Virtual worlds help people overcome disabilities

Susan Brown, who used a wheelchair after a stroke four years ago, says the virtual world of Second Life has helped her recovery.

John Dawley III, who has autism, is one of an increasingly large population of people with disabilities who are using online environments to overcome their disabilities or gain confidence. "We're at a major technical and social transition with this technology. It has very recently started to become a very big deal, and we haven't by any means digested what the implications are," said William Sims Bainbridge, a National Science Foundation social scientist. The Seattle Times/The Washington Post