Things To Do - Attend the introduction to Virtual Ability's Mental Health Un-Conference!

Thursday, May 7 at 7 am SLT
Gentle Heron will present Introduction to the Mental Health Un-Conference
SLURL:  http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/239/128/23
Description:
This is an introduction to Virtual Ability’s 2020 Mental Health Un-Conference that will be held throughout the month of May. A guided tour of the mental health displays and exhibits on Healthinfo Island will include information on how these interactive poster sets are made to be accessible.

Host Bio:
Gentle Heron likes to share evidence-based health and wellness information. Her RL avatar is president of Virtual Ability, Inc.

Thursday, May 7 at 9 am SLT
Jadin Emerald will present Identity, Mental Illness, and Disability: How Second Life Has Helped
SLURL:  http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Ethnographia/175/78/32
Description:
This exhibit is a sort of "build biography" — a story of the discovery of a new self as a result of being in a virtual world, after having become disabled due to mental illness. The build is set up like an immersive gallery exhibit that you can walk through and interact with. It includes signs with pictures and captions, as well as objects and demonstrations that show some of the things that the story is talking about. Jadin will give a brief introduction, and then be available for questions while participants tour the exhibit at their own pace for the remainder of the session.

The exhibit is designed to be accessible primarily with notecards that participants can get by clicking any of the signs, and also with semi-transparent ramps overlying all stairs, clear labeling of objects, a pleasant soundscape, and other accessibility features.

Host Bio:
Jadin Emerald is otherwise known in SL by a host of other avatar names, including Jadyn Firehawk, who is now retired from public life to pursue her favorite hobbies and practice self-care. Today, Jadin is primarily a creator in SL with a focus on wellness and owner of Jadin Emerald Design Studio. She also operates the Coronavirus Survival Store, a store that is all freebies and is designed to help people through the pandemic crisis. She has developed a layperson's expertise on bipolar disorder and PTSD from having lived with their effects for most of her life. She is a former faculty member at the University of Texas at Austin, where she taught environmental science. She holds a B.A. from the University of California at Berkeley, and an M.A. and Ph.D. from Rutgers University.


Sunday, May 10 at 7 am SLT
Gentle Heron will once again present Introduction to the Mental Health Un-Conference
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/239/128/23