ALTC–funded research wins prestigious new award

 The University of South Australia’s Dr Denise Wood has won the inaugural Telstra-TJA Christopher Newell Prize for Telecommunications and Disability for a paper reporting on the outcomes of a project funded by the ALTC.

 Her paper, Communicating in virtual worlds through an accessible Web 2.0 solution, is based on ALTC-funded research to improve access to 3D virtual learning and has won Dr Wood the award for the best original paper demonstrating tangible benefits for individuals with disabilities through innovative use of telecommunications technology.

 “Our objective was to provide greater accessibility for 3D learning environments for as many people as possible,” said Dr Wood. “The internet can improve communication and increase the independence of people who have disabilities and those who are geographically or socially isolated but despite this potential, Web 2.0 and 3D virtual worlds remain largely inaccessible to many people with disabilities,” she said.

 Focusing their attention on 3D virtual worlds, Dr Wood and programmers Charles Morris (Virtual Helping Hands) and Darren Candler (MetaDas Media), with colleagues from the University of South Australia and partner institutions, developed Access Globe, an accessible open source viewer and a Web 2.0 enabled interface to virtual worlds.

 Access Globe provides an alternative way to access Second Life and includes specific features that make it more accessible to people with disabilities, such as enhanced accessibility menus, alternatives to a mouse-driven interface and an audio notification system to assist those with visual impairment to login and follow online conversations.

 Innovations like Access Globe mean people with disabilities will be better placed to benefit from the collaborative and experiential learning potentials of virtual worlds.

 The $20,000 prize, sponsored by Telstra, was presented by the Hon Bill Shorten MP, Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Children’s Services.

 Dr Wood intends to put the prize money back into the project to extend it in collaboration with colleagues from universities and community groups across Australia, the US and the UK.

 More information on the project is available on the ‘Facilitating flexible, enquiry-based experiential learning through an accessible, three-dimensional virtual learning environment (3DVLE)’   project page and the group for the Accessible Open Source 3D Virtual Learning Environment Project on the ALTC Exchange.