Health & Medicine in Second Life

Digital Life & Wellness Survey in Second Life

2012-01-22T10:21:00.000-08:00

PRESENTER: Avatar Name: Katherine Cunningham
Wednesday, January 25, 2012, 1 pm PST
Research Pavilion, Healthinfo Island, Second Life

This presentation will discuss study specifics of the Digital Life & Wellness Survey conducted by RTI International. Topics of discussion include the purpose of the study, eligibility requirements, and what participants can expect if asked to participate. This presentation will also include information about study participant's rights, the risks and benefits of participating in this study, how RTI International will protect participant's information, and what RTI International expects to do with these findings. The presentation is expected to last 15-20 minutes, followed by time for questions/answers.

Qualified participants earn L$1000. Qualified participants will have or once have had cancer, chronic pain, diabetes, or other chronic conditions.

From HealthInfo Island; To Second Life Medical Library 2.0

2012-01-11T02:48:00.000-08:00

Today I handed over several HealthInfo Island social media accounts and tools over to Virtual Ability, Inc, in person to Gentle Heron and Eme Capalini.

This includes the HealthInfo Island Blog, and

the twitter account:

https://twitter.com/#!/healthinfoislan

The HealthInfo Island Facebook group old-style: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=268820866383&ref=ts

The Facebook Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/healthinfoisland?ref=ts

The Linkedin Group: http://www.linkedin.com/groups?about=&gid=2711505&trk=anet_ug_grppro.

All data, posts, photo's and videos from HealthInfo Island's history will also be archived to the Second Life Medical Library 2.0

HealthInfo Island is owned by Virtual Ability, Inc.

Virtual Ability, Inc. is a non-profit corporation based in Colorado, USA. Their mission is to enable people with a wide range of disabilities by providing a supporting environment for them to enter and thrive in online virtual worlds like Second Life^®.

"Mental" disabilities: social and educational issues : notes and extra info

2012-01-08T01:43:00.000-08:00

Note: this page presents working notes for a presentation to be given on Jan 5. Since these are working notes in progress, some contents will probably change.

Health Info Island

Segmented lecture-discussion format

The segments (six) are as indicated in the notes below. I will give a brief (about 8 minutes) summary of the past and current state of each issue, then host a discussion for about 15 minutes. The reason I chose this format will be apparent in the discussions.
-
During the presentation, I will have a BOP* poster (instead of a slide show) nearby. I will also have a poster-giver with a web link for those using a viewer that lacks BOP capability.
-
*BOP = Browser on Prim

Prologue
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Part of the "Waiting on the World (to Change)" series hosted byVirtual Ability.
UN Enable; Priority Themes
-
"Waiting for Godot"
-

Terms and concepts as I will use them

Mental illness: Non- technical term applied to serious disorders that present* as behavioral problems. *All behavior is generated by the brain, including that attributed to "the mind"
Disabiliy: A serious limitation imposed by some physical condition. Note that "serious" here is defined by circumstances.

****************
"Mental" disabilities: social and educational issues
-
Notes
-
Segment 1. The major mental disorders "Psychoses"

The Ann Myers Medical Center : A fresh start a new year, good intentions

2012-01-07T00:53:00.001-08:00

Group Notice From: The Ann Myers Medical Center, Vera ZhaoyingHa allA fresh start a new year, good intentions :-)a workshop about good intentions and new years resolutions!!!On a location called Virtual Ability first, then on to AMMC, where your avatar is tested but you are spoken to, yes you behind the keyboard!!Curious?? Do pay attention to follow up messages!(January14 at 10 AM)

No more mop buckets: Profitably employing people with disabilities in real positions

2012-01-07T00:49:00.001-08:00

No more mop buckets: Profitably employing people with disabilities in real positionsPRESENTER: Jason Pace (SL: Hydra Shaftoe)SUN Jan 8, 11 am SLTSojourner AuditoriumThe nuts and bolts of how a business can employ people with mental disabilities (focus on the autism spectrum) in profitable roles. A gritty, realistic session exploring the benefits and minuses of hiring such people, and ways of utilizing the special gifts of autism while minimizing the impact of the negatives.

"Mental" disabilities: Social and educational issues : presentation on Exhibit 5

2012-01-05T13:05:00.001-08:00

"Mental" disabilities: Social and educational issues
Presented by: Dr. Selby Evans (Thinkerer Melville in SL)
THURS Jan 5, 7 am SLT
Exhibit 5, Healthinfo Island

• the major mental disorders or psychoses
• “ethnogenic” disabilities (conditions seen as disabilities as a result of cultural circumstances)
• experience-based disorders
• addictions
• developmental disorders
• what to do while we wait for the world to change

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/25/60/32

This presentation consists of six segments. First, a presentation about major mental disorders.
Next, a discussion about "ethnogenic" disabilities, which are conditions seen as a disability as
a result of cultural circumstances, followed by experience-based disorders. Information is also
offered on addictions and developmental disorders.
The presentation concludes with ideas of what to do while we wait for the world to change.

Presenter Bio:
Selby Evans is a retired Professor of Psychology at Texas Christian University. He taught courses in psychological measurement, computer applications, and systematic problem-solving. A published author, he has conducted research in pattern perception, and studies of cognitive systems, supported by U. S. military organizations, NASA, National Institutes of Health, and other government organizations.

Putting a project manager in a wheelchair

2011-12-28T02:24:00.001-08:00

Putting a project manager in a wheelchair - working with differing abilitiespresented by AgileBill FirehawkWED Dec 29- 6:30 pm SLTSoj AuditoriumAgileBill as been a developer, teacher, and consultant for over 20 years. He has worked at IBM and now works in the health care industry. Bill has strong opinions on the advantages and disadvantages of hiring employees with disabilities.

Virtual Ability Island : still the best new residents SL orientation Island!

2011-12-25T04:32:00.000-08:00

Next to HealthInfo Island is:

Virtual Ability Island opened to the public in August 2008, and is the first island Virtual Ability developed. It provides the home for our new resident orientation and training, developed for people with disabilities or chronic illnesses. Here, new residents can learn Second Life^® fundamentals in an accessibility-friendly environment, and existing residents can receive ongoing training and information about health-related issues and support groups. This island was created through a partnership with the Alliance Library System.

Through the new account signup process on our web site, or through the secondlife.com Community Gateway program, new residents have their avatar arrive at the beginning of the New Resident Orientation Course on Virtual Ability Island when they log in to Second Life^® for the first time.

There, the new resident begins a self guided training course that teaches the basic virtual world skills of movement, communication, inventory, orienting and appearance.

More experienced residents can learn additional skills at the Advanced Tutorials area, including photography, creating a profile, virtual world money, clothing, groups, society, and textures.

Specially trained Virtual Ability Mentors are available on the island or by appointment to assist any resident.

Virtual Ability island also contains two small classrooms for training and discussion groups, and a large accessible auditorium for community meetings and presentations.

> 3000 hits without updates since September 2010

2011-12-24T08:17:00.000-08:00

This blog generated over 3000 hits since September 2010 (date of the last post) without having any updates.
I wonder what it would have been if I had updated something in the meantime ...

	Page Loads	Unique Visits	First Time Visits	Returning Visits
Total		3,076	2,465	2,250	215
Average		6	5	5	0

I am back, but in a controlled way, not diving in a 100 %,but starting with updating this blog.
Unfortunately my organisation had to let go of the UMCG island. Without further tasks and goals, and without a driven project leader, there was no justification for spending that amount of money to keep the island afloat.

Redefining Disability: The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health

2011-12-24T01:40:00.001-08:00

Redefining Disability: The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and HealthPresenters: ALiesel and Alzimarie of Thomas Jefferson School of Occupational TherapyTHURS Dec 29- 7 am, or repeated at 4 pm SLTExhibit 5, Healthinfo IslandThe way we define “disability” shapes our view of health and affects our attitude toward others in our society. Another presentation in the Waiting for the World to Change series.

HealthInfo Island make-over

2010-09-09T23:55:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I (Namro Orman) visitit HealthInfo Island again after a very long period and I talked to Eme Capalini from Virtual Ability Inc about the plans for the Island. The Island will get a complete make-over, new features, new initiatives .... and I was happy to notice the energy it was giving me already.
More news soon! Meanwhile you can keep track and stay ion touch via:

our HealthInfo Island Toolbar ( a browser plugin with great search options for Consumer Health and Medicine
Our Twitter HealthInfo Island account
Our Facebook Group and Fan Page
Our Linkedin Group

Join THE hunt for Golden Hearts!

2010-02-13T01:24:00.000-08:00

Join THE hunt for Golden Hearts! Cupid is on the loose in @secondlife! http://bit.ly/c912KV

Scavenger Hunt

This year, the Scavenger Hunt has a set of new rules and a handful of fantastic prizes. A unique scavenger hunt will be held February 12th (starting at 12:00pmPST!), 13th, and 14th - each day, finding the starting clue will lead you to the first Golden Heart of the day.
Welcome to Healthinfo Island. There are three displays here right now: healthy eating, CPR, and research results.

Facebook Group and Fan Page for HealthInfo Island

2010-02-05T12:56:00.000-08:00

HealthInfo Island is moving forward with Virtual Ability, Inc. VAI is a non-profit corporation based in Colorado, USA. Their mission is to enable people with a wide range of disabilities by providing a supporting environment for them to enter and thrive in online virtual worlds like Second Life^®.

Have a look at the new Facebook HealthInfo Island Group and theFacebook HealthInfo Island FAN PAGE! Movies, pictures, news, discussions and events can be shared there.
Latest uploaded movie:

Want to see how the " Harry Potter’s World of Magic Science and Medicine" exhibition looked like in 2009? Have a look at our FAN PAGE: http://www.facebook.com/pages/HealthInfo-Island/80079725553?ref=ts (Use the YouTube link too see the high-resolution or watch it below)
Read more about the exhibition at: http://rezlibris.com/archive/412-harry-potters-magic-on-display-at-health-info-island.html

Health Literacy exhibit on Healthinfo Island launch!

2009-11-10T04:05:00.000-08:00

Tuesday 10th November and ongoing

Health Literacy is important to help you understand and manage your
health care decisions and needs.
Our interactive exhibit will test your knowledge about stroke (brain
attack), heart attack and some common medical terminology.

Come learn at our Health Literacy exhibit at Health Info Island!

Exhibit organised by Brielle Coronet, Medical Librarian

Location: http://slurl.com/secondlife/healthinfo%20island/18/25/22/

******** Information Literacy week in Second Life***************

(Updated 8 November 2009)

-----
"Information literacy is knowing when and why you need information, where to find it, and how to evaluate, use and communicate it in an ethical manner." +

Information Literacy Week in SL HQ:

-----------------------Monday November 9th

4-5am SL time
***Student exhibition of Information Literacy

First year BSc Information Management students at the University of Sheffield display the models of the "SCONUL 7 Pillars of Information Literacy" which they have adapted with examples from questions to do with Swine Flu.
9th November
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Infolit%20iSchool/136/211/351/
􀀉

7-9 am SLT
***Evento en español: Lecciones aprendidas y buenas prácticas en programas de Alfabetización Informacional-Spanish Event: Lessons learned and best practices in INFOLIT programs

Se pretende reunir a diferentes profesionales que estén desarrollando programas de Alfabetización Informacional con el fin de compartir algunas lecciones aprendidas y buenas prácticas que dichos programas han dejado, y que sirvan de guía para otros profesionales y programas.
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Infolit%20iSchool/191/194/26
Organized By: Alejandro Uribe Tirado
􀀇

6pm SLT (and ongoing to 15 November)
***ACRL IL in SL Week event

MLIS students at the University of Hawaii collaborate with Alexandria Knight of UCLA on an IL exhibit and event at the ACRL site on ALA Island
http://slurl.com/secondlife/ALA%20Island/217/42/61

---------------------Tuesday 10th November

9-10am SLT and then ongoing
*** Health Literacy exhibit: launch!
Health Literacy is important to help you understand and manage your health care decisions and needs.
Our interactive exhibit will test your knowledge about stroke (brain attack), heart attack and some common medical terminology.
Come learn at our Health Literacy exhibit at Health Info Island!
Exhibit organised by Brielle Coronet, Medical Librarian
http://slurl.com/secondlife/healthinfo%20island/18/25/22/
􀀆

Second Life Education Roundtable: Information Literacy
2.30-3.30 SLT
The regular series of Tuesday roundtable discussions, led by AJ Brooks, will feature Information Literacy as the discussion topic. Discussion leaders Lori Bell, Sheila Yoshikawa, and Marty Snowpaw. The SLER website is at http://virtualworldsedu.info/
Location: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Montclair%20State%20CHSSSouth/129/158/22
􀀓

