Dusty is the avatar of an incomplete C4-C5 quadriplegic woman from Texas. Due to a spinal cord injury in her neck, she is totally dependent upon other people to help her in all daily activities. She has a full-time staff of caregivers, 24/7, which allows her to live independently and maintain her career, to a considerable extent. Several kinds of assistive technology help Dusty be more independent. She uses a wheelchair controlled by a joystick and has an elevator between floors of her home. Dusty has a ceiling-mounted transfer system to move about between rooms. She uses Dragon Naturally Speaking software to access her computer. This voice recognition software allows her to speak, and then types text or moves the cursor about on screen. Dusty was injured in 2003. Last month, she made her first airline trip since her injury, to the Shepherd Center, a first-class rehab facility in Atlanta, GA. There she was evaluated for adaptive driving, and will soon be tooling around town in a special car using hand controls. Dusty came into Second Life about four months ago. She had read an article about the virtual world in the "Wall Street Journal." She didn't exactly know what to expect, and was on a week of enforced bed rest, so she decided to explore SL to pass the time. It took Dusty about two days to get past Orientation Island, which is the first stop for all new avatars. The next stop is Help Island. There someone told her it was critical that she learn all about scripting, so she left the island. She found she was not adequately prepared to function in Second Life. For a day or two, she wandered around aimlessly, asking for, but not receiving, assistance. Dusty's "newbie" appearance attracted the attention of Pecos Kidd, an SL Mentor, whose responsibilities include assisting newcomers to SL. He quickly assured her that she did not need to become an expert in scripting to enjoy herself here. Dusty told Pecos, "My typing is bad because I have to use voice-activated software. Another problem I have is limited use of my right hand. I am also a wheelchair user." Pecos remembered seeing signs advertising The Heron Sanctuary, so he referred her to the program. Dusty was evaluated for her use of assistive technology, which helped The Heron Sanctuary members understand better how to help her learn about Second Life. Observing this process, Pecos says he "quickly became amazed at what The Heron Sanctuary was able to do to help people. I met a community of wonderful people. The power of what THS means to people - opening up a whole new world to them - quickly hooked me." Most importantly, Pecos realized "it is far more than a "game" to many people." And it quickly became so for him as well. Pecos became a THS volunteer. Pecos then convinced Eme Capalini to become a THS volunteer and learn about becoming a newcomer trainer. Eme began to assist Dusty in learning the basic skills for successful SL functioning. The two women bonded during many shopping trips, outfitting Dusty's avatar with a new shape, new hair, new outfits. They share a love of high fashion, and like to be exquisitely turned out. Between them, Pecos and Eme taught Dusty all the skills she had missed by leaving Orientation Island early. Dusty explains, "Pecos and Eme have taught me 98% of what I know about SL." When asked to explain what she gets out of being in SL, Dusty says, "It means as much to me as it does to many people.... I think what you are doing with The Heron Sanctuary is the most exciting thing I've encountered in SL. Of course, meeting you, Pecos, Eme, and the other people you have introduced me to here in the Sanctuary is just wonderful. I can't imagine not having you and my other friends here in SL in my life. I believe it's part of the 21st century method of interacting and socializing, all made possible by the Internet." |