You know what makes me sad?

SO many people i see on this game are disabled in real life! i read some profiles but the other day i see a girl with half her arm missing and i think to myself its so sad! makes me want to cry

my prayers go out to everyone disabled in SL

I think it's really cool that SL gives people of all cultures, races, and abilities the chance to walk, fly, dance, and play with other people around the world. I don't think it's sad at all.

Right on Oryx....

I certainly feel empathy for anyone living with a disability.....but never pity. Some of the strongest most productive people I know are working with a hell of a lot less than me......gives me absolutely no excuse to ever complain about my life. My mom had MS and she was an amazing inspiration. Not once did she allow her limitations to effect her passion for art.

SL provides an amazing alternative for all of us to reach out to each other, no matter what we've got going on in our own little world. There's absolutely no discrimination in here......unless we happen to bump into some small minded pea brained individual......those are the peaple I truly pity. The ones that completely miss experiencing life because they are so caught up in their own opinions and judgements of everyone else. Those are the people who have a disability, as far as I'm concerned.

I am hearing impaired in RL (not totally deaf but slowly getting there)

I enjoy being able to get into SL and use voice while I can

because someday, I will not be able to hear the voices out there... and it is fun hearing the other accents out there


I do not feel sad because someone can come into SL and enjoy themselves, I never pity people.

I am absolutely ecstatic that they get this world to do the things that they cannot do otherwise.

While I might wish that they did not have to deal with whatever they are dealing with, we all usually have some cross bear, so if not that then who knows what it might be. I prefer to focus on what I know SL has allowed so many to do and I am so grateful that we live in a technological age where it is possible.

Give thanks for SL and don't dwell on the negatives of life.

I'm currently disabled and yes, I've learned there are many residents on SL who are dealing with disabilities. The last thing I want is for anyone to be sad or feel sorry for me. As Littleme has said, just focus on the positive. I'm just grateful that SL is available.

It's really unpleasant dealing with a cross bear. Try to avoid them.

Gladly the Cross-Eyed Bear.

SL provides a way for disabled people to "feel" normal and live life like other people who DONT have the problems WE do..
Yes..i hate to say it..im disabled too!
I have social anxiety..and can't deal with huge crowds or even MINIMAL crowds..I just panick in crowd situations, plus a car wreck kind of ruined my back

Im very thankful for this platform!!! and kudos to everyone out there that can be themselves here

For many people SL is liberating. If you can't hear well (or at all) as Rhaorth said, it can be wonderful to interact with people - remember the text is the same for all. This is why I personally refuse to exclusively use Voice. Because you never know how many people you exclude that way.

I've known someone who was basically wheelchair bound and unable to do more than stand for a few seconds in RL; yet in SL she was a samurai and one of the most skilful ones in her sim. Watching her almost fly around as she did her thing was uplifting.

So yes, peope's RL circumstances can be harrowing, but SL can be a lifeline and I don't mean to exaggerate when I say that. So have compassion yes, but don't feel too sad for them, they are probably better off for SL, much more so than the average "able-bodied" person.

Of course I feel great compassion for disabled people in RL, but in SL they are whatever they want to be, and for others, they are great role models, respected and admired.

/me holds up a lighter for the previous posts.

I have both physical and mental difficulties, and SL is a big part of my life now. I get to indulge my lifelong desire to create and become whatever sort of creature I want. Although fatigue limits the amount of time I can spend at the computer, I can forget the physical pain when I'm working on something, and my mental blocks usually don't apply and my strengths shine through. SL also provided me with some income when I didn't have any other, when I was waiting/fighting for my disability benefits to come through. I still turn a profit now, though the main reason I do what I do has always been because I enjoy it. I have never wanted pity. I want people to accept it when I can't do something, but also accept it when I can.

By the way, I just thought of this...Quite a few content creators are disabled in some way. Disabled people often become determined, even stubborn individuals from fighting one thing or another, and they know how to stand up for themselves. I tend to be known as laid back, nice, and a bit quiet. Cross me though, and regret it. Maybe LL should rethink cheesing off their money makers so often?

Or you could look at the internet as a tremendous boon for people in all manner of less than ideal situations and be happy!

for me it is the opposite, I choose to use voice because I still have some level of hearing left, and someday I won't, and when that days comes, I won't have any use for voice.
(I still do watch text though, and never ignore people in text, or voice for that matter LOL)

It's great to see this world is such an orportunity for diabled people to fit in as they wish to, I have a friend who is nearly deaf and I have lost a bir of vision recently and my greatest fear is if I lose my vision, it would seriously destroy my experience here, I'd rather be in a wheelchair.
I can't wait till technology allows people to plug their brains straight into something like SL freeing a lot of people from a lot of siabilities, allowing creative minds to escape the prison of their failed physical bodies.

LOL - That will teach me to not post after darn near a whole bottle of wine.

Yeah, I have a form of muscular dystrophy, and I'll be in a wheelchair eventually. Another disability, in a way, is being poor, and I could never meet this many people in RL that I feel close too. Especially when half my friends (and my fiancee!) on SL live half way around the world.

This is a very sweet post. Your empathy is a wonderful quality to have.

