Saturday, July 26, 2008

SL Club for the Disabled Honored - Wheelies Picks up Prestigious Award

CLUB FOR DISABLED HONOURED
Wheelies picks up prestigious award
By: Jaager Himmel The Avastar 25. Jul. 2008, 16:49
A UNIQUE disability-themed nightclub in Second Life has been awarded a prestigious award.

Wheelies was founded by Simon Stevens, an independent disability consultant who has cerebral palsy.

Like most clubs, it holds events with live DJs and artists every day of the week. But unlike elsewhere, the venue offers disabled people a place to hang out and have fun as well as providing informal peer support. The club is encircled with a boardwalk, perfect for wheelchair races, in the middle of the water. At Wheelies you won't find any stairs, but there are lots of ramps and a few elevators.

Wonderful recognition

Since it opened, Wheelies has helped more than 5,000 people from over 30 countries, both disabled and able-bodied. Stevens said: “I started Wheelies as a bit of fun but it developed into a support group which is very important to people across the world.”

The club picked up the ‘Revolutionary Award’ at the first UK Catalyst Awards for social technology and action, which was held yesterday. Stevens added: “This award is a wonderful recognition of how new virtually-based social technology can make a real change to real people.”

The Wheelies nightclub is on the Second Ability sim, which also includes the Steven's centre for disability training.

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