Thousands Of Disabled People Are Living In 'Virtual Utopias' In Second Life (backchannel.com)

"For many disabled residents, who may spend 12 hours a day or more in Second Life, the most important moments and relationships of their lives happen inside the virtual world," reports Backchanel. "For them, the fevered fantasies of a decade ago have become reality: Second Life is where they live." mirandakatz shares this article: Wagner James Au, who has written extensively about Second Life, estimates they may account for roughly 20 percent of users. Some active members estimate the number higher -- at as much as 50 percent... Abundant research shows imagining movement, without actually moving the body, can have positive effects on motor skills, balance, and learning... Studies suggest the therapeutic benefits of virtual reality extend beyond movement disorders -- to chronic pain, cognitive functioning in people with ADHD and PTSD, and social skills for people on the autism spectrum.
The article describes a 90-year-old former nurse, now living in a retirement community, who's spent eight years living in a Second Life archipelago called "Virtual Ability Island" with over a thousand other members. "Watching her avatar hike trails and dance gave her the confidence to try things in the physical world that she hadn't tried in a half decade -- like stepping off a curb or standing up without any help."

Comments

Its a very diverse place

[JoeCommodore]

SL is a very large diverse place there are various cultural communities as well as social communities. Virtual world is a good description as you can be satisfied sticking to one area or exploring and learn and experience different stuff.

Many are interested in the social aspect but there also is a large creative group: The appeal of doing 3-D virtual virtual building is very satisfying, The in-world building components and controls are VERY easy to learn and with the SL scripting language you can make your creations animate, makes sounds, perform tasks, interact, etc.

If you search around you usually can find a community that suits your social and creative needs. While searching you might stumble into some really weird stuff too. I myself spend most of my SL time as a humanoid squirrel, either as 1 1/2 foot tall "tiny avatar" or a bit taller furry like one, and hang around the sillier communities - when on Second Life you don't have to live it like real life.

Walking simulators

[tsa]

Thanks to my heart disorder I can't walk far and I can't run at all. Walking simulators like Obduction and the Myst games provide me with the chance to walk for a long time through beautiful environments while exploring them, without getting tired. It feels liberating. I don't like sports on TV or in games though because they bring up bad memories from my childhood.