Ongoing exhibitions:
= = Student exhibitions of Information literacy
�
-------------- Wednesday 11th November

9-10am SLT launch and then ongoing
***HIV Testing and Information Literacy

Karuna Island is the Second Life sim devoted to celebrating the lives of those dealing with HIV/AIDS and making information, support, and creative services available to them in the SL community. Robin Mochi, Karuna Island Consumer Health Librarian, has created an interactive mindmap on HIV Testing using the SCONUL 7 Pillars of Information Literacy.
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Karuna/33/50/23

Ongoing exhibitions:
= = Student exhibitions of Information literacy

= = Health Literacy
􀀏
-------------- Thursday 12th November

6.30-8.00 am SLT
*** SL orientation for librarians

New to Second Life? Learn some SL basics in this virtual workshop. It will be led by Sheila Yoshikawa (Sheila Webber in Real Life, Department of Information Studies, Sheffield University) and Kitty Mumfuzz (Keri Gray in Real Life, who runs Weekes Gray Recruitment (http://www.weekesgray.com/)
It starts at 6.30 am Second Life Time
To book a place, please email keri@weekesgray.com with your real life and second life names and you will given the landmark

Ongoing exhibitions:
= = Student exhibitions of Information literacy

= = Health Literacy

= = HIV Testing and Information Literacy

-------------- Friday 13th November

1am-2am SLT then ongoing
***Opening of "What it means to me": an exhibition on the way people think about information and information literacy
This is the opening of an exhibition drawing on quotations about what informationand information literacy mean to different people. The aim is that this will be a growing 3D exhibition that will be flown up to a sky platform at the end of Information Literacy week.
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Infolit%20iSchool/42/48/20/

Noon SLT
**Information Literacy Panel: "Web 2.0 Approaches to IL"

Information Literacy Panel produced by MLIS students at the University of Hawaii. Moderator: (Alexandria Knight) Esther Grassian, UCLA
Panelists: (Sheila Yoshikawa) Sheila Webber, U. Sheffield, Marsha Schnirring (Buk Binder)
http://slurl.com/secondlife/ALA%20Island/56/191/28
􀀋

Ongoing exhibitions:
= = Student exhibitions of Information literacy
􀀄
= = Health Literacy
􀀐
= = HIV Testing and Information Literacy

-------------- Saturday 14th November

Ongoing exhibitions:
= = Student exhibitions of Information literacy􀀒

= = Health Literacy
= = HIV Testing and Information Literacy
= = What it means to me": an exhibition on the way people think about information and information literacy
􀀀

-------------- Sunday 15th November

1pm SLT
***Information Literacy week: Closing party!
Come to a party to celebrate the close of the first annual Information Literacy Week in SL, hosted by Sheila Yoshikawa (Info Lit Island) and Adra Letov, at the beautiful Jazz Cat.
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Info%20Island%20International/118/28/35/

-----
+ Information Literacy Definition:
Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (UK) http://www.cilip.org.uk/policyadvocacy/learning/informationliteracy/definition/default.htm

In Counselling - Behavioral Therapy in Virtual Worlds

2009-10-29T13:28:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I watched the wednesday live show from Metanomics.net at The Sojourner Auditorium on Virtual Ability Island.
Here is the announcement:
Can substance abuse be treated online? What do virtual worlds have to offer people diagnosed with autism and schizophrenia? Does anonymity allow people to share their stories in a way free from judgement? Will playing back a virtual conversation over and over help people with schizophrenia become more socially active?

Join host Robert Bloomfield on October 28, 2009 at 12pm PST as he meets with Dick Dillon of Preferred Family Healthcare, Inc. to discuss substance abuse treatment within Second Life. The conversation will continue with faculty from the Center for Vital Brain Aging at the University of Texas at Dallas.

Guest Biographies

Dick Dillon

Dick Dillon has held many positions in his 28 year involvement with the behavioral health field, including Counselor, Clinical Team Leader, Program Director, and Chief Operating officer. He has also been a consumer of services. Soon after graduation from the treatment program Dick began working with other people in early recovery, first as a volunteer alumni coordinator, then as an addictions counselor, clinical team leader, and program director. He was the co-founder of the Substance Abuse Services Department of a large Missouri hospital and developed that project to be one of the premier medically-based programs in a multi-state area.

In 1990 Dick joined a publicly funded non-profit group and served as their Chief Operating Officer for a decade. During his tenure, the organization opened four new facilities and made significant clinical transition to evidence-based practice. In 2000, Dick joined Preferred Family Healthcare, Inc. which was then, as now, one of the most progressive and fast growing mental health service providers in the United States. He has served for the past several years as Senior Vice President of Planning and Development. In his own words “My job is to help determine what we need to do next to be of best services to our clientele, and find the resources to make that happen!”

Dan Krawczyk

Dan Krawczyk is an assistant professor of Behavioral and Brain Sciences at the University of Texas at Dallas.
Dr. Krawczyk’s laboratory is at the Center for Brain Health. His primary interest is in the neural circuitry associated wtih reasoning and he has just begun work on aging. He trained with Dr. Mark D’Esposito and brings considerable expertise in the nuances of functional imaging to the Vital Brain Aging Center.

A transcript of this show is on SlideShare! Click here to view it >>
To watch the recorded show: click here

Virtual Ability has agreed to take over HealthInfo Island.

2009-10-18T20:22:00.000-07:00

Second Life Island announcements
alliancesecondlife@googlegroups.com
[alliancesecondlife@googlegroups.com] on behalf of Lori Bell
[lbell...@gmail.com]

Sent: Friday, October 16, 2009 9:29 PM
To:
alliancesecondlife@googlegroups.com
Attachments:
I am pleased to share that Virtual Ability has agreed to take over HealthInfo Island.

Land of Lincoln has been transferred to Fleet Goldenberg for Eduisland 7 but Illinois State University has agreed to be home to much of the Lincoln content.
Thanks to Daisy and Krull for transferring this content.

--
Lori Bell
Director of Innovation
Alliance Library System
600 High Point Lane
East Peoria, IL 61611
(309)694-9200 ext. 2128
skype: lbell927
lb...@alliancelibrarysystem.com
lbell...@gmail.com
"Virtual Worlds, Real Libraries"
http://books.infotoday.com/books/VirtualWorlds.shtml

“Share the Health: Training People with Disabilities and Chronic Medical Conditions on How to Locate Quality Health Information

2009-05-15T05:53:00.000-07:00

Image by testdriverone via Flickr

Must really get back into writing posts... I blame Twitter.. I think it's marvellous but it takes away the edge a little bit to write on the blogs about it again.. This you must read! Virtual Ability has the absolute best and most beautiful Orientation Isand to learn getting around in Second Life.

Alliance Library System is pleased to make the final report for the project “Share the Health” available on the web at http://www.alliancelibrarysystem.com/pdf09/Sharethehealthfinalreportmay2009.pdf.

This project was funded with a contract from the National Library of Medicine Greater Midwest Region.

“We are very pleased that this project accomplished so much in terms of helping people with disabilities and chronic health conditions learn where to find credible health information and also how to navigate the virtual world of Second Life,” stated Kitty Pope, ALS Executive Director. “Much of this population is homebound and virtual worlds give them the opportunity to experience things they would not otherwise get to do.”

Virtual Ability, the new orientation center for people with these conditions in Second Life, was partially funded through this project. Virtual Ability was a recent co-winner of the prestigious Linden Prize with Studio Wikitecture. There were over 230 entries and this is the first vendor award of its type in virtual worlds.

“The many library services available in Second Life increase it’s utility for people with disabilities and chronic health conditions. The resources on HealthInfo Island are particularly pertinent,” stated Alice Krueger, president of Virtual Ability, Inc. “ We were pleased to partner with ALS in developing the intake and new resident orientation facilities on Virtual Ability Island, adjoining HealthInfo Island on the east.”

They also have created a Netvibes Universe Public Page : Share The Health VAI ALS

Here is an impression!

Image by testdriverone via Flickr

Proposed Meeting and Collaboration

2009-02-20T09:19:00.000-08:00

In the wake of the success of our joint efforts on World AIDS Day, and in the spirit of collaboration embodied by Second Life, we invite HIV/AIDS groups, activists, health professionals, organizations, and educators to participate in a meeting to discuss our shared interests and explore ways we might ensure the success of our collective work.

The tentative goals of this meeting are to:

identify areas where we can collaborate
identify ways to coordinate our outreach, support, marketing, and education efforts
form a community of support that transcends SL and RL boundaries

Place: Karuna campfire: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Karuna/60/106/26
Date: March 6, 2009
Time: 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Second Life Time (Pacific Time)

For further information about Karuna, please visit our project website http://www.karunasl.info/

Please feel free to pass this invitation to any other HIV/AIDS groups, activists, health professionals, organizations, and educators you feel might be interested.

Carolina Keats, Karuna Project Coordinator
Jenaia Morane, Story Project Coordinator

HealthInfo Island & Karuna Stand at Dreams Fair 2009

2009-02-15T06:57:00.000-08:00

HealthInfo Island & Karuna Stand at Dreams Fair 2009

posted by Namro Orman
on Dreams East 14 hours, 18 minutes, 19 seconds ago
[53 views]

HealthInfo Island & Karuna Stand at Dreams Fair 2009. http://healthinfoisland.blogspot.com http://karunasl.info
Dreams East (72, 128, 25)

Recent talk on Consumer Health Librarianship

2009-02-08T11:42:00.000-08:00

This presentation was given February 4, 2009, at the Preconference for the 2009 Association of American Publishers / PSP Annual Conference. I'm posting it here as my first attempt at creating a video from a slideset. Please pardon my voice in this - I had the flu when I recorded it (though not while I presented in Washington, D.C.)!

Consumer Health Librarianship in Second Life from carol perryman on Vimeo.

Caregiving

2009-02-01T13:11:00.000-08:00

Take Heart

A workshop for caregivers

Saturday, February 14th
10-11:30 a.m., SLT

Location: Healthinfo Island
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/102/190/24

Take some time on Valentine’s Day to care for yourself! Join counselor Avalon Birke and consumer health librarian Carolina Keats on Healthinfo Island for a workshop on a topic of concern to many: caregiving.

Avalon will be talking about coping methods for caregivers,then Carolina provides an overview of good resources, including legal, financial, and health information.You'll leave with a listing of top-quality links that can help you get the help you need. If you cannot attend, the handout is available to all.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Please note: If this topic interests you but the date or time won't work – let me know. I am happy to conduct another workshop on the same topic. I am also delighted to tailor workshops or classes on many topics your group would like to know more about.

Carolina Keats
Consumer Health Librarian

Supported by funding from the National Library of Medicine
Administered through the Alliance Library System

Start the New Year Well! Learn how to find good health information on Healthinfo Island - Wednesday

2009-01-12T07:49:00.000-08:00

Second Life Celebrates World AIDS Day with New Island

2008-12-01T04:25:00.000-08:00

Picture taken by Verde Otaared

Thanks to a generous grant from the National Library of Medicine and the tremendous support of the Alliance Library System as grant administrator, a brand new island dedicated to HIV/AIDS education, outreach, and support will open in Second Life on December 1 - World AIDS Day, 2008.

Please join us at http://slurl.com/secondlife/Karuna/60/106/26
Note that the island will be open to the public on that day.

Christened Karuna, a word taken from an early Indo-Aryan language, the name of the island embodies the desire to remove harm and suffering, and to bring about the well-being and happiness of others.

Karuna team members include AIDS/HIV support group leaders as well as AIDS content information experts and educators, ensuring that the best, most recent, evidence-based information is available. The project objective is to empower individuals in healthcare decision making. Through this project, one-to-one health information reference services are provided by experienced medical and consumer health librarians.

In addition to providing infomation resources, support, and networking opportunities, Karuna is built around a Garden of Experience, where the experiences of those dealing with HIV/AIDS will be shared in a variety of formats including poetry, photos, music, and video. For more information about this project, see http://www.karunasl.info.

We are proud to be working with other organizations in this effort, including AIDS.gov, the University of North Carolina Center for AIDS research, Community Outreach, Dissemination, and Education Office (CFAR), and most recently, by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).

Together, we work to ensure that the idea of community is foremost. Individuals are at the heart of Karuna, and it is through sharing tales and human connections that we find our best selves.

All times listed are Pacific Standard Times
Location: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Karuna/60/106/26
Note that the island will be open to the public on that day

10-10:10 Story to Live By (Jenaia Morane)
10:10-10:20 AIDS/HIV Support & Experience (Ricken Flow)
10:20-30 Health in Second Life (Pathfinder Linden)
10:30-10:40 HIV/AIDS in the U.S. (Miguelz Rajal & Ellechim Fizzle)
10:40-10:50 Karuna: The Grant and the Vision (Carolina Keats )
10:50-11:00 Questions and Answers
11:10 – 11:45 Tours of Karuna
11:45 – 1:00 Lunch break
1:00 – 3:00 Story writing workshop and posting of stories
5:00-5:15 Closing Ceremony – Candle of Hope is lit
6:00 – 8:00 Dance with live DJ
8:00 – 9:00 Music: Live performance by Cylindrian Rutabaga

Please support our project bid!

2008-11-02T05:01:00.000-08:00

Info+ Alliance: Providing accurate, quality and timely sex health information using innovative ICTs

Please help us by taking the time to view, rate, and comment on our preliminary project description. It is our intent to create an innovative application for fact-checking media reports around sexual health, including HIV/AIDS by working in collaboration with experts in Second Life, North Carolina, Illinois, New York, Australia, and India. The idea and collaboration has sprung from relationships in Second Life, and intends to benefit both SL and RL communities.

You'll see basic information about the proposed project on the following link, and depending upon ratings, we'll be invited to submit a more complete application.

Please go here to see and rate our proposal. Your comments are also greatly appreciated, since these may affect the decision as much or more as the ratings.
http://tinyurl.com/6neon3

from one of the accompanying documents:

Working in partnership with Alliance Library System in Illinois and in collaboration with the Journalism and Media Research Centre, University of New South Wales (Australia) and the University of North Carolina Center for AIDS research, Community Outreach, Dissemination, and Education Office (CFAR), the Info+ Alliance brings together internationally recognised experts in journalism, sex health education, health information provision, cultural studies, media arts and computer programming across three countries.

Thank you for your support!!

Carolina Keats
Coordinator, Healthinfo Island and Karuna projects

Virtual Worlds, Real Libraries: Innovators Describe Pioneering Library and Educational Projects in Second Life and Other Virtual Environments

2008-10-20T10:31:00.000-07:00

We are pleased to say that a new book was announced today! Namro (Guus van den Brekel)and myself (Carol Perryman) wrote one of the chapters in this work, whihc was most ably coordinated and edited by Lori Bell and Rhonda Trueman.

For the entire text of the release, see http://liswire.com/node/241

By RobColding - Posted on 16 October 2008

October 20, 2008, Monterey, CA—At the 12th annual Internet Librarian Conference and Exhibition, Information Today, Inc. (ITI) announced the publication of Virtual Worlds, Real Libraries: Librarians and Educators in Second Life and Other Multi-User Virtual Environments, edited by Lori Bell and Rhonda B. Trueman.

Eighty percent of Internet users are expected to engage in some form of virtual world activity by 2011 (Gartner Research Group), and librarians and educators are already there. Virtual Worlds, Real Libraries—the brainchild of editors Bell and Trueman—is designed to help libraries and schools recognize the importance of multi-user virtual environments (MUVEs) and consider ways of getting involved as they proliferate. The editors and 24 contributors describe innovative library, educational, and cultural projects they have undertaken. They recount their experiences working together to succeed in Second Life and other virtual worlds and explain how traditional library services such as reference, teaching, collections, discussion groups, and young adult programs can be applied in a virtual environment.

PubMed for YOU: Searching for Medical information

2008-10-13T04:13:00.000-07:00

PubMed for YOU: Searching for Medical Information

October 14
PubMed for YOU: Searching for Medical information
Healthinfo Island Classroom area
11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. SL time
Prerequisites: Curiosity and an interest in searching for health information

Join us on Healthinfo Island for a hands-on opportunity to learn how you (yes, you!) can search the PubMed database. No need for prior experience - it's all about checking out one of the greatest informational resources we have, free on the Internet. Questions? Contact Carolina Keats inworld.

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/102/190/24

AIDS Information and Outreach in the Virtual World of Second Life

2008-09-27T15:05:00.000-07:00

The Alliance Library System (ALS) is pleased to announce that the National Library of Medicine has awarded ALS a $60,000 grant for a project entitled "AIDS Information and Outreach in the Virtual World of Second Life." The project includes the creation of a new island with a community AIDS/HIV library/resource center. The resource center will provide information support and outreach to the Second Life community and beyond about AIDS/HIV and its prevention. The new island will also be home to a garden space where narratives about the AIDS/HIV experience can be shared through art, audio, video, poetry, essays, and more. The project runs from October 1, 2008 – March 31, 2010.

This is the fourth grant awarded to ALS for the provision of consumer health information in Second Life, and will also fund a continuation of current efforts. The project coordinator will be Carol Perryman, known inworld as Carolina Keats.

For more information on the Alliance Library System, please see www.alliancelibrarysystem.com or contact Lori Bell at lbell927@gmail.com, or in Second Life as Lorelei Junot.

For more information about this project, please contact Carol Perryman at cp1757@gmail.com or in Second Life as Carolina Keats.

Healthcare Education group event

2008-09-26T09:39:00.000-07:00

A truly interesting and even motivational event, and I'm not just saying that because I had some small part in it. Pathfinder Linden spoke to a group of ~30 healthcare folks at the new Health EduIsland, expressing his strong interest in, and advocacy of, health and health education efforts in Second Life. I love the thought that this group constitutes evidence of the continued development of SL as a platform, moving toward exploiting the networking capabilities of virtual worlds to share experiences and grow together. That's sure what it's about, isn't it?

Plans afoot - Health EduIsland

2008-09-21T08:37:00.000-07:00

Next Friday the Healthcare Education group will be meeting in their new space for the first time! Planned as an 'ahoy maties!' pirate-themed party, we'll take a look around and talk about plans for the use of this large chunk of space, deciding how it can best be used to meet our objectives. You're invited to attend!

Announcing..... Health EduIsland!

2008-09-13T06:59:00.000-07:00

To the immediate south of Healthinfo Island, please note a new green space, currently furnished only by the sign you see above. Intended as a gathering space for the health community, we will be making the auditorium (which is to be the centerpiece of the island) available to all health groups through a calendaring system. We're excited to be able to host the upcoming Stepping into Health conference here, as well as the next World AIDS Day, and have offered space to the new Healthcare Education group for meetings and displays.

Contact Carolina Keats for further information

"Stepping into Health" becomes Third in Popular "Stepping into Virtual Worlds" Series

2008-09-12T07:04:00.000-07:00

Using virtual worlds to promote health and healthcare is the topic of the next installment of the popular "Stepping into Virtual Worlds" conference series, to be offered October 7^th, 2008 in Second Life. Hundreds of people have attended this series, which began with "Stepping into History" in June and continued with "Stepping into Literature" in August. The series is sponsored by Alliance Library System and LearningTimes. The day-long conference is open to the public, with more information available at http://www.steppingintovirtualworlds.org. It will take place entirely in the virtual world of Second Life.

During this conference, participants will make virtual "field trips" to some of the best and most creative locations that are using virtual worlds to promote health. During these field trips, they will be able to speak with those responsible for creating the simulations, and have time to explore them on their own. Among the field trips for this conference are Healthinfo Island, a health education simulation where visitors can test their knowledge of strokes by walking through a giant artery and destroying clots by correctly answering questions, and ToxTown, a typical American town where potentially dangerous chemicals can easily be seen.

In addition to the field trips, the conference includes:

Keynote presentations by Randy Hinrichs, founder of 2B3D and developer of the "Medipelago," a group of health related simulations in Second Life; and Ramesh Ramloll, creator of Play2Train, a virtual world simulator used to prepare healthcare professionals and others for crisis situations
Table Talks on subjects such as "Healthcare Education and Advocacy in Virtual Worlds," "Virtual World Health Librarianship" and "Using Virtual World for Training Medical Personnel."
A panel discussion, allowing participants to question and interact with a variety of experts in the use of virtual worlds in health and healthcare.

Alliance Library System, co-sponsor of the "Stepping Into" series, is a multi-type library system headquartered in East Peoria, Illinois. Alliance has been a leader in developing ways for libraries to expand their missions and serve patrons in virtual worlds. Alliance is on the web at www.alliancelibrarysystem.com.

LearningTimes, the second co-sponsor, is the leading producer of online communities and online conferences for education and training. Their clients and partners include educational and cultural institutions, non-profit organizations, associations and membership groups. LearningTimes provides the training, platforms, applications and expertise these organizations need to make their conferences a success. More information about LearningTimes can be found at www.learningtimes.net.

The cost for this day-long conference is $79, and participants may register for the conference at www.steppingintovirtualworlds.org

I take this one personally

2008-08-31T07:02:00.000-07:00

Nearly 8 years ago I finally did what I had been dreading for 29 years: I stopped smoking. The journey to cessation was amazing and life-altering, entailing lots of learning. I didn't just learn about what smoking does to bodies, but about my own fears and anxieties around cessation, and how important a community of support is in change.

You could say that this class was more than 8 years in the making. I will be telling (briefly!) my own story, but also asking for your own experience. Without pressure, I'll also share a few good resources so when you're ready, you'll know where to find good info on medications, community support, and more (and who knows, we may even begin our own smoking cessation support group).

Second Life is a community. Let's come together for health!

Carolina Keats

2008-08-28T06:42:00.000-07:00

Notecard text:
Consumer Health Information at Healthinfo Island: The Workshop

Have you always wanted to learn more about consumer health information services? Join us on Wednesday, September 3 at 11:00 a.m. SL time for a one hour hands-on class!

Location is on Healthinfo Island in the classroom area: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/154/226/0

This is intended for you, if you:

have little or no experience with consumer health information
are interested in joining the active SL Health Librarians group, including helping to provide coverage on Healthinfo Island for tours and other activities

Expect to walk (or fly!) away with a basic awareness of the following:

Reference skills (what do I need to remember? What are some dos and dont's?)
Basic resources: links and tips
Health information literacy - and and easy way to measure content for readability
Credibility in a virtual environment: Resource quality evaluation, transparency, and knowing when to refer

The content of this workshop was used to train staff (including paraprofessionals) at the Duke University Medical Center Library, and is adapted for use in Second Life. If there is sufficient interest we will plan a second class for more advanced skills.

Updated study finds 56% of Americans seek health information - up from 38%

2008-08-22T03:49:00.000-07:00

A tremendous jump in health information seeking between 2001 and 2007 is reported in a new report by the Study for Seeking Health System Change. Full content of the study's findings is available online. Looking at the graph above, I find it interesting that overall, people are reporting they use media sources, peers, and the internet at about the same rate to learn more about health issues - a very significant change in the way we look for health information.

The most striking finding on the impact of health information is that four of five information seekers found information that helped them to better understand how to treat an illness or condition. This positive impact on consumers’ health knowledge was consistently high across demographic subgroups (HSC Tracking Report No. 20).

The authors conclude that increased health information seeking by consumers may be a result of the awareness that physicians have less time, and call for health policy organizations to find ways to make good health information easier to find.

I disagree somewhat with the recommendation: There is fantastic information available now. To begin with, MedlinePlus.gov serves as a huge portal source to many, many other top-quality health association sites. Where I find gaps is in the consumer awareness of resources, and perhaps in the complexity of the resources. I have seldom encountered a consumer who is familiar with MedlinePlus, and when I introduce it, they are usually astounded and impressed (and perhaps, a bit intimidated) by the sheer volume of information. If I were Health Information Czar :) I'd launch a major publicity campaign on behalf of MedlinePlus, with TV and radio spots, with personal narratives, individual accounts of how people found information through that site that empowered them as partners in their own healthcare. Got Healthinfo?

Wordle Image of This Blog healthInfoIsland in Second Life

2008-08-21T07:12:00.001-07:00

Click the Small Image to see the real thing at Wordle.net!

Looking for Health : a workshop on finding good health information

2008-08-13T18:22:00.000-07:00

Class is in session!

This great image, kind courtesy of Ewa Dobrogowska
thanks so much!

Second Life and Pubic Health

2008-08-12T23:42:00.001-07:00

See the amazing use of virtual worlds for Public Health Simulations in Second Life .... To see the highquality video click here: http://www.lib.umich.edu/hsl/SecondLifePublicHealth.mov
posted by Namro Orman on Healthinfo Island using a blogHUD : [permalink]

ALERT: AIDS occurrence far higher than supposed

2008-08-10T05:22:00.000-07:00

Referring to the situation as a 'wake up call,' the CDC expresses a need for action and improved or expanded education and support. See the AIDS.gov blog post for more information - and then increase your awareness by looking at displays created on Healthinfo Island by two AIDS and HIV support groups who share our space.

For 'real world' information please visit the AIDS.gov site, and also MedlinePlus.gov. For questions and health information support free of charge, contact Carolina Keats, medical and consumer health librarian, in Second Life.

VIRTUAL ABILITY ISLAND GRAND OPENING!

2008-08-09T08:30:00.000-07:00

Please help us spread the word

Join us on Saturday, August 16th at 1 PM SLT to celebrate the Grand Opening of Virtual Ability Island.

The island was developed with a new resident orientation center, advanced tutorials, and training facilities for individuals with disabilities or chronic health conditions.

The entire island is accessibility-friendly for new and experienced residents and will provide ongoing classes for people who want to search for and evaluate health information.

Funding came through an initial grant from the National Library of Medicine to the Alliance Library System and is sustained by the generosity of individual contributors to Virtual Ability, Inc. We are excited to present this important resource to members of the Second Life community!

Location: Virtual Ability Island
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Virtual%20Ability/128/128/23

Contact Carolina Keats or Eme Capalini, inworld, for more information.

Stroke Awareness Exhibit Now at Healthinfo Island

2008-07-25T13:32:00.000-07:00

A project of the Occupational Therapy Center at Jefferson in Second Life, the Stroke Awareness Exhibit can now be seen on Healthinfo Island, http://slurl.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/63/142/21/

The interactive display was developed by graduate students in the Department of Occupational Therapy at Jefferson College of Health Professions in Philadelphia, PA, USA, under the direction of Zsuzsa Tomsen (Susan Toth-Cohen in RL). The exhibit consists of 3 presentations about stroke--including types of stroke, statistics, and rehabilitation. There is a 2-question quiz after each presentation. Visitors also can collect free brain-themed prizes - t-shirts, a necklace, and a hat.

When the Jefferson Faculty-Student team first discussed having an exhibit for Stroke Awareness Month (May 2008), the original idea was to have displays of topics related to stroke, video, and quizzes. "However," says Zsuzsa, "when the occupational therapy graduate students and I brainstormed (!), they suggested that we have a walk-through artery. Further, the students suggested the idea of 'clot dissolving quizzes--' made so that the visitor could pass through only if (s)he got the quiz questions right."

"This was a big turning point for our exhibit planning. A later trip to the Tech Museum of Innovation also provided some good ideas for how to better utilize the 3D world for healthcare related exhibits."

The Occupational Therapy Center blog can be found at: http://otsecondlife.wordpress.com/ for more information about their exhibits and the process of their creation.

Progressive values at work: Using virtual worlds for real world impact

2008-07-20T09:02:00.000-07:00

How do Second Life activities affect 'real life' organizations and individuals? Join us for a discussion about the virtual health community and its role in empowerment and change. The panel will be in voice, broadcast live and archived on BlogTalk Radio, and is part of a 4-day event sponsored by Netroots Nation (formerly Daily Kos). We're setting aside the last half hour for Q & A.

Moderator: Widget Whiteberrry
Panelists: Gentle Heron, Virtual Ability, Carolina Keats, Healthinfo Island, and Roberto Salubrius, Ability Commons
Date: Sunday, July 20, 2008
Time: 10:15am-12:30pm (Pacific time):
Place: Netroots Arena
SLURL: http://tinyurl.com/63jrn

For more information about this event, see http://www.nninsl.org/

All speakers can be contacted in Second Life. A link to the audio archive of this presentation will be provided as soon as it's available, as well as other information.

Netroots Nation in SL - Healthinfo Island is there!

2008-07-13T13:01:00.000-07:00

Netroots Nation (formerly the YearlyKos Convention) helps politically active netroots communities make a difference in the public sphere. The third annual gathering will be held July 17–20 in Austin, Texas. Netroots Nation 2008 will include panels led by national and international experts, including a virtual session held in conjunction with the 2008 BlogHer Conference; identity, issue and regional caucuses; prominent political, issue and policy-oriented speakers; a progressive film screening series; and the most concentrated gathering of progressive bloggers to date.

- from the blog announcement, found here.

I am honored to be speaking on a panel with Gentle Heron, of the Virtual Ability group, about the real life effects of health related activities in Second Life. Our part will be on Sunday, July 20th:

Event: SL Panel "Progressive Values at Work: Using Virtual Worlds for Real World Impact"
Gentle Heron, Vitual Ability, Carolina Keats, Consumer Health Librarian
Time:10:15am-12:30pm (Pacific time):
Place: Netroots Arena
SLURL: http://tinyurl.com/63jrn4

The panel will be in voice, simulcast to the Austin conference location, and may be archived - that part I don't know. What I do know is that it's a wonderful opportunity to talk about how those with disabilities and chronic health conditions can find community in a world none of us could have imagined.

Poor communication = Poor healthcare?

2008-07-09T05:06:00.000-07:00

A study published in the June 2008 issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal, asks whether poor communication was an important risk factor in adverse events for hospital patients (1).

In order to try to answer this question, the researchers randomly chose 2,355 patient charts from 20 hospitals across the province of Quebec, Canada, looking at reported communication problems (language, hearing abilities, and more) and then comparing these to the 'adverse events' reported.

Adverse events, in medical lingo, are 'unintended injur[ies] or complication[s] caused by delivery of clinical care rather than by the patient’s condition.' (1)

It may not come as a surprise to you that some patients with communication barriers were 3 times more likely to experience preventable adverse effects during their hospital stays. The two main contributors to the likelihood of adverse effects were found to be communication barriers and poor clinical management.

As an editorial in the same issue puts it, 'elderly women, those who were admitted to hospital because of an emergency and those whose ability to communicate with health care providers was limited because of a foreign language, deafness or a psychiatric disorder were the patients most likely to receive inadequate care.(2)'

The authors have called for more research looking at what can be done to identify people with communication problems, and then to consider these barriers in providing health care.

Solutions to the problem of health communication are both simple and complex. In the editorial mentioned earlier, the use of 3 questions is referred to as a way for health professionals to be sure that understanding is achieved:

What is my main problem?
What do I need to do?
Why is it important for me to do this?

These questions are suggested by the Partnership for Clear Health Communication, based on work done by Iowa Health (www.npsf.org/askme3). The idea here is that patients should be able to answer the three questions after talking with their health providers to ensure that understanding has been achieved.

Other problems are more complex, says Frankel (2): health care is often based on providing the most efficient care for a very large population, and this may be a barrier to recognizing communication problems and helping those who are impaired in some way.

1. Bartlett, G., Blais, R., Tamblyn, R., et al. (2008, June 3). Impact of patient communication problems on the risk of preventable adverse events in acute care settings. CMAJ 2008 178: 1555-1562.
You can read it for yourself at http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/reprint/178/12/1555 (PDF).

2. Frankel, A. (2008, June 3). Health literacy and harm: Who is at risk? What is the fix? CMAJ 2008 178: 1573-1574. You can read it for yourself at http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/content/full/178/12/1573

Summary and comments not otherwise cited are the opinion of Carol Perryman.

Exciting News!! - Annenberg Competition Results

2008-07-01T18:39:00.000-07:00

I am so pleased to announce that the proposal crafted by partners in the Health Support Coalition has been among the top finalists, and will be funded to do what we had so long dreamed. We'll be building a new sim - Ability Commons, and calling it home for around 40 small and start-up health support groups who would not otherwise be funded in Second Life.

I have had such a good feeling about this all along, ever since Gentle Heron told me about the competition. And now, I find I am imagining what it will be, thinking many thoughts about what needs to happen, wondering how this new space will look (vision: village. home. )

Thinking - what is that, to have a space in a virtual environment, when I've heard so many people say things like - well hey, you can always teleport! Here in SL, you don't need to be right by something! Give up those tired old connections, your slavish reliance upon earthbound constraints - explore the possibilities!

And yet, we do need that proximity. I talk with you, move closer. We find joy in even the approximation of beauty, the sometimes comic-bookish representation of things and places that are meaningful. We bring them with us, make our environment what we cannot. In response to a question the other day - "why would SL be superior to the opportunity to ask questions (via IM chat on a website, for example) of experts?" I said - because we give it a human face. Our avatars and spaces extend our reach.

On the web and in SL, I know that our tendency is to find community. It is too simplistic, by far, to say that our electronic connections are replacements for what we don't have in person, within our own spaces. There is sometimes a connotation of shame in this, sort of like that trite saying about 'those who cannot do, teach.' To this I respond: how can community be a wrong, when it provides the means to help one another through life? How can it possibly be shameful, when it gives voice and connections, allows us to brush aside many boundaries of our physical manifestations? How can it replace what never can be brushed aside, those limits of our physical selves? - this electronic self is us - taller, better dressed, with wild hair and incredible wardrobes; flying, dancing - ourselves, as we choose to be for a time. It is us, reaching out in new ways, learning what this new space can add to our own humanity.

Ability Commons. You will be hearing more.

Ability Commons proposal - Deadline for voting June 30!

2008-06-22T04:05:00.000-07:00

As many already know, the Annenberg School is holding a competition for projects that promote the "common good" in real life and Second Life. The Health Support Coalition has submitted a proposal and is now a semifinalist. In a very exciting turn of events, the top 3 out of the 5 semifinalists will get funding to support their plans - but we need your support now! Please go to and learn more (including our proposal) and then VOTE for us! Please note that the deadline for voting is June 30.

Q: Why do we believe that Ability Commons deserves your support?

A: We believe in the power of peer support, and that those with disabilities and chronic diseases need and deserve a voice in this virtual world. With a vote for the Ability Commons project you are voicing your support for this community.

Q: What will funding pay for?

A: The Annenberg funding will pay for a new island, and for its setup. It will also pay for buildings so that each of the 40 support groups will have a space to meet, host events, and provide information. The Health Support Coalition intends to use 'off the shelf' buildings as much as possible in order to ensure that funds can be used where they are most needed - to support the community. However, we have no intention of compromising on the quality of support we give this amazing, growing community.

Q: What will funding not pay for?

A: None of the funding will be paid out to members of the Health Coalition for time we put into planning or administration. Time spent on this project is donated in full, with the possible exception of land and building design.

Q: What is this 'Health Support Coalition,' anyway?

A: The Health Support Coalition is a community of health support group leaders (more than 40 at present) begun by The Sojourner (sadly missed, every day), Gentle Heron (of Virtual Ability, Inc.) and Carolina Keats (coordinator for Healthinfo Island) in order to support health groups inworld. We created the Coalition to mentor new groups into being, extend our reach much farther as a combined group than we can do as individual groups, and to encourage collaboration for events. Just seeing a list of health support groups doesn't begin to convey the commitment, experience, caring, and knowledge that we know each support group leader brings to their efforts inworld.

Q: We already support health groups - how is this different?

A: For many groups, real life funding ensures that members find both real-life information resources and often, a space for meetings, displays, and events. But for so many others (perhaps half of inworld groups, though it's hard to know exact numbers here), the grassroots, global nature of the health community means that there is no funding unless it comes from members' pockets. SL participants who have disabilities or health conditions have a hard time finding each other, but when they do, the potential benefits of peer support are tremendous. Setting up a space like Ability Commons where collaboration can happen can multiply the benefits and amplify awareness for all SL participants about health conditions.

Q: Why is this proposal a good bet?

A: Those of us proposing this project collectively have demonstrated our commitment over several years wit activities and projects including, but not at all limited to:

Healthinfo Island, which exists to support the entire SL community's health questions with valid and current information;
The Accessibility Center build, which boosts awareness of disabilities and tools for accessibility;
The Dreams community, which has a strong and extensive program of activities for stroke survivors, those who are autistic, and more (much, much more!);
Virtual Ability, Inc., supporting the entrance into SL of those with disabilities, and partner with the Alliance Library System in the new Island, Virtual Ability;
Virtual Ability Island, which is now taking shape next to Healthinfo Island, our third grant-funded project, intended to provide orientation and training to new residents with disabilities and chronic diseases;
Outreach to support groups with information about activities and informational support available;
Events, such as the panel discussion on accessibility design in virtual environments, Namav Abramov's talk on grassroots activism for those with disabilities, and the World AIDS Day observation;
Support of groups like the AIDS and HIV groups who now have a home on Healthinfo Island;
Classes and educational displays on breast cancer, health literacy, AIDS/HIV and sexual health, diabetes, and much more.

Q: What happens after the 3-month grant period?

A: Actually, what happens during that period is more important, because from the start we'll need to actively seek other funding to sustain Ability Commons. Annenberg's objective is to help begin new initiatives, which must then be strengthened with funding from other sources. With a solid record demonstrating our abilities and inworld connections, we're a good bet for granting agencies, and believe our objectives constitute a substantial contribution to the common good.

If you agree, please VOTE now for this worthwhile project.

Carolina Keats
Coordinator, Healthinfo Island
Second Life

Final Project Report for HealthInfo Island Project in Second Life Now Available!

