first let me apologize about taking so long to put something of an update into the forums. i started to put something in here last week but the forums were so nasty and negative that day that i couldnt bring myself to post. also, i'm not much of a forums writer, so again, my apologies. i know many of you have wondered as i've gotten several inquiries lately.
for those of you dont know wilde, they are a group of 9 severly disabled people who share the same av. i drive their av from work for them. sl has changed their lives!
when wilde first started playing we were playing on a limpy computer which crashed a lot and that wouldnt give us access to many common sl features such as iming people and tping to places in the find menu. as the sl community discovered this they decided on their own to start sending them money towards a computer. this was back in november (i think).
i'm very happy to share that due to the generousity of the community they now have a solid computer on order and is due into the main office sometime this week. which means, crosses fingers, that it should be in the program sometime the end of next week. wilde was blown away by the responce ya'll had to them. not merely by the lindens people sent their way, but even more so by the instant acceptance they received. in rl when people see them they avoid eye contact and keep going. i've seen little kids look at them and get so scared they cry. which of corse adds to their huge pile of self loathing and lack of self worth. second life has revolutionized how they see their part in the world and added more positive componants than i could ever share in a forum. to say its revolutionizing the lives they've known would be an understatement.
some additional news regarding wilde is that they have been given an island. john prototype, who also works with the brigadoon island, has met wilde in rl and become a fast friend to both them and myself. he set them up with an island which will serve not only wilde but also others with severe disabilities who will want a safe place to build, dream, and express themselves. it's also intended as a reach out point to the rest of the world. the crew of wilde is very excited about this as they definately play with a sence of mission. they want people to see they are the same as others, and that if you have a disability, even a severe disability as they do, you are not alone. accordingly they have many notecards on the island which help readers understand their humanity. we've had over 750 notecards distributed so far and the feedback from their writings has been overwhelming.
additionally, john prototype set them up with a blog of their own which you can find at the link listed below to put up their inworld writings and to further express not only the good things they experience from second life, but also some of their challenges which go beyond the imaginations of those without severe disabilities. if you want a good read, check it out.
their favorite thing to do at the day program is play sl. i actually had a mutany on my hands on thursday when it was time to log so they could load up on the vans. no one wanted to leave the game. i was arm wrestling with the strongest of them on the issue (= but really none of us had any choice.
second life is a place where dreams can come true. many dreams for many people. for wilde cunningham the dream of being accepted and empowered has been realized in second life. i'm eternally grateful to all the lindens who've worked so hard to make sl work, and to the greater sl community for seeing beyond our shallow shells to the humanity inside crying to be seen.
you are all welcome to visit the island live2give and poke around. it will be some time in the development, but there's been a good start made on it. see if you can find the john s's hidden treasure chest. (=
you can read their blog at http://braintalk.blogs.com/live2give feel free to leave comments and pass the site addy on to friends.
until the next time take good care~
lilone
ps hamlet has an artical called 'the 9 souls of wilde cunningham' in new world notes if you havent read it.
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So many of us complain and take SL for granted, then you hear how our world is a highlight of their day, and gives them freedom and mobility we also take for granted. And thumbs up to John Prototype and the community for being so generous.
I'm very happy to hear about the new computer, and kudos to everyone who contributed. Especially John Prototype! I can't wait to see live2give and I hope to meet wilde soon.
