Difference between revisions of "Accessibility"
| Line 6: | Line 6: | ||
Over time, Linden Lab has added accessibility features to Second Life. Allowing menus to be keyboard-driven, adding keyboard shortcuts, and various UI tweaks have been small changes on their own, but combined, have made substantial improvements to the inworld experience. There's still a lot that needs to be done. | Over time, Linden Lab has added accessibility features to Second Life. Allowing menus to be keyboard-driven, adding keyboard shortcuts, and various UI tweaks have been small changes on their own, but combined, have made substantial improvements to the inworld experience. There's still a lot that needs to be done. | ||
As of 2008-06-25, Linden Lab doesn't have a point person dedicated to accessibility & disability (who would likely work with our Resident Experience Team on usability matters), but as we've continued to hire key personnel for needed | As of 2008-06-25, Linden Lab doesn't have a point person dedicated to accessibility & disability (who would likely work with our Resident Experience Team on usability matters), but as we've continued to hire key personnel for needed specialties and should this change, you'll find the role listed on the [http://lindenlab.com/employment/positions Employment Position Listings] page. | ||
=== Text size too small? === | === Text size too small? === | ||
Revision as of 07:08, 25 June 2008
This page was started to collect and share accessibility resources which make Second Life easier to use. If you spot something missing, please do add your knowledge so we can all benefit from connecting the pieces together.
General
Over time, Linden Lab has added accessibility features to Second Life. Allowing menus to be keyboard-driven, adding keyboard shortcuts, and various UI tweaks have been small changes on their own, but combined, have made substantial improvements to the inworld experience. There's still a lot that needs to be done.
As of 2008-06-25, Linden Lab doesn't have a point person dedicated to accessibility & disability (who would likely work with our Resident Experience Team on usability matters), but as we've continued to hire key personnel for needed specialties and should this change, you'll find the role listed on the Employment Position Listings page.
Text size too small?
You can enlarge this in a few ways:
- Edit menu > Preferences > General tab and increase UI Size.
- Also in the General tab, uncheck "Small Avatar Names" (to the right of "Show Names").
- In Preferences > Text Chat tab, set Chat Font Size to Large.
Open source
Second Life's viewer is open source, which means Residents are able to improve upon it and add user interface functionality, such as different input devices which make it easier to get around. An actual example of this was the patch for the SpaceNavigator 3D mouse, which was actually integrated into Linden Lab's main viewer.
Are there any open source viewers focused on accessibility? Put them here.
Alternative input options
Depending on your specific needs, a standard keyboard + mouse may not be the best. If possible, try before you buy, or acquire it from a place with a hassle-free return policy. In addition to the numerous ergonomic keyboards out there, You may consider:
- 3Dconnexion alternative mice - Including the SpaceNavigator which has become popular with Second Life. By using a limited range of motion, you can use the 6 axes to move your avatar, camera, and more.
- Frogpad - A unique form of ergonomic keyboard useful for those who've lost mobility in one hand.
- Wacom tablet - Uses a stylus as a mouse alternative and can be helpful for relieving wrist cramps/carpal tunnel problems. Wacom is among the more expensive graphics tablets, but also durable in quality.
Related resources
- Second Life open source accessible client - Blog post from 2007-01-11 which has ideas for open source devs to make SL more accessible.