2008-05-09T02:45:00.001-07:00

A final project report from the Alliance Library System marks the latest chapter in an exciting experiment funded by the Greater Midwest Region of the National Library of Medicine (GMR/NNLM).

The project, entitled “Providing Consumer Health Outreach and Library Programs to Virtual World Residents in Second Life” provided outreach to virtual medical communities, health training and information for residents of Second Life, links to consumer health resources, one-on-one support to residents, and part-time staffing for HealthInfo Island.

Carol Perryman, a doctoral student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an experienced medical and consumer health librarian, coordinated the project. She stated, ” Participation in such an environment challenges the creative imagination. What is a library collection in a place where proprietary resources are out of the question? We feel collaboration is part of the answer.”

“We are thrilled to have been part of this exciting and ground-breaking new project and providing quality health information to residents of Second Life,” said Kitty Pope, Executive Director of the Alliance Library System. “Virtual worlds hold great promise for people with chronic health conditions and for people seeking information on health.”

Working with Perryman on the project was Guus van den Brekel, Coordinator of Electronic Services, Central Medical Library, University Medical Center, Groningen. Tom Peters, CEO of TAP Information Services, evaluated the project and authored the final report.

On HealthInfo Island, the first version of World AIDS day was observed, along with a class on finding quality AIDS and HIV information, a series of presentations by health educators and support group leaders whose “real life” locations were all over the world. A “Path of Support” created by a member of the disability community called the Heron Sanctuary, displays some of the more than 70 health support groups active in Second Life. Other events included a panel discussion about design for accessibility, a presentation about grassroots activism for disability activitists, and a casual question-and –answer session with a diabetes support group and an internal medicine physician in Greece.

For more information, please contact Carol Perryman at cp1757@gmail.com

The report is available here.

Coming Soon to this location : Virtualability Island

2008-04-12T07:30:00.001-07:00

-new resident orientation -training facilities - and consumer health information for people with disabilities and chronic illness Sponsored by Virtual Ability, Inc. and Alliance Library System Made possible by a grant from teh National Librar y of Medicine
posted by Namro Orman on Virtual Ability using a blogHUD : [permalink]

Search in Second Life Opens Up!

2008-04-11T07:58:00.000-07:00

"Librarians Like to Search, Patrons like to Find"

The new build-in browser in SL opens up massive opportunities to search in web-based resources out there on the Web.

A simple example, but with huge potential, can be seen at the booth of the booth of the Dreams fair (http://slurl.com/secondlife/Dreams/120/26/25) we now have a box that says: "type your search in chat with /5 "

HEALIA ("The high quality and personalized health search engine"

People can start searching right away, no need to click on something first.
Just say: /5 stroke (for instance)
It displays a blue box (load web page) and opens the build-in browser with the results.

But, that is not all! ;-)

The search is pushed via the web-search of the Healthinfo Island browser toolbar with pre-installed quality health search options (http://healthinfoisland.ourtoolbar.com, still in beta, and constantly in a updating stage.

This results in a webpage INCLUDING a topframe displaying all other searchengines installed in the toolbar.
Patrons can repeat the search with the same query without typing again by clicking on the next search engine in that frame above.

The script that send this chat to the web-url was written by MB Chevalier, who also published a post on his blog about this.
I thank him for taking the time to talk with me about this, write the script and adjusting it to my wishes. ;-)
More on this later, little movie in preparation.

Food recalls

2008-04-02T05:35:00.000-07:00

This image is from a terrific website on child nutrition programs.

Living in the US it's hard not to be aware of the whole Hallmark foods fiasco, where abuse was filmed and made public. It is also becoming more difficult to close your eyes and awareness to the reality: this was very likely only the tip of a giant iceberg, merely the most visible element of a serious problem here and elsewhere.
For example, here's a PDF document put out by the California Department of Public Health: Products made with Hallmark/Westland Recalled Beef.

Just how big a problem is this? What is a 'regular' person to do? There's some great information out there right now that can help you make better choices.

One of these is the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) website, FDA Recalls, Market Withdrawals and Safety Alerts. In their own words, the site "includes the most significant product actions of the last 60 days, based on the extent of distribution and the degree of health risk." Here, you'll find how to report problems, the 'straight scoop' on media reporting, and the site provides links to older, archived information. Another link on this page leads to FDA Patient Safety News, where you can search the site for reliable and current information.

A 'gateway' site to federal food safety sites, the News & Food Safety Alerts page contains links to health warnings, regulatory compliance information, and more - including some interesting pages designed specifically for kids.

Finding reliable information on food safety and nutrition is not so difficult when you have access to sites like FirstGov for Consumers - check this out for lots of very accessible links.

Grey literature

2008-03-31T17:34:00.000-07:00

Sounds mysterious, doesn't it, maybe veiled in ghostly whisps of... cobwebs or something, or as if it's a publication done after the ink ran out.

Actually, 'grey lit' is a term used to describe publications that are hard to locate. They are not often available through the 'usual suspects - databases and other searchable sites. Instead, these are the occasional reports, the self-published items. Grey lit covers a lot of ground, when you think about it. Neither fish nor fowl, grey lit is nonetheless worth knowing about, if only because there's a test (ok, no there's not). But I think after you glance through this all too brief list, you'll agree with me that these documents are worth knowing about.

Here's a sampling of resources from the latest Grey Literature Report (itself, a grey lit report! - don't you love it?)

From the AARP: Prescription drugs and Medicare Part D : a report on access, satisfaction, and cost

From Active Living Research, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: Designing for active living among children - a document on childhood obesity

From the AHQR (Agency for Health Quality Research - National healthcare quality report 2007 - one of the United States' most important annual reports, this is one that's quoted pretty much everywhere.

Here's a really hot topic: Individual health insurance 2006-2007 : a comprehensive survey of premiums, availability, and benefits

Reducing poverty : what has worked, and what should come next This Canadian report finds areas for targeted intervention: "Six dossiers that require attention: education among the poor; Aboriginal poverty; the mentally ill and physically handicapped; the ghetto poor; high effective tax rates on the “near poor”; and in-work benefits such as earnings supplements."

Another very hot area: Whose data is it anyway? : expanding consumer control over personal health information

The school foods report card 2007 from the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI)

'Naughty Auties'

2008-03-28T18:55:00.000-07:00

Great CNN interview of David Saville (David Sparrow in SL), who began a support group called the Naughty Auties. I must say, I love that name!

Italian Oncological Department

2008-03-27T12:43:00.001-07:00

Dipartimento interato di Oncologica ed Ematologia Universita degli studi di Modena e Reggop Emilia
posted by Namro Orman on ISN Virtual Worlds using a blogHUD : [permalink]

Aids and HIV Center

2008-03-27T09:22:00.001-07:00

Healthinfo Island, the sim devoted to support of consumer health information and supported by funding from the National Library of Medicine for two consumer-focused projects, is delighted to announce the addition of a new building for AIDS/HIV and Sexual Health information. The building will serve as a center for several AIDS/HIV support groups meeting in Second Life, as well as a display and education site for the general public. Located between the Path of Support and the Karolinska Institutet building, the new Center is a wonderful addition to the island.
posted by Namro Orman on Healthinfo Island using a blogHUD : [permalink]

Share the Health: Training People with Disabilities and Chronic Medical Conditions on how to Locate Quality Health Information

2008-03-20T08:45:00.000-07:00

The Alliance Library System (ALS) is pleased to announce that the Greater Midwest Region/National Library of Medicine has awarded ALS a $35,000 grant to provide consumer health information to people with disabilities and chronic illness, in Second Life.

Partnering with ALS in the project will be Virtual Ability, Inc. (VAI). VAI presence in Second Life has included their ongoing work as The Heron Sanctuary, which provides a community of support for people with disabilities.

The grant, called Share the Health: Training People with Disabilities and Chronic Medical Conditions on how to Locate Quality Health Information, will fund a new island with an orientation and training center for people with disabilities and chronic illness. It is the third grant awarded to ALS for the provision of consumer health information in Second Life, and will also fund a continuation of current efforts.

For more information on this project, please contact Carol Perryman at cp1757@gmail.com, or in Second Life as Carolina Keats.
For more information on the Alliance Library System, please see www.alliancelibrarysystem.com or contact Lori Bell at lbell@alliancelibrarysystem.com

309-694-9200 ext. 2128, or in Second Life as Lorelei Junot.

For more information on the Greater Midwest Region/National Library of Medicine, please see http://nnlm.gov/gmr/.

For more information on Virtual Ability, Inc., please see www.VirtualAbility.org or contact Alice Krueger at akrueger@virtualability.org or in Second Life as Gentle Heron.

CDC Health Information for International Travel 2008

2008-03-19T14:50:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Resource Shelf, a great blog I've got feeding into my Google Reader, I learn about so many weird, wonderful things - this one's filed under part 2, as a useful source of information. The kind of thing that when you need it you really need it, and otherwise, you tend to forget it. The CDC Yellow Book for 2008 is an annually updated resource.

Things you'll find (picking almost at random, this resource is comprehensive:

Find health warnings by country, browse the table of contents, search for specific topics, check out the maps (what regions present the greatest risk of diarrhea? What vaccinations are required?) Find it here, bookmark it, use it when you need it - and bon voyage!

Healthinfo Island visited by members of the Metropolitan Detroit Medical Library Group

2008-03-19T08:01:00.001-07:00

Namro and I will be giving a 'mixed reality' tour to a number of medical librarians today (mixed reality being in this case a combination of Skype and an inworld tour). We welcome such tours and offer them to other groups who might be interested in visiting us to learn about what we've got going on - and even (we hope) joining us in collaboration.

AIDS/HIV Center now on Healthinfo Island!

2008-03-19T07:55:00.000-07:00

Use build-in web browser in Release Candidate Software Second Life

2008-03-14T06:14:00.000-07:00

Here is a movie about how to use the Release Candidate Software Second Life 1.19.1.1.
Be aware, that it is uncompressed, total length over 100MB, but it shows how to install and start this test version seperate to your normal version, and see what the changes are.
The movie shows how weblinks can open in the new build-in web browser, for example the link to some news of one of our rss-reader concering Consumer Health Information.
The movie is un-edited, more will follow about the new feature html on prim soon.
Read more about that

HTML on a Prim : the next step!

2008-03-09T05:23:00.000-07:00

I just copied a Bloghud post from Fleep to share this important news:

posted by Fleep Tuque
on Chilbo 20 hours, 27 minutes, 5 seconds ago
[26 views]

After downloading the latest Release Candidate, I logged in to see how this HTML on a Prim would work. Kind of convoluted to have it as a media type that you have to "play" and there's no live interactivity with links and whatnot, but hey! My webpage directly on a prim! With no snapshots! And from the clock in the upper right corner, it appears to be updating in real time! Omg! Yay!
Chilbo (171, 10, 94)

[permalink]

What's New in Consumer Health?

2008-02-29T06:25:00.000-08:00

Le Lavement, Abraham Bosse. Interior scene in which an apothecary brings a clyster to a bedridden woman while a maid brings a chamber pot-chair. Image courtesy of the National Library of Medicine.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Debut: a casual, occasional summary of new sites, reports, and news pertinent to consumer health information. NOT limited to SL.
Purpose: interest & awareness

I keep seeing these things and wondering if they'd make a good display at Healthinfo Island. However, there's already so much there that another display - not sure it would be the best way to do this. So this is a trial balloon. Maybe I'll put an RSS feed on the Island, - but I'd prefer to have contributions from the community. Ideas?

Meanwhile, today I have 2 new things to mention. First is the Google Health 'teaser' complete with images written up on their blog. Competing with MSN to the starting gate, Google's trying to build a personal health portal that would let consumers upload their own health records, list meds, even request an appointment. Now in beta with the Cleveland Clinic, the concept promises much (debate, revenue potential, linking of personal health info to quality resources, legal and confidential concern). It's going to happen, but the development will be slow and massively publicized. Something to watch. Meanwhile, there are existing if more limited applications currently available (I cannot recommend any but here's a Wikipedia article, if you're interested), with what looks like a fair bibliography (how's that for cautious wording?) if you want to know more.

Second, a new report about 50 US top hospitals has been issued and is available on the web (note that it's PDF). Criteria for grading is provided, including infection rates. From the intro:
"Among the Medicare beneficiaries admitted to U.S. hospitals during 2004 - 2006, 171,424 lives may have been
saved if all hospitals performed at the level of Distinguished Hospitals for Clinical Excellence.
For the same time period, 9,671 patients may have avoided an inhospital major complication if they had
been treated at Distinguished Hospitals for Clinical Excellence.
HealthGrades America’s 50 Best Hospitals are those hospitals that have consistently ranked among the top five
percent in the nation for clinical quality. These elite organizations represent the best of the best and set the
quality standard for American hospitals."

