Dave Sparrow has a project, which involves people in real life getting help from Second Life. Strange way round? Well, its not once you know how much Second Life has helped Dave who suffers from Aspergers Syndrome, which is a form of Autism. Just recently Dave had the inspiration to build a place in Second Life where sufferers of Autism, and their relatives, could come to relax and have fun.
He explained to me that one of the main problems for people who have the condition is the day to day communication skills to interact with other people. People with Autism cannot read other people's facial expressions and body language with the same ability as a non-sufferer. Dave has a job in the real world, but he tells me that the majority of people who suffer with this condition are unable to work. Dave said that his life changed when his family decided to get the Internet. He was able to use chat rooms and soon realised that people used symbols to express themselves, the smiley signs, the angry sings, hug signs etc, to enhance the text. He went on to say that subconsciously his brain was learning about communication from these sessions of chat.
So what has all this to do with Second Life? Well Dave thought to himself that if he had had Second Life then, instead of the simple chat rooms, the possibilities would have been incredible for picking up communication skills. That is why he wants to bring people who suffer from Autism into Second Life so that they too, can at last, feel relaxed and comfortable interacting with other people. He has recently approached the real life Autism Groups who are really interested in his suggestions.
He plans to give newcomers some basic training in getting around in Second Life and tell them what to expect before they even arrive, making their transition in becoming an avatar even simpler. Once in Second Life they will find all the information they need regarding help groups about Autism in Dave's main office on the island. Dave tells me that usually, any media cover regarding Autism, has been quite depressing, painting a picture of kids in black and white, looking all sad. Then to contradict this image they expect people to understand it when they show Autistic people are so colourful and amazing and talented. That's why his island is about fun, to bring a brighter side of Autism to the fore. He told me that the majority of sufferers get fixations on things, such as art, acting, maths, literature and many, many other things, and that is why they are so talented in whatever subject they are fixated with.
The Island can be a meeting place as well for people from all over the world, who either suffer from Autism, or have a child or a relative who suffers from the condition. At the moment there are two mothers, one from the UK and one from Canada who meet there to discuss any problems they have and generally have a chat. Dave says that this is a great help as most people feel they are alone with their problems, so at least they can share their experiences and tips with each other.
Dave went on to say that his aim for the future, when there are enough members, will be to have conferences there, inviting real life psychologists into Second Life to give speeches. This is a great idea, as people would not have to physically travel for this expertise, they would only have to log in to Dave's Island. He has already set up a stage and seating for such an event.
Dave has a wide circle of friends in Second Life and he says, without them, he would not have managed to set all this up. As he is financing the whole thing himself and does sell a few items on the Island, donations would be a big help to him to carry on. In actual fact he collected a hundred signatures from friends in order to petition the Linden Labs into helping him, either by finding a sim or part of a sim that they would be willing to let him use for this good cause. He sent the letter off, but after two weeks of waiting for a reply, got a stock letter back, that did not even answer his points. He wrote a reply and they did not even have the grace to reply to that one. Dave said that most of all he needs publicity so that people with Autism will see it and come into Second Life. He wrote again to each and every Linden to ask if it were possible to get a mention on their main Second Life web page. To this day he has not had a reply from any of them.
Whilst I can see the enormous problems that the Linden Labs would have in assisting some groups and not others regarding these type of requests, I think they should weigh up how much good they could do, even if it is a public relations exercise, by making sure they answer any queries they receive from their clients and offering some sort of advice. Surely, with all the negative publicity that is heard about Second Life, they would be happy to keep in step with the good things that people have used it for.
Dave, however will continue with his plans and he was most surprised to find out that a lot of people in second life that he spoke to have someone in the family, or have friends, who also suffer from Autism. Dave may actually have found a breakthrough with the communication problems associated with Autism by using Second Life as a tool, we shall wait and see. What a fantastic person, if you want to drop by his island and take a look, as well as leave a donation, you can find it at 'Naughty Auties Haven, Crystal Isles (165, 225, 21).