Grants:IdeaLab/Invisible Recourses: Harnessing the knowledge and expertise of women with disabilities
Project idea
editWhat is the problem you're trying to solve?
editWomen are underrepresented on wikipedia. There is no one kind of woman and no one approach can meet the needs of all women. Focusing on specific groups allows us to tailor solutions to the needs and circumstances of those groups.
What is your solution?
editDevelop outreach programs that targets women with disabilities and chronic illnesses in second life. Women with disabilities may not be able to participate in household tasks. They may also be un-employed or under-employed due to an inability to work or to ableism. There are online established communities of women with disabilities in second life and we could reach out to them, by hosting an edit-a-thon in second life or by partnering with other online communities for women with disabilities.
Established Online Communities
editDisabilities
editThere are established online communities of women with disabilities that we could partner with, including Gimpgirl, which hosts regular events in second life.
According to the Linden Lab, which created second life "The option to customize an avatar’s body is particularly attractive to women with physical disabilities, because it is a unique opportunity to choose how or whether to represent disability.8 There are several virtual spaces or “islands” within Second Life that cater specifically to women living with disability. These islands serve as meeting places for disabled users to connect with other users that have similar real world disabilities, as well as participate in virtual activities that might be challenging in real life. 9,10"
Second life mentor led edit-a-thons would be an easy, inexpensive, and easily implemented way to reach women in these existing online communities.
Goals
editDisabilities and Chronic Illness
edit- Recruit women with disabilities to advise project development.
- Recruit online disability communities and partner with them to raise awareness about our project.
- Communities:
- Contact Linden Lab and ask them about getting in touch with communities of women with disabilities in second life.
- Host mentor led edit-a-thons in second life, with a focus on communities of women with disabilities in second life. Some of these might focus on topics in the wikipedia disability project, which is need of expert attention. However, it is important not to make limiting assumptions about the types of expertise people can offer.
Needs
edit- An experienced wikipedia editor who is familiar with and regularly uses second life, who is willing to go through disability ally training.
Notes
editOriginally this project focused on both women with disabilities and retired women.
Get Involved
editParticipants
edit- Community organizer I contacted the gimp girl project and told them about this idea. They have regular meetings in Second Life. That could be a great and easy place to organize an edit-a-thon or a training session.
- I am also contacting other women I know in the disability justice community to see if they have suggestions. Xttina.Garnet (talk) 21:57, 25 March 2015 (UTC)
Endorsements
edit- This sounds like a great idea. Tharthan (talk) 21:59, 7 March 2015 (UTC)
- Related to Grants:Learning patterns/Training senior citizens, this can be a successful project — NickK (talk) 18:22, 9 March 2015 (UTC)
- Great idea! Disability studies is another area of wikipedia that could use more development. So this could address multiple issues. Xttina.Garnet (talk) 20:43, 25 March 2015 (UTC)
- If you focus on anyone of these ideas, you'll have a smaller scope that could be very successful. Lindybeat (talk) 00:19, 31 March 2015 (UTC)
Expand your idea
editDo you want to submit your idea for funding from the Wikimedia Foundation?