Artist Bio:  Winter Nightfire is a self-taught painter from San Francisco, California.  Her exposure to Abstract Expressionism began at age 16.  She displayed her first painting at a group show with her mentors in 2001 at age 24, and has been showing solo at venues across San Francisco ever since.  Nightfire also has been painting live alongside her partner, Filthy Fluno, for the last 3 years at SLCC.

Inspired by light and the language of texture, Nightfire's signature metallics and the frequent appearance of black and white in her works illustrate her emphasis on contrast to give meaning to various combinations of form and color. 

"The painting is the boss," explains Nightfire,  "It tells me what it needs to become a story, movement by movement, gesture by gesture.  My job as the painter is to listen visually and to give the evolving work what it asks me to provide.  These lines, shapes and colors merely represent transcriptions of my conversations with space."

Digital Life & Wellness Survey in Second Life

PRESENTER: Avatar Name: Katherine Cunningham
Wednesday, January 25, 2012, 1 pm PST
Research Pavilion, Healthinfo Island, Second Life

This presentation will discuss study specifics of the Digital Life & Wellness Survey conducted by RTI International. Topics of discussion include the purpose of the study, eligibility requirements, and what participants can expect if asked to participate. This presentation will also include information about study participant's rights, the risks and benefits of participating in this study, how RTI International will protect participant's information, and what RTI International expects to do with these findings. The presentation is expected to last 15-20 minutes, followed by time for questions/answers. 

Qualified participants earn L$1000. Qualified participants will have or once have had cancer, chronic pain, diabetes, or other chronic conditions.

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Welcome to the Virtual Ability Blog and Social Media!

Virtual Ability hosts a thriving and diverse community of support in virtual worlds for people with disabilities and those who are in some way part of their lives.  On our blog, we'll post articles about the wide range of events, discussions, presentations and announcements by and for our community.

We have also set up a Facebook fan page that we encourage you to Like, a Facebook group where we encourage your participation, and a Twitter feed that you can follow.

Virtual Ability supports a robust and active community within virtual worlds. With these new social media links, we look forward to expanding our conversation with you... and introducing our services and the wonderful benefits our virtual community can provide to a wider audience.  We hope to talk with you soon!

Gentle Heron
President, Virtual Ability, Inc.
www.VirtualAbility.org
info@virtualability.org