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Escaping your disability virtually

May 11 03:26

Second Life. IM. Video games. The virtual world lets anyone be anyone, and for people with disabilities, it provides us with an opportunity that people with disabilities 50 years ago could have only dreamed of. We can be supermodels. We can carry a 250 lb. packs and gun down enemies with precision like G.I. Joe. And we can be treated as a “person” first before our disability. But is playing an able-bodied person in a virtual world a good thing or does it let us hide from our real problems?

When the internet first came into my life, I was newly paralyzed and 16. Adjusting to my new identity was hard. I did not like being seen as a person with a disability. After firing up my ancient Packard Bell and logging onto the AOL network, I was quick to discover the many bonuses of having an online identity, and how no one (online) would never know I was disabled, unless I told them. This was a complete 360 from the life I was currently enduring; a life where people saw my wheelchair before anything, a life where I had zero control over the image I projected.

I think the virtual world above anything, and why people with disabilities love it so much (other than the obvious bonus of not being treated in a special way because of our disability), is that it gives us control. We may not being able to control the way of bodies work, or even cure ourselves, but we can have complete control over every aspect of our virtual physical self, and that, my friends, is worth it’s weight in gold. It can be unbelievably freeing, especially for people with disabilities.

While playing an able-bodied person in a virtual world like Second Life or in games like World of Warcraft doesn’t hurt anyone, it can be a completely unethical thing to do if you’re talking to someone one-on-one, forging an online relationship with them, say from meeting someone in a gardening forum or a dating site, and you neglect to tell them you’re disabled. Its ALWAYS better to tell people in this situation right away. I learned the hard way.

The recently cancelled SyFy show Caprica actually touched on the subject of virtual worlds, showing these worlds as highly addictive, as well as a “safe place” to do all the crazy twisted things you’ve always wanted to do, but could never get away with in real-life. People ended up being so addicted to this world that they’d never leave their homes. It became a crutch. Should we with disabilities be wary of such a scenario? Can virtual worlds inhibit us from learning how to cope in a healthy way with our disabilities?

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1. lyndor | Jul 10 05:34

I have quadriplegia and cannot use my hands or fingers. I absolutely love role-playing games on the Internet but find that they require usage of a mouse or toggling keyboard keys. How in the world do you play these games when you aren't able to use your hands or fingers? Thanks, Lynne

2. ladybug2535 | Aug 06 08:01

Can VR be a crutch? An addiction? A way to hide from one's problems or pain? Sure. All of the above. And it can be a way to explore new personas or try out new ideas, AND a way to be "you" without being "defined" by your disability. I agree that it is important to "come clean" if an online relationship becomes more than casual, but I think the need for disclosure is more about being true to yourself, and--especially in VR, realizing that disability DOESN'T define who you are. In fact, having the opportunity to create relationships in VR may open the minds of the able-bodied to developing real relationships with the disabled once THEY realize we are more than the sum of our bodies. The fact is, disability SHAPES us, our personalities in subtle and not-so-subtle ways, and ignoring that is doing our selves a disservice, but disclosure is freeing--if you don't, you are holding part of yourself back to everyone's detriment.

3. ladybug2535 | Aug 06 08:01

4. ladybug2535 | Aug 07 01:56

Spin 2.0

By Tiffiny Carlson

Tiffiny Carlson Disability buzz, travel, fashion and dating — fun things to amp up everyday wheeling life.

Tiffiny Carlson is freelance writer and writes the “SCI Life” column for New Mobility. She's also a C6 quad from a diving accident that occurred when she was 14 years old. A lifelong resident of Minneapolis, Tiffiny has been a writer in the disability community for over 10 years and writes for several publications and blogs, as well as her personal blog BeautyAbility. Her work has also appeared in mainstream publications such as Nerve.com and Playgirl.