U.S. Department of State and USC Center on Public Diplomacy Second Life Event

Click here to view photos from this event.

The U.S. Department of State Bureau of International Information Programs (IIP),
in cooperation with the USC Center on Public Diplomacy at the Annenberg School
invited members of Second Life Educators (SLED)
to the second IIP-USC Speaker Program:

"Accessibility in the 3-D Environment: Virtual Worlds and People with Disabilities"

Tuesday, June 12, 2007
11:00 SLT (PDT)
USC Public Diplomacy Island
Teleport: 203, 64, 29

Click here to teleport to the venue:

Our guest speakers for the event were:

Judy Brewer, Director, Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI), World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)
Bruce Bailey, Accessibility IT Specialist, United States Access Board

IIP is exploring the possibilities present in 3-D virtual world platforms, such as Second Life, for showcasing and hosting Public Diplomacy events, products and services. This session will focus on potential accessibility issues for virtual environments for people with disabilities, and resources and approaches for ensuring a barrier-free virtual experience.

The State Department Bureau of International Information Programs engages international audiences on issues of foreign policy, society and values to create an environment that can be receptive to U.S. national interests. IIP communicates with foreign opinion makers and other publics through a wide range of print and electronic outreach materials published in seven world languages. IIP also provides information outreach support to U.S. embassies and consulates in more than 140 countries worldwide.

The Public Diplomacy and Virtual Worlds Project analyzes how virtual worlds provide a new and natural platform for public diplomacy through the global communication and cross-cultural interaction that occurs in these worlds. For more information, Click here.