As others have said, the good news is that virtual living ENables people to return to viability, choices, socialising, creativity, outlets of various kinds - things they had lost prior to finding their 'second life'. So - while their first life situation might not change either way - at least virtuality provides a sort of second chance in life.

It is poignant though, I agree.

One disability that shows up loud and clear and is prohibitive in virtual living, still, is antisocial personality disorder. Can be better hidden in first life! In second life, despite alts and despite recycling their own history they will be on that same treadmill forever...find people, burn people, move on. It's kind of its own punishment in a way.

Lack of empathy is, in my opinion, the worst disability and you can feel good you do not have that one!

I certainly wouldn't want to consider it sad. Try considering it uplifting that the person has found a venue in which to enhance their experiences. The fact they've made the effort to do so...to reach out and explore options, in spite of their obstacles.....demands respect and not pity.

Many times you will find that those who are living with obstacles far worse than yours....are very strong and healthy-minded individuals.....who have overcome their obstacles....their obstacles required them to become this way.....sink or swim. Definitely people that should be respected and held in high regard.

No offense to you, OP....but to suggest pity seems unfair....perhaps send your pity and prayers to those who have all the advantages.....and still can't get life right.

I find it interesting (not in a good, or bad, way, just interesting) to see people discussing their own, or their SL friends disabilities, but apparantly haven't associated themselves with a disability community on SL. There are 2 minds of course,

1) Why? I don't have to be disabled in SL, I am disabled in RL, so why would I choose to even reveal it? In SL, I can ignore it, SL levels the playing field (somewhat, anyway).

2) My RL disability is part of 'who I am' and I choose to bring it, or it's representation, with me into SL. (This is me, by the way, without equipment I am totally deaf). I choose to be a vocal advocate for the disabled community on SL, and to involve myself and volunteer, to help other disabled access SL successfully, and support them once they are there. If 'you' choose to make your SL statement by using a wheelchair in SL, then we will make sims designed to accomodate that. We will use ramps and elevators in our builds. We will design an orientation course that allows you to proceed at your own pace, with your disability in mind. We will, on request, recommend assistive rl technology, to help ease your computer controls and we will hold presentations to teach you how to learn to do that. A virtual guide dog can be created to assist those with vision loss, (a current program that another group is doing, not mine, but is in the works and in beta testing now) and our sims will make it clear that 'we hear you'.

Neither of these positions is wrong. These 2 choices are all over the place in SL, and people should do what's right for them, in the area of 'do I keep my disability or ignore it in SL.'

I will also say that the Lindens DO recognize the value of assisting the disabled in SL, as we were selected for one of the Linden Prizes, for the work with disabled residents we do there.

You are right not to pity us. For those of us who are home/bedbound, paralyzed, typing with a stylus in our teeth or with our feet, pity is the last thing we need. Patience would be nice, acceptance and accomodation. It's really not that hard.

I wear mine on my back. =^-^=

I think it's really awesome that in SL, no one knows you are disabled or have a chronic illness or what have you unless you tell them.

It doesn't make me sad - it makes me glad that people who are limited in RL have a virtual outlet where they are viewed as equals instead of with pity.

The classic cartoon says no one knows you're a dog on the internet. As with other great doggie wisdom, it can be extrapolated to mean much more!

The people I pity and feel sad for are those that jump on this bandwagon of voice and hassle those that don't get on it for what ever reason as hiding something... and that something could easily be an inability to speak or hear.

I watched a person damn near get run out of wow because of it, till they took my advice and learned how to use mute and found a new guild.

I've seen a lot of the same behavior at times here in SL and it makes me sad to know there are people that pitiful that they would hound folks over not using voice.

I don't use voice because it's easy to exclude someone that can't hear or speak if you do. So I type what I need to say. I don't listen to it either... maybe petty but I feel it is better to type than speak online. (I do make exceptions for a few folks who have trouble with typing... once or twice so far)

It is one thing for folks to not choose to use voice, that is fine and dandy, to each their own... but what bugs me (I guess you could say I do not get it) is why those who dislike voice or choose to not use it for whatever reason, feel the need to tell the rest of us how evil it is and that it should be removed from SL.

It is the same on both sides of that fence, you get those who use it, and don't care who use it or not, and you get those who do not use it with the same feelings, then you get those who use it, who think everyone should and find it appalling that someone chooses to not use it, and you get those who choose to not use it and think everyone should not and find it appalling that it is even still in the platform and that people use it.

eventually folks will realize we do have a choice, turn it on, or... not. It really is that simple.

(I choose to use it, and I also will type if I see folks around that are not on voice, or who tell us they can not hear, I am willing to do either or, but I refuse to limit myself to just one)

(I have seen both behaviors, people who do not use voice being very aggressively mean to folks that do, using very bad language and very rude to them, then I have seen those who do use voice, just simply ignore those who are not. I have not yet seen people on voice get aggressive with someone who chooses to not use voice, they just simply ignore them... their choice... not mine)

Most disabled don't want peoples sympathy and SL give them the aminomity to be just like everyone else. I do not cry for them, I applaud them because overcoming or dealing with a disability is the hardest thing one will ever do in their life.