Disclaimer: I have not completely read this report or the white paper on methodology.

Further disclaimer: Rating healthcare institutions based upon such things as infection and mortality rates may be questionable. How are regional and local differences considered? Are the patients treated generally sicker (or less sick) than the patients for other hospitals, and does that affect the ratings? I would take the claims with a judicious grain or two of salt. Turns out that the report does not include military hospitals, and uses data from Medicare patients only. Does this bring up further questions? At any rate, knowing about the criteria doesn't hurt. It's something that might empower you as a US healthcare consumer (and that's what consumer health librarianship is all about).

An even further disclaimer: Rating hospitals overall is sort of like rating a cleaning product intended for all surfaces. Usually you will be concerned with whether it leaves streaks on your windows - and some will be great for floors, but lousy for upholstery. Mortality, infection, and return rates per procedure (for instance) are probably more meaningful to the individual planning for surgery.

Accessing Second Life: Universal Design in a Virtual World

2008-02-28T19:15:00.000-08:00

Panelists: Atsuko Watanabe and Jondan Lundquist

I am posting this cleaned-up transcript on the blog, but will be happy to provide the complete chat transcript. Please contact me, Carol Perryman, at cp1757@gmail.com with your request. There is a lot of wonderful discussion that is not captured in the presentation text here.
Jondan's slides can be seen here.

Carolina Keats: Welcome to Healthinfo Island and to the Accessibility Center! I welcome you, and our speakers today, on the topic of universal design - Atsuko and JonDan.

If you haven't been here before, you're invited to browse the Center and tour the Island – in fact, we are happy to meet with you for a separate chat to talk about the various things going on here. And there's a LOT to say!
Healthinfo Island is a project funded by a grant from the National Library of Medicine, administered through the Alliance Library System (ALS) of Illinois.So is the Accessibility Center – it's also grant funded, also administered by ALS, specifically by Lori Bell, known inworld as Lorelei Junot, the spark behind all of the Info Islands, which now are populated by more than 700 librarians from all over the world, and which have expanded to include educators, researchers, and corporations.

Like the early Web, SL is a grand experiment: what will the future look like?
Can we do what we do now, in RL, in a virtual space? Can we do MORE? How can we harness the potential of this new world to enhance education, awareness, and community building, encouraging collaboration across all kinds of boundaries – geographic, profit-nonprofit, time, language, experience, skill, and other elements of our existence?
Lots of questions.

Here at Healthinfo, and at the Accessibility Center, we focus on health related issues. Healthinfo Island is about consumer health information – it's about empowering the consumer in their health-related decision making. It's also about supporting groups of individuals who come here to play but whose real lives often present very real needs for support…with chronic illness and emergencies, with disabilities, and with the sometimes alienating environment of medical institutions.

I am here as a medical and consumer health librarian to provide one-on-one information support to people, and to help promote awareness of what we call 'health information literacy. That's about critical evaluation of information found online and elsewhere, and also about finding information that is clear and accessible, so that there's no mystery about the side effects of medications, for example.

The Accessibility Center also has an objective of enhancing awareness. We're about helping people to know about assistive technology in RL and in SLl; about different kinds of disabilities, and providing a space for the support of inworld groups of people who are disabled. Working with this Center is my wonderful colleague Gentle Heron, host for today's event, and a number of other people. Her activities at the Heron Sanctuary, providing a community of support and helping people navigate the geography and skills needed in SL, are truly important to us here at Healthinfo Island. Making the Heron community a visible and vital part of the overall SL community IS important – it can help to change perceptions on the part of others about what a disability is, helping all to see how truly interrelated we are as humans in a world - virtual or real – with barriers to access that also bar the way to new ways of being.

I'll turn this over to Gentle now, but add my thanks to you, each, for being here with us.

Gentle Heron: Thank you Carol. Welcome to HealthInfo Island. It is my pleasure today to introduce our panelists. Atsuko, as you can see from both her appearance and her profile, is quite active in the disability community in Second Life. In RL she is an engineer who deals with accessibility issues, both in her profession and in her daily life as a wheelchair user. Jondan volunteers with Virtual Ability, Inc.'s "Heron Sanctuary" project. He does intake assessments for newcomers who are using assistive technology in SL, and helps mentors assist them in learning how to navigate through the ADLs (Activities of Daily Living) of Second Life.

This is a large and active audience. Our presenters will welcome questions and interaction. So let's give them our full attention, and learn from their experiences.
Welcome, Atsuko and Jondan.

Jondan Lundquist: we would like to ask one thing...that if you have a question, please IM one of us and we will call on you at the first opportunity....please don't shout out questions, we might miss them.

Today, we will explore the ways that accessibility and universal design principles can be applied to the Second Life experience. This virtual world has many inhabitants who have disabilities or impairments that challenge their experiences here. By being aware of these challenges and making adjustments in design of buildings, activities, and interface functions, the 'architects and builders' of Second Life can help ensure that as high a quality of experience is enjoyed by the most residents.

The Second Life experience is an exchange between the user, or resident, and the developers, builders, scripters, and others involved in making the 'world' what it is. There are several considerations on both sides of the equations that effect how the world is built and how the users experience the world, especially those users with disabilities.

On the user's side, there is, first and foremost, their perception of their own disability and how they wish it to be represented or not represented in Second Life. There are those who present themselves as they are in their First Life, with their avatars using mobility devices or other representations. There are those that appear 'able-bodied' in Second Life, yet make it known to others that they have a disability and ask for some accommodation, usually in the realm of communication.

There are those that have significant disabilities in First Life who present themselves without disability in Second Life, yet must deal with interface issues as they navigate and communicate. Each of these options is perfectly acceptable. Similarly, the individual may perceive their Second Life experience in different ways. They may reveal their disability to a close friend or two, gaining assistance in certain areas of functioning. They may choose to be an 'activist' in Second Life, making their disability the focus of their experience. They may choose to seek assistance from one or more disability awareness groups within Second Life, but appearing and functioning in the rest of Second Life as not having a disability.

I'll let Atsuko comment now from her experiences in the built environment in Second Life....then we'll talk about some solutions

Atsuko Watanabe: Thanks. Please bear with me a bit, my cut and paste is not functioning so my poor spelling will be apparent. In the rreal world I've heard many excuses for lack of access. The most common is how much it costs. And while it rarely cost much , here in SL it doesn't cost anything at all. Yet SL in many ways is not more accessible - but rather it is much less accessible in the built environment, and worse when it comes to attitudes.

I wonder why this is so. I've often been challenged quite publicly as to why I chose to represent myself as disabled in SL. It is perfectly acceptable to have a flying rabbit, but an avatar in a wheelchair is not acceptable (nothing against flying rabbits). And as much as I have tried to make contact with groups, say, of hearing impaired folks, it is still not possible to get a sign language script. And visually impaired folks, especially those using video to audio adaptive software, are almost totally excluded from SL.

Why is this??? Why is the built world of SL not more accessible, but much less so than the RL? My only interpretation is that SL is more a mirror of the real attitudes of the inhabitants than the real world. Certainly it isn't the cost.

Maybe it is a reflection of the "medical model" – that people with disabilities are broken and that they need to be fixed, and in SL, no one should have a disability because it is "Wrong" somehow. I'm not broken, I am proud of who I am.

Jondan Lundquist: A primary consideration for both users and designers is the interface and how it can be or needs to be adapted for varying impairments. One of the most frustrating issues for a lot of users with fine motor impairments is the management of their inventory. The 'click-and-drag' skill is sometimes difficult, sometimes impossible for these individuals. There are alternate methods possible in the interface, but they are not easily apparent. Changing an entire outfit, piece by piece, can be tedious, but users, through some clever inventory management can switch outfits instantly. There are also many assistive devices available in First Life that can be used to replace the standard keyboard and mouse to do these things. Another key issue that needs to be considered is the visual environment and some sort of override system for those with sight impairments.

By considering the following principles of Universal Design when planning, designing, and building within the Second Life environment, the Second Life experience can be highly enhanced for a significant portion of the population, while not affecting the experience for others in a negative way.

PRINCIPLE ONE: Equitable Use: The design is useful and marketable to people with diverse abilities. Guidelines: 1a. Provide the same means of use for all users: identical whenever possible; equivalent when not. 1b. Avoid segregating or stigmatizing any users. 1c. Provisions for privacy, security, and safety should be equally available to all users. 1d. Make the design appealing to all users.

Atsuko: Notice this stage. It has the bright red edge. That is a form of universal design. It: doesn’t affect usability, but makes it much easier to see. It’s a matter of contrast.

Jondan: PRINCIPLE TWO: Flexibility in Use: The design accommodates a wide range of individual preferences and abilities. Guidelines: 2a. Provide choice in methods of use. 2b. Accommodate right- or left-handed access and use. 2c. Facilitate the user's accuracy and precision. 2d. Provide adaptability to the user's pace.

Accuracy and precision are big items for folks with fine motor impairments in SL.... you click a door to go through and then orient yourself to move....and the door shuts.

PRINCIPLE THREE: Simple and Intuitive Use: Use of the design is easy to understand, regardless of the user's experience, knowledge, language skills, or current concentration level. Guidelines: 3a. Eliminate unnecessary complexity. 3b. Be consistent with user expectations and intuition. 3c. Accommodate a wide range of literacy and language skills. 3d. Arrange information consistent with its importance. 3e. Provide effective prompting and feedback during and after task completion.

Now, putting all this into practice is the hard part.

PRINCIPLE FOUR: Perceptible Information: The design communicates necessary information effectively to the user, regardless of ambient conditions or the user's sensory abilities. Guidelines: 4a. Use different modes (pictorial, verbal, tactile) for redundant presentation of essential information. 4b. Provide adequate contrast between essential information and its surroundings. 4c. Maximize "legibility" of essential information. 4d. Differentiate elements in ways that can be described (i.e., make it easy to give instructions or directions). 4e. Provide compatibility with a variety of techniques or devices used by people with sensory limitations.

PRINCIPLE FIVE: Tolerance for Error: The design minimizes hazards and the adverse consequences of accidental or unintended actions. Guidelines: 5a. Arrange elements to minimize hazards and errors: most used elements, most accessible; hazardous elements eliminated, isolated, or shielded. 5b. Provide warnings of hazards and errors. 5c. Provide fail safe features. 5d. Discourage unconscious action in tasks that require vigilance.

PRINCIPLE SIX: Low Physical Effort: The design can be used efficiently and comfortably and with a minimum of fatigue. Guidelines: 6a. Allow user to maintain a neutral body position. 6b. Use reasonable operating forces. 6c. Minimize repetitive actions. 6d. Minimize sustained physical effort.

PRINCIPLE SEVEN: Size and Space for Approach and Use: Appropriate size and space is provided for approach, reach, manipulation, and use regardless of user's body size, posture, or mobility. Guidelines: 7a. Provide a clear line of sight to important elements for any seated or standing user. 7b. Make reach to all components comfortable for any seated or standing user. 7c. Accommodate variations in hand and grip size. 7d. Provide adequate space for the use of assistive devices or personal assistance.

And that goes back to attitude. It’s really not that difficult to do some of these things.

Accessing Second Life: Universal Design in a Virtual World

2008-02-23T05:36:00.000-08:00

The SL Accessibility Center, Healthinfo Island, and Virtual Ability, Inc. are proud to present a panel discussion on the topic of universal design. Please join us for this event, which will take place on February 28, 2008, at 9:00 a.m. SLT (Pacific time) on Healthinfo Island (http://slurl.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/59/72/26). Contact Gentle Heron or Carolina Keats inworld for more information.

With 35 years in education and rehabilitation services, Jondan Lundquist often found himself devising home made accessibility solutions for his students. Returning to studies in biomechanical engineering and later, a doctorate in education, Lundquist now works as a consultant in assistive technology in the Western United States. Jondan's interest in Second Life is in accessibility solutions for residents who have disabilities or impairments, in order that they may have the best possible in-world experience. Whether in the appearance of a building, an interface adaptation, or addressing any other particular need or desire of a resident, he hopes to use his expertise to apply principles of Universal Design whenever possible.

Atsuko Watanabe spends her Second Life redesigning and rebuilding some of the structures on Simon Walsh's Second Ability sim. Watanabe is a degreed engineer who has worked on accessible transportation engineering projects for many years, including contributing roles for major regulation and design criteria documentation for subway, bus, and light rail systems, recreational, and prison system. Atsuko has been a manual wheelchair user for over 30 years. Watanabe will discuss her experiences with accessibility issues in SL, as well as how access and acceptance of people with disabilities in SL is a reflection of attitudes in RL.

Watch this blog for an event transcript as well as pictures!

Serbian Medical Libratian at Healthnfo Island

2008-02-18T15:13:00.001-08:00

Serbian Medical Libratian at Healthnfo Island. The librarian of the National Cancer Research Center on a visit at HealthInfo Island
posted by Namro Orman on Healthinfo Island using a blogHUD : [permalink]

Grassroots Advocacy in Second Life: Namov Abramovic (Nick Dupree)

2008-02-17T08:44:00.000-08:00

The slideshow is also available (at a far better rate of speed - sorry this is so fast!) here.

Last night, on the roof of the Accessibility Center, on Healthinfo Island, in Second Life, I was privileged to learn about the experiences of Namov Abramovic, a real life from-the-ground-up warrior for the rights of those with disabilities. I could tell you that his words are powerful (enough to fuel revolutions, enough to engender spirited discussion) but my words, describing his, cannot do nearly the job that his own words can do.

For that reason, we have captured his words so that others can read them, and comment. As soon as I figure out how to do it, I'll also post the slides.

Gentle Heron:
Hello everyone and welcome to the Accessibility Center on HealthInfo Island. Thank you all for coming. Tonight we are pleased to introduce Namav Abramovic, in real life Nick Dupree. In Second Life, Namav is a co-founder of the Open Gates Peer Support Network, which provides a 24/7 chat and private support channel to people with disabilities.
He is speaking tonight on "Possibilities in Grassroots Activism, a topic with which you will learn he is intimately involved.

Tonight Namav will talk about questions such as "how can you change Medicaid policy?" "what is grassroots activism?" and "what does it mean to include people with disabilities?" These topics of course are of interest to people with disabilities, which is why Namav's presentation is co-sponsored by Virtual Ability, Inc. But all of us have or will interact with the health care system at some time in our lives. So we all need to be aware of the pitfalls of the system, and of what we as individuals can do about them.

The transcript of Namav's presentation will be available as part of HealthInfo Island's blog at http://healthinfoisland.blogspot.com/ after today. You will be able to post your comments on the HII blog when it goes live. Therefore, we ask that you send your questions and comments this evening by IM to either Carolina Keats or Gentle Heron. We will send them to Namav to address at the end of his presentation. Again, if our latecomers would please type their names into the chat for the transcript. I think we will be ready to begin.

Namav Abramovic:
Welcome! Thank you so much for coming. I'm Nick Dupree, and tonight I'm discussing what is possible in grassroots activism. This presentation is essentially the same presentation I've given in person at disabilities conferences in Boston, Chicago, Minneapolis, DC, and Martin Luther King's church in Montgomery. I've always had muscular dystrophy, and had to be put on a respirator at age 13. I always have a photo of me when I do this presentation in real life. Why leave it in for SL? People need to know that ventilator-dependent people aren't that scary looking.

To keep me going, I need a lot of care. I received nursing care from Alabama Medicaid. But because there is no federal mandate to cover people once they turn 21, states are free to do whatever they want for adults' long-term care. And in the poorer, more conservative states, what they do is pay for as little as the letter of the law allows. So people turn 21, and fall off with nothing. I saw the writing on the wall, saw the suffering and death that results from this situation, and I had to fight so I (and my younger brother) could survive.
So I fought like hell. Fight or flight.

I started when I was 19 years old. How did I win?

I started off simply writing letters to public officials asking them to fix this. I got nowhere at first. I started a small web page to document the responses (and non-responses) of the people in government (while also juggling university classes).
The web page went from being only a few letters, to being a big campaign. I worked on it every day. I sent it all over the web. I raised enough noise in my city to attract the attention of the local media. In August 2001, the local NBC station cornered a local legislator and asked him on camera what he was going to do about it. He introduced legislation in the Alabama State Senate to extend the care past age 21. SB 113: the Nick Dupree Adult Care Act. I went to Montgomery to testify to the Alabama State Senate Health Committee (this made the front page of the Mobile Register, which is pictured here).

Alabama Medicaid testified against it. They said we can't afford it. I argued that human life is invaluable, and we can't afford not to. It passed that committee. And another. Then it was crushed on the Senate floor. Alabama Medicaid has a lobbyist working the halls in Montgomery. I don't.

This was a devastating loss. No other path seemed open to me. But I plugged on. What other choice did I have? The attention faded away awhile, but I kept relentlessly writing and emailing. I never let go. A local activist said "he is like a dog with a bone."

Between university and my campaign, I worked 20 hr days. I got hospitalized once because I got worn down and got pneumonia. But it's relentless tenacity that wins.
Eventually, I got enough media attention that our state Protection and Advocacy agency had to sue our behalf. In February 2003, we filed a lawsuit: Nicholas Dupree and Ruth Belasco (my mom) v. Mike Lewis, Medicaid Commissioner and Bob Riley, Governor.

It is all the pressure points at once that finally felled the beast. Alabama Medicaid caved (before the judge could rule against them) and allowed me and a few others ventilator-dependent people to continue home care after they turned 21.

I won, three days before I was slated to lose everything on my 21st birthday.

If you hammer that tree long enough, it will topple....no matter how deeply rooted the tree is, or how small your axe is (see Bob Marley's song "Small Axe.") This is true of any cause, whether it's peace, regulation, civil rights, anything.

This seminar is about giving you the tools we need to change the world.

"What is grassroots activism?" It is important to note what it IS and what it ISN'T.
It is about influencing public policy. I don't think that just sitting around exchanging ideas is activism---it is a precursor to activism. You have to go out and DO IT.

We also need to define what ARE disability issues. Certain people (like people with disabilities) get excluded offhand, because they are different, or it is hard to include them.
- segregation
- majority excluding the minority

Below are pics of US Supreme Court, and also me in Montgomery. This is a quote from the Brown v. Board ruling. This got a big *gasp* from the audience, always.
Contrast with OLMSTEAD - it shows the same root issue
SEGREGATION
Once we see disability issues as a root segregation issue, we can be much more effective advocates.
INCLUSION
We ALL want to be included. it is an inseparable part of our humanness. To deny inclusion is to deny humanity
What is inclusion---real inclusion? People need real connection
real relationships
not "potemkin village" inclusion---institutions set up to look like fake towns, etc
by saying "real life" I am trying to say that there is no substitute for real relationships and supports
Self-determination means, I CHOOSE.
The basic human right of freedom
A freaking committee doesn’t choose my life, I choose
We can heal the world
Hard advocacy makes it possible

Related Links

Nick Dupree's Wikipedia page
NPR story about Nick
Wikipedia entry on the Disability Rights movement
Aldon Huffhines' excellent reflection on a startling mesh - Finding Obama’s Reality Check at a gathering of disabled people in Second Life http://www.orient-lodge.com/node/2800

Chatlogs of Second Life Events

2008-02-11T14:52:00.000-08:00

MB Chevalier mentioned the existence of a Chatlog facility to enter saved transcripts of Sl conversations.
This is really nice! I just added my chat transcript from my part at the Health Care Event. It took a few minutes to digest it, but this is the result.
http://sleeds.org/chatlog/?c=224
It is an amazing service called Chatlog, http://sleeds.org/chatlog/main.php
Currently there is no search option, but they offer :

recent Chatlogs
a browse option on tags and
on Participants of the chat discussions, which it pretty amazing.

The chats are visualized by colours, and when possible with little pictures. Urls are included.

Please note that you now can search on the tags/keywords I entered, AND you can select the names of people that took part in the discussion to see where they
contributed in other discusions!
Besides a search option I want to suggest:

some navigation improvements, back&forward
or direct links back to the home page from every page
add the rss -link I made ;-)

The site does not offer a RSS-feed right now, so I decides to make one by the use of a tool, a so-called " feedscraper" .Feed43
You can add it to your feedreader (Netvibes is my choice):
http://feeds.feedburner.com/RecentChatlogs
You can see it live at my Netvibes Ginger Universe http://www.netvibes.com/cmb#Second_Life_%26_Health

Overview Health Care Event, Saturday, Feb. 9 Slang Life Library

2008-02-10T02:55:00.000-08:00

Transcripts, Pictures, Music, Links, and more!
Please have a look at this compilation & overview of the great event! It maybe your first encounter with Netvibes, but THIS is what I LOVE. Soon everybody will be abled to make a website, a so-called Universe, for free.

Heron Sanctuary & Virtual Ability

2008-02-09T16:32:00.001-08:00

For many people with disabilities, Second Life is not a game. It provides a whole new world where they can be free of the limitations of their bodies.
posted by Namro Orman on SlangLife using a blogHUD : [permalink]

Pecos Kidd from Virtual Ability, Inc. who will be talking a...

2008-02-09T16:11:00.001-08:00

Pecos Kidd from Virtual Ability, Inc. who will be talking about supporting people with disabilities. "Virtual Ability, Inc.s vision is: To be the leading provider of services for and information about the disabled in electronic virtual worlds. Our mission is to enable people with a wide range of disabilities to enter into electronic virtual worlds, and provide them with a supporting environment once there."
posted by Namro Orman on SlangLife using a blogHUD : [permalink]

Poppy Zabelin and Marissa Goodliffe are both volunteers for...

2008-02-09T16:02:00.001-08:00

about the peer group activities in Second Life for cancer survivors and caregivers. " SL's Cancer Survivors Group was formed originally in 2006 to walk the Survivors Lap at Relay For Life, and has grown and evolved into a global peer support network. We now have around 150 members from all around the world - more than double the number in July last year."
posted by Namro Orman on SlangLife using a blogHUD : [permalink]

SL Healthy by Perplexity Peccable

2008-02-09T15:32:00.001-08:00

Perplexity Peccable: SLHealthy: A Community-Generated Wiki Index to Health in Second Life
posted by Namro Orman on SlangLife using a blogHUD : [permalink]

Yoghas Etchegaray, Internal Medicine specialist at AMMC and...

2008-02-09T15:20:00.001-08:00

Yoghas Etchegaray, Internal Medicine specialist at AMMC and in real.
posted by Namro Orman on SlangLife using a blogHUD : [permalink]

Elspet Glasgow from AMMC

2008-02-09T14:52:00.001-08:00

Elspet Glasgow from AMMC.: " We use various techniques, including animations, observations, lectures and scenarios. Weâ€™re working on equipment to allow the student to come into the center and interact on their own time and without supervision, such as with the Heart and Lung stools in our display."
posted by Namro Orman on SlangLife using a blogHUD : [permalink]

Elspet Glasgow and Vladimir Burdeyna from Ann Myers Medical...

2008-02-09T14:32:00.001-08:00

Elspet Glasgow and Vladimir Burdeyna from Ann Myers Medical Center. AMMC trains RL med students, nursing students and psychology students here in Second Life.
posted by Namro Orman on SlangLife using a blogHUD : [permalink]

SAnityInn Wind concert at Health Care Event

2008-02-09T14:26:00.001-08:00

SanityInn Wind concert at Health Care Event. Great show and audience!
posted by Namro Orman on SlangLife using a blogHUD : [permalink]

Amaya Summers on suicide prevention

2008-02-09T12:32:00.001-08:00

Amaya Summers on suicide prevention at Health Care Event
posted by Namro Orman on SlangLife using a blogHUD : [permalink]

Simon Walsh- Wheelies at the Health Care Event Today

2008-02-09T12:23:00.001-08:00

Simon Walsh- Wheelies. Owner of Second Ability (the disability sim), Wheelies Nightclub and Stevens Centre. I am a disabled people with cerebral palsy and a SL wheelchair user with ambition! See www.simonstevens.com or www.wheeliesclub.com for more information
posted by Namro Orman on SlangLife using a blogHUD : [permalink]

Avalon Birke about the Wellness Island - Mental Health Res...

2008-02-09T11:20:00.001-08:00

At the Health Care Event at the Slang Life: Avalon Birke about the Wellness Island - Mental Health Resources in Second Life.
posted by Namro Orman on SlangLife using a blogHUD : [permalink]

MB Chevalier at Health Care Event at SlangLife Library

2008-02-09T11:11:00.001-08:00

He is the Sexual Health SIM project lead, based at the University of Plymouth in Devon, UK. collaborators and sponsors: Loudli Singh (also from University of Plymouth like me) and Zsuzsa Tomsen from Thomas Jefferson Univ, USA, and our Sponsors, Education UK http://www.sleducationuk.net/
posted by Namro Orman on SlangLife using a blogHUD : [permalink]

SLang Life LIbrary; Health Event

2008-02-09T10:41:00.001-08:00

Ricken Flow at the Health Care Event today at Slang Life Library, an all day event. Come and engage in discussion and interesting presenters about Health subjects
posted by Namro Orman on SlangLife using a blogHUD : [permalink]

Tools & Accessibility for Second Life

2008-02-09T01:49:00.000-08:00

Taken from to Sl website RESIDENTS RESOURCES

I am always looking for tools that can help residents to communicate, navigate or publish.

Accesibility & Interface
Mapping for Voice Buddy
A .zip file with Second Life mappings to Voice Buddy, a voice recognition package that works with Second Life

KitCom - the revolutionary communicator
KitCom is a free World Wide Web to Second life chat application. The first tool enabling realtime text communication between a website and your avatar. Your chat partner needs no registration or login at Second Life. English and German Version available.

zonkster.com
zonkster is a web based service that lets you send IMs to residents in-world from any PC.

Subscribe-O-Matic
Alternative to in-world group notices - it lets you send messages and items to thousands of people that can easily subscribe to your list simply by touching an in-world kiosk - no need to join any groups or put up with group spam and random chatter. Also perfect for mass distributing magazines, etc.

Favourites, tagging & blogging

Bloghud
The 'blogHUD' is a tool to let you blog from Second Life and crosspost your text posts or image postcards to your own blog or photo-sharing account.

Sloog.org
Sloog is a HUD for SL residents. It helps you save and share your favorite places and friends by "tagging" them (attaching keywords that describe them ). You can search for your saved info later on, both in-world using the same HUD or off-world in the website. Sloog is free to use.

sl2go
Description and pictures of interesting places in SecondLife, sorted by cartegories. A moueseclick at the picture will bring you directly to the location selected.

SLEK - SL Easy Keys
Are you bored repeatedly typing out commands or the same chat messages in SL? Getting tired typing AO ON, AO OFF? Want to setup your own hot key to a SL function? Then save time by using SLEK. SLEK is the answer to your typing problems. :-)

Literature Alive!
LA! provides open content tools and free training to residents in SL on creating ethical and immersive educational and training materials. Private sessions are available for education and business.

Free To Use Spaces
Public spaces to use for events free of chrage!
Want to host a class, party or other event in SL, but not ready for the time, expense and hassle of owning land? You can use K-Palace, K-Park and other K-Foundry sponsored spaces for non-commercial events anytime you like! Free of charge, no reservations required.

This is a NOT COMPLETE overview. Have a look at the External Services page of the SL WIKI.
Here is a selection:

Advertising, update groups alternative http://www.subscribeomatic.com/
Private Social Networking http://www.efaiconica.com
Social Bookmarking http://www.gridmarker.com/
Postcards http://www.sluniverse.com/pics/
Blogging from SL http://bloghud.com/
Popular Places http://www.slpopularplaces.com/index.php?rating=pg
Top Sites (traffic) http://www.sltopsites.com/
Profiles http://www.slprofiles.com/
Moodle mashup for education in SL http://www.sloodle.com/
Second Life Twitter client http://ordinalmalaprop.com/twitter/

Health Care Event, Saturday, Feb. 9 Slang Life Library

2008-02-08T17:11:00.001-08:00

A variety of interesting presentations and a concert by Sanity Inn are offered this Saturday by SL'ang Life magazine.
Learn more about the extensive health care offerings in SL.
The event runs from 9 am - 5:30 pm SLT.

Presenters include: * Kat Klata- Multiple Sclerosis Help and Support
* Simon Walsh- Wheelies
* ChaCha Biedermann- AIDS and HIV Support
*MB Chevalier- Sexual Health sim
* Avalon Birke- Wellness Island
*Amaya Summer- suicide prevention
* Elspet Glasgow and Vladimir Burdeyna- Ann Myers Medical Center
* Namro Orman- health blogging in SL
*Perplexity Peccable and Skaidrite Norse- SLHealthy website
*Pecos Kidd and Gentle Heron- Virtual Ability, Inc.
* Carolina Keats- Consumer Health
posted by Namro Orman on SlangLife using a blogHUD : [permalink]

Health Care Event, Saturday, Feb. 9

2008-02-08T15:50:00.000-08:00

Health Care Event
Saturday, Feb. 9
Slang Life Library􀀁

A variety of interesting presentations and a concert by Sanity Inn are offered this Saturday by SL'ang Life magazine. Learn more about the extensive health care offerings in SL. The event runs from 9 am - 5:30 pm SLT.

Presenters include:
* Kat Klata- Multiple Sclerosis Help and Support
* Simon Walsh- Wheelies
* ChaCha Biedermann- AIDS and HIV Support
*MB Chevalier- Sexual Health sim
* Avalon Birke- Wellness Island
*Amaya Summer- suicide prevention
* Elspet Glasgow and Vladimir Burdeyna- Ann Myers Medical Center
* Namro Orman- health blogging in SL
*Perplexity Peccable and Skaidrite Norse- SLHealthy website
*Pecos Kidd and Gentle Heron- Virtual Ability, Inc.
* Carolina Keats- Consumer Health Library
* Gentle Heron and Carolina Keats- HealthInfo Island
* Namav Abramovic- health care activism

Sanity Inn will be in concert from 1-2 pm SLT

Posters explaining the work of various health and disability support groups will be on display throughout the day.

Please join us for an event that showcases only a small portion of the activities and groups which are active in Second Life.

IM Uzi Boa for more details.􀀀
Saturday, Feb. 9, 9 am - 5:30 pm SLT

© All rights reserved.

-----------------------------------------------
SL'ang Life magazine is a real life periodical delivered to your home monthly. It contains the latest news, information about the most important events in Second Life, interviews with personalities of the month, articles on fashion and travel. You will read opinions on Second Life expressed by people who are not involved with the Platform, as well as interactive stories, whose plot will be modified by the readers.

HealthInfo Island locations

2007-12-16T03:17:00.000-08:00

Healthinfo Island Locations

Carolina Keats or Namro Orman are delighted to meet with individuals or groups for tours. We don’t have a ‘regularly scheduled tour’ time so we are happy to book a time at everyone’s convenience.

1) Center pavilion
2) Path of Support
3) Accessibility Center
4) Alzheimer’s Disease Display
5) Consumer Health Library
6) Mountain gardens
7) Classroom
Medical Library
9) National Library of Medicine, Special Information Services
10) Karolinska Institute, Stockholm
11) HIV/AIDS Information
12) Nursing Instructional Videos, Ivy Tech

Multi RSS readers from QA Computing

2007-12-15T15:30:00.001-08:00

The reader has a capacity for 5 feeds Select the feed by clicking on the feed arrows to the left. Next and prev buttons scroll through news items, click on View for a URL to the full news story on the web. Why not drop by and have a look!
posted by Namro Orman on QA Business Park using a blogHUD : [permalink]

ALl About: WORLD AIDS DAY 207 AT HEALTHINFO ISLAND

2007-12-03T03:42:00.000-08:00

We will gather all information about this event the best we can.
Please expect a load of links to:

pictures (See the slideshow of Rosefirerising/Perplexity Peccable) more to come..
video's (DJ-set Impression+sound this time)
transcripts
music (DJ Set by Elfay Pinkdot. One hour of beautiful Brazilian Jazz fo highest quality)

2007-11-30T05:13:00.000-08:00

Preview: Music and Dance at HealthInfo Island

November 30th, 2007 · No Comments · Edit

On healthInfo Island in Second Life an event is taking place on December 1st, WORLD AIDS DAY 2007 in SL.
This is a short movie of the SIS/NLM site on HealthInfo Island with a nice combination of healthinformation and Dance. You see Namro Orman in sync with his colleague Alida

There is also serious stuff.

Workshop 09.00 AM SL
“Looking for Health: Finding Quality HIV/AIDS Information” by Carolina Keats

Presentations & Discussion 12.00 NOON SL
- ChaCha Biedermann, will talk about Support group for the AIDS&HIV HELP group and the Psychosis and Depression Group
- Ricken Flow, originator of the Nyumba Rafiki Community Center (NRCC), meaning house of friends, will talk about his Community Center
- MB Chevalier will talk about his work, the Sexual Health Sim of the University of Plymouth, UK, and the HealthCyberMap.

HIV/AIDS rss feeds on HealthInfo Island

2007-11-29T15:53:00.001-08:00

World AIDS Day 2007 in Second Life at HealthInfo Island : RSs feeds on HIV/AIDS news from Google Health and Pubmed
posted by Namro Orman on Healthinfo Island using a blogHUD : [permalink]

WORLD AIDS DAY 207 AT HEALTHINFO ISLAND

2007-11-29T14:31:00.001-08:00

Please join us at HealthInfo Island for World AIDS Day 2007 on December 1st! Workshop 09.00 AM SL "Looking for Health: Finding Quality HIV/AIDS Information" by Carolina Keats Tours starting at 10.00 AM SL- and throughout the day.. Please contact us if you want a tourwith a special group. Music by DJ 11.00 AM SL Presentations
posted by Namro Orman on Healthinfo Island using a blogHUD : [permalink]

Rik Riel on healthInfo Island

2007-11-27T07:54:00.001-08:00

http://www.rikomatic.com
posted by Namro Orman on Healthinfo Island using a blogHUD : [permalink]

Danish Aids foundation also busy on

2007-11-26T13:41:00.001-08:00

December 1st, is the international AIDS day. A day to remember and honour those we have lost to this terrible decise. But also a day to to fight back, and try to stop HIV/AIDS in the world. In Denmark Copenhagen we will mark this day with lost of events, sales and partying. All in support for the AIDS foundation. The goal is to collect 50.000 L$ in one day, everything L$ will go to the AIDS foundation Come and help us stop aids ô€€…
posted by Namro Orman on Healthinfo Island using a blogHUD : [permalink]

Floods hit HealthInfo Island or just an SL glitch?

2007-11-26T11:32:00.001-08:00

Floods hit HealthInfo Island or just an SL glitch?
posted by Namro Orman on Healthinfo Island using a blogHUD : [permalink]

Workshop "Finding Quality Health HIV/AIDS Information

2007-11-25T03:41:00.001-08:00

Workshop on searching for quality resources. December 1st on WORLD AIDS DAY, Starting 09.00 AM SL time at HEALTHINFO Island. Contact Carolina Keats or Namro Orman to know more!
posted by Namro Orman on Healthinfo Island using a blogHUD : [permalink]

WORLD AIDS DAY in SL on December 1st

2007-11-24T14:41:00.001-08:00

Please join us at HealthInfo Island for World AIDS Day 2007 on December 1st! Be sure to drop by HealthInfo Island: *Special displays and newsfeeds on HIV/AIDS * AIDS Walk with information about HIV/AIDS Support Groups in SL *Podcasts on AIDS by the CDC in our Podcast Globe *Quality information resources, including search tools *Workshop on â€œLooking for Health: Finding Quality HIV/AIDS Informationâ€? by Carolina Keats *See what others are doing in SL on HIV/AIDS and Sexual Health *Guided tour around the Island http://infoisland.org/2007/11/23/world-aids-day-2007-at-healthinfo-island- december-1st/
posted by Namro Orman on Healthinfo Island using a blogHUD : [permalink]

POdcast AIDS CDC on healthInfo Island

2007-11-22T16:45:00.001-08:00

For WORLD AIDS DAY 2007 HealthInfo Island is having an event with podcasts from CDC
posted by Namro Orman on Healthinfo Island using a blogHUD : [permalink]

WORLD AIDS DAY 2007 : Germany

2007-11-22T02:33:00.001-08:00

AIDS Hilfe Bremen will have events on December 1st as well
posted by Namro Orman on Sebastian using a blogHUD : [permalink]

AIDES launched on December 1st

2007-11-22T01:51:00.001-08:00

The French connection to World AIDS DAy 2007 is established
by a brand new AIDES center, opening on December 1st
posted by Namro Orman on area 51 using a blogHUD : [permalink]

NHS , the Next Stage, clinical Summit TODAY

2007-11-21T03:30:00.001-08:00

The NHS Next Stage Review in Second Life The NHS Next Stage Review International Clinical Summit takes place today in real life in London. But remember, you can follow the meeting in Second Life or via the webcast.
posted by Namro Orman on National Health Service using a blogHUD : [permalink]

International Worlds AIDS DAy

2007-11-21T02:00:00.001-08:00

1. december 2007 also on Denmark Copenhagen World AIDS Day, MEmorial PArk
posted by Namro Orman on DenmarkCopenhagen using a blogHUD : [permalink]

The Path Of Support

2007-09-27T15:23:00.001-07:00

Over 60 Support Groups have been found in Second Life. here you can walk along them
posted by Namro Orman on Healthinfo Island using a blogHUD : [permalink]

Gentle Heron on Tour!

2007-09-02T11:22:00.001-07:00

From the Heron Sanctuary I took Gentle to a tour today on HealthINfo Island
posted by Namro Orman on Healthinfo Island using a blogHUD : [permalink]