Uses Virtual World to Help Autism Spectrum Individuals, Families and Institutions
(Lakewood, CA – September 13, 2011) – ASTRALCOM, LLC today announced that they had recently launched a Second Life presence for What’s in Your Lunch Box?, Inc.
What’s In Your Lunch Box?, Inc. (WIYLBOX) was founded in 2006 and is a non-profit 501(c)(3) public charity, based in Los Angeles, California. Their mission is to affect positive changes in the futures of children and their wellness; including those children impacted by the autism epidemic.
“WIYLBOX’s mission in Second Life is to improve health and wellness of all children, particularly those children and their families impacted by Autism Spectrum Disorders,” explained Ms. Deborah Tucker, Founder & CEO of What’s In Your Lunch Box?, Inc.“We accomplish our mission through worldwide outreach via our new web-based ‘virtual community’, and through presentation of our ‘live’ educational programs,” Ms. Tucker added. “Second Life enables WIYLBOX to achieve sustained education and comprehensive support services for people of the Autism community; all family members and stakeholders are served, she said.
In an economic environment where so many families are un- or underinsured, WIYLBOX in Second Life provