Accessibility in a Virtual World Before Oculus

Accessible virtual worlds existed before VR immersive headsets. Virtual Ability offers a tour of a mature virtual world environment, highlighting accessibility details of the build. Virtual Ability has been designing accessible virtual world spaces for over 15 years.

We will explain the accessibility options of the new Resident Orientation Course and Sojourner Auditorium on Second Life’s Virtual Ability island. We'll also discuss both the platform tools and the design principles that lead to an accessible virtual environment.

VR headsets aren’t for everyone; other rich environments with a lower level of technology and welcoming communities are necessary to be fully inclusive. The Virtual Ability community in Second Life has facilitated the entry into virtual worlds of people with a wide range of accessibility needs since 2007.

From this session, you will gain an understanding of tried-and-true accessibility strategies that can be adapted for use in VR.

The presentation will cover the following:

• Introduction to Second Life and the Virtual Ability community
• Design process for accessibility Visit to Virtual Ability island in Second Life (can attend inworld or via screen share)
• Universal Design on the New Resident Orientation Course
• Accessibility features in the Sojourner Auditorium – visible, invisible, and human factors

Presenter Bios
Alice Krueger (Gentle Heron in Second Life) founded the Virtual Ability community in Second Life and is president of the supporting non-profit Virtual Ability, Inc. A former science educator, special education teacher, and education researcher, Alice is now a disability advocate and peer support promoter.

She has a particular interest in involving people with disabilities in research that will ultimately affect them and ensuring that research results are accessible. No longer employed as an academic researcher due to her disability, Alice continues to publish in professional journals.

Ann Ludwig (Eme Capalini in Second Life) is Vice President of Development for Virtual Ability, Inc. An award-winning designer of virtual world environments, she has designed and implemented numerous virtual builds for commercial, educational, and governmental clients.

Ann specializes in creating virtual world experiences for people with disabilities. She has co-authored several academic papers. Ann has a business degree and her background includes working in marketing and advertising.

Accessibility
The presentation will be captioned [cc]. The event will have real-time captions and a YouTube live stream.

Livestream
https://youtu.be/Dk4AEe7ojP4

Sponsors
Thanks to Equal Entry for sponsoring.

Accreditation
All A11yVR meetups are pre-approved for IAAP Continuing Accessibility Education Credits (CAEC).

TIMELINE
Please NOTE: Meetup is not skilled in representing time zones. This Meetup is set in Tokyo, Japan so it will display differently than your local time zone. When you RSVP, use the "Add to calendar" link to receive a calendar invite transcribed to your time zone.

This timeline is based on the New York ET time zone.

7:30 - 7:45 PM
Thomas Logan introduction to A11yVR

7:45 - 8:20 PM
Presentation

8:20 - 8:30 PM
Q&A with attendees