Comments on: Recent Target Settlement Raises Questions About Virtual World Access for Users with Disabilities

By: Lorraine

Lorraine — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 15:06:44 +0000

As far as Virtual Worlds and people with disabilities: yes, Virtual Worlds are very visually biased at this time. Some of that is unavoidable (until some VR technologies come a lot further perhaps)- just part of the nature of the medium. And some of this visual nature allows for some amazingly creative 3-D artforms which I would never want to be stifled. Though it’s desirable to make the visual components more accessible to persons with limited vision, let’s also consider persons with physical disabilities. For persons such as paraplegics, using online gaming and virtual worlds can be a offer opportunities not available in the physical universe. Mobility is not an issue, for a physically disabled person in a virtual world. They have all the same freedoms and capabilities as anyone else in that arena. With their avatar they can appear as they wish, and can fly, run, ride a horse, and chase the bad guys…not to mention being able to socialize with anyone from all over the world. And that can be a very freeing experience.

By: November 29 roundup

November 29 roundup — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 18:25:09 +0000

[...] Late in catching up on this, but Target in August agreed to pay $6 million to settle the big lawsuit over accessibility of its website to blind users [The Recorder; Ben Duranske discusses implications for virtual online worlds] [...]

By: Target Settlement With National Federation of the Blind Raises Issues About Accessibility in Virtual Worlds | Game Ruckus

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 18:10:09 +0000

[...] Virtually Blind, the premier blog covering legal issues in games, wonders today whether a recent settlement between Target and the National Federation of the Blind has implications for virtual worlds. [...]

By: Kel Smith

Kel Smith — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 01:46:04 +0000

“I see nothing discriminating against disabled people… I see new tools & inventions being made daily to create opportunities for the disabled… and for everyone”

True (to an extent), however it’s more a matter of perception than technical innovation. The public accommodation of digital media for users with disabilities remains an elusive yet worthwhile goal, and not just in the commercial retail sector.

Websites and virtual worlds (the 2D and 3D web, respectively) allow educational institutions to widely distribute content to students who otherwise cannot physically attend a class. It was only until recently that Apple, recognizing the needs of this demographic, agreed to make all versions of its iTunes service fully accessible by mid-year 2009.

An accessible e-government offers representation completely free from examples of discrimination detailed in the US Constitution. Yet many government websites continue to fail even the basic criteria of accessibility.

Virtual worlds in particular provide excellent learning opportunities for users with cognitive disabilities. There are many cases of folks with autism who use Second Life to practice social interaction skills in a comparatively low-risk setting.

As you can see, it’s less about the tools entering the marketplace, more about the context of use. While I do see your point, consider this: what good are new technologies for the disabled if we as context creators do not design for their adaption?

By: Benjamin Duranske

Benjamin Duranske — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 04:36:31 +0000

Thanks Cameron. Great article. I’m surprised I didn’t come across it when researching this. Definitely recommended reading.

By: Cameron Sorden

Cameron Sorden — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 02:39:57 +0000

I actually did a feature article over at Massively on this exact subject a while ago. It’s an issue that I think game developers should pay more attention to.

Here’s the link: http://www.massively.com/2008/04/28/player-vs-everything-gaming-with-a-disability/

By: Doubledown Tandino

Doubledown Tandino — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 12:30:16 +0000

This may sound cold-hearted, but it’s my opinion on this one:

I think that if someone can’t see, they buy a bigger screen…. they don’t blame the company that wrote the small fonted text.

I see nothing discriminating against disabled people… I see new tools & inventions being made daily to create opportunities for the disabled… and for everyone

If anyone disabled feels they need to complain about the new possibilities and benefits virtual worlds offer, please do so.