There is increasing research that describes the various benefits of virtual worlds for people with disabilities.

Virtual reality gives disabled users more and better control over their environment and their interactions with others, the main benefit of their being in this setting (Alm et al, 1998). It does this by offering experiences that are both engaging and rewarding, that shift the user's focus from completing a therapeutic task to interacting with the virtual environment. Sveistrup and colleagues (2004) believe that "simple applications of virtual reality have significant impacts on physical and psychosocial variables." Generally, providing online resources and patient support has been seen as beneficial (Stevens, 2004; Williams & Nicolas, 2005). 

The realistic graphical interface allows mobility through the landscape with minimal physical effort. Navigating a three-dimensional Virtual Reality landscape improves spatial awareness. Warner's research (1995) at Loma Linda University Medical Center and Loma Linda University Children's Hospital showed that eye/hand coordination and fine motor skills can be developed with the patient using very little strength.

Managing chronic illness in isolated rural environments is challenging due to limited sources of social support and health information. Research on an Internet intervention targeting this population (Hill & Weinert, 2004) showed that highly interactive features of the project were rated as most important by the participants. Overall, the program was beneficial in assisting participants to better manage their chronic illness.

Among Internet-users who were HIV-positive, researchers found that health-related Internet use was associated with improved HIV disease knowledge, active coping and information seeking, and increased social support (Kalichman et al., 2003).

Among persons with significant mobility and physical impairment, Internet usage has been found to improve functioning in three categories: independence, communication, and learning (Anderberg & Jönsson, 2005). Participation in a virtual reality balance exercise program improved balance confidence and function by adults with moderate or severe traumatic brain injury (Thornton et al., 2005). These adults and their caregivers also showed substantially greater enthusiasm and knowledge compared to a control group participating in an activity-based program. Exercising in a virtual reality environment can lead to significant gains in cognitive function during rehabilitation from traumatic brain injury (Grealy et al., 1999).

Virtual reality also fosters motivation to work at improving health and physical and mental functioning during rehabilitation, because the person is having fun (Warner, 1995). Warner notes that a physiological reason is not the deterrent from improvement, "it's the psychological capacity that blocks them. They don't want to do it. They are depressed. They've lost function." 

Virtual reality can assist people with cognitive impairments (Darrow, 1995). The realistic scenes and personal interactions capture the interest and channel the attention of persons with ADHD (Alm, 1998). People with developmental disabilities can learn life skills, such as grocery shopping, through the use of virtual reality (Standen & Cromby, 1995). Persons recovering from traumatic brain injury can learn meal preparation skills in virtual reality settings (Christiansen et al., 1998).

Virtual reality interventions have been shown to improve cognitive function and concentration for individuals who have suffered a traumatic brain injury through interaction with a pleasant activity. Researchers (Sveistrup et al., 2004) have shown that for this disability group, working in virtual reality increases both self esteem and empowerment.

Interacting with representations (avatars) of fellow humans in a metaphorical environment allows non-speaking people new ways to converse (Alm et al., 1998). Phobia-inducing virtual environments are prescribed for patients with cognitive deficits (Burdea, 2003).

The benefits of working in virtual reality for persons on the Autism Spectrum have been documented extensively (Biever, 2007). People with autism spectrum disorders often find VR communication more comfortable than in real life. Additionally, virtual environments can offer social skills training for the people (Parsons & Mitchell, 2002). Participants can practice behaviors through role-play situations, in a safe environment for rule learning and task repetition. Practicing behaviors, both within and across contexts, may encourage people with autism to have a more flexible approach to social problem solving.

Communicating in a virtual reality environment slows social interactions down and gives people with autism better control. Many people with autism, who are unable to interact with others in real life, feel comfortable communicating through their Second Life avatar . Observing Second Life gestures and experimenting with using them in in-world communication improves the ability of people with autism to interpret facial expressions and body language. 

Beside improved motivation among disabled users, advantages to their participation in virtual reality settings include adaptability and variability based on baseline functioning, transparent data storage online remote data access by caregivers, economy of scale, and reduced medical costs (Burdea, 2003). Virtual reality use by people with disabilities shows that it is a tool, not a game (Weikle, 1995).

References:

Alm, N., Arnott, J. L., Murray, I. R., & Buchanan, I. (1998, October). Virtual reality for putting people with disabilities in control. Systems, Man, and Cybernetics, 2, 1174-1179.

Anderberg, P., & Jönsson, B. (2005). Being there. Disability & Society, 20(7), 719-733.

Biever, C. (2007, June). Let's meet tomorrow in Second Life. NewScientist, 2610, 26-27.

Burdea, G. C. (2003). Virtual rehabilitation–benefits and challenges. Methods of Information in Medicine, 42(5), 519-523.

Christiansen, C., Abreu, B., Ottenbacher, K., Huffman, K., Masel, B., & Culpepper, R. (1998, August). Task performance in virtual environments used for cognitive rehabilitation after traumatic brain injury. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 79(8), 888-892.

Darrow, M. (1995, August). Virtual reality's increasing potential for meeting the needs of persons with disabilities: What about cognitive impairments? Paper presented at the Virtual Reality and Persons with Disabilities Conference, San Francisco, CA.

Grealy, M. A., Johnson, D. A., & Rushton, S. K. (1999, June). Improving cognitive function after brain injury: The use of exercise and virtual reality. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 80(6), 661-667.

Hill, W. G., & Weinert, C. (2004). An evaluation of an online intervention to provide social support and health education. Computers, Informatics, Nursing, 22(5), 282-288

Kalichman, S. C., Benotsch, E. G., Weinhardt, L., Austin, J., Luke, W., & Cherry, C. (2003). Health-related Internet use, coping, social support, and health indicators in people living with HIV/AIDS: Preliminary results from a community survey. Health Psychology, 22(1), 111-116.

Parsons, S., & Mitchell, P. (2002, June). The potential of virtual reality in social skills training for people with autistic spectrum disorders. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 46(Pt. 5), 430-443.

Standen, P.J., & Cromby, P.J., (1995). Can students with developmental disabilities use Virtual Reality to learn skills which will transfer to the real world? Paper presented at the Virtual Reality and Persons with Disabilities Conference, San Francisco, CA.

Stevens ,L. (2004). Online patient support: Mostly a boon, but challenges remain. Medicine on the Net, 10(3), 1-6.

Sveistrup. H., Thornton, M., Bryanton, C., McComas, J., Marshall, S., Finestone, H., McCormick, A., McLean, J., Brien, M., Lajoie, Y., & Bisson, E. (2004). Outcomes of intervention programs using flatscreen virtual reality. Conference proceedings: Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, 7, 4856-4858.

Thornton, M., Marshall, S., McComas, J., Finestone, H., McCormick, A., & Sveistrup, H. (2005, November). Benefits of activity and virtual reality based balance exercise programmes for adults with traumatic brain injury: perceptions of participants and their caregivers. Brain Injuries, 19(12):989-1000.

Warner, D. (1995). Virtual reality: Focuses on the quality of life. Paper presented at the Virtual Reality and Persons with Disabilities Conference, San Francisco, CA.

Weikle, B. (1995). Riding the perfect wave: Putting virtual reality to work with disabilities. Retrieved July 17, 2007, from http://www.connsensebulletin.com/weikle.html

Williams, P., & Nicholas, D. (2005). Creating online resources for the vulnerable. Library & Information Update, 4(4), 30-31.