New Version of Radegast Viewer Available

 

It was announced in the Blind Users Support Group (and Virtual Ability) yesterday that there was a new version of the Radegast Viewer, version 2.40, available for download and use.

I am proud to release Radegast 2.40 the first major update in quite some time. Containing up-to-date LibreMetaverse, the HTTP client has been fundamentally rewritten for speed and better resource management. You may notice things like Inventory and Map Tiles downloading much faster than they have in the past. Radgast now is built against .NET Framework 4.8, the final version of .NET Framework which is the best I can do for now to keep Linux and Mac support, such as it is, until a complete UI rewrite.

 It was also announced that the website had been down for a while, partially due to the datacenter being in the Ukraine and not having power for months. But they were back.

 Radegast is a text-base viewer that has gotten a following among blind and visually-impared users of Second Life. One can read Mermaid Celine Highwater's article from 2014 about it (here). 

Bixyl Shuftan

The Blind Users Support Group

When it comes to using computers, it's pretty difficult for most of us to imagine using one's computer without their eyes. But that's what some residents do, either being legally blind or having total blindness. The Newser recently interviewed the head of the Blind Users Support Group, Mermaid Celene (CeleneHighwater Resident). So how would a blind person get about Second Life and how has the group been doing?

Read the interview in People.

Mermaid Celene About The Radegast Viewer

Second Life can allow the disabled to do things they couldn't normally do in real life. But what if the disability is visual impairment to the point of legal blindness or full blindness? Deaflegacy recently interviewed Mermaid Celene (celenehighwater), the head of the Blind Users Viewer Support group, and a member of the Radegast group. Mermaid talked about what the Radegast viewer is, and how it allows the blind to use Second Life.

Read Deaflegacy's story in People.

Interview with DJ Keao, Creations Park's "Blind DJ"

Second Life Newser recently heard about the debut of a new DJ at Creations Park, the home of the Creations for Parkinsons group, Keao Resident. While this might not seem like news outside the group, Keao was advertised as a "Blind DJ."  Bixyl Shuftan recently had an interview with Keao, and she had a few things to say about how she came to Second Life, and eventually to Creations Park.

Read the interview in People.

(Some corrections and an addition at the end after she contacted us later)

Blind DJ Performs at Creations Park

Last Friday from 4 to 5PM at Creations Park was the premiere performance of DJ Kaeo. Although she was DJing both in real life and Second Life, what makes the story interesting is that she was blind.

I am a Real Life DJ at  internet radio station www.theglobalvoice.info , which gives blind DJs, like me, an opportunity to perform. Please join me as I simultaneously DJ in Real Life over the radio, while my avatar is in the DJ booth at Radiance Dance Club on Creations Park!

Creations Park is the home of the Creations for Parkinsons group, run by Barbie Alchemi, which raises funds to research treatments for Parkinsons Disease.

Virginia Alone

This summer, Bryn Oh has a special exhibit on her Immersiva sim: "Virginia Alone." The exhibit tells the story of an elderly lady whom lived alone in her house for twenty years, nearly blind and suffering from mental illness. She knew something was wrong with her, and over the years made numerous tape recordings in an attempt to understand what was wrong with herself. Bryn interviewed her, and made the exhibit.

Read more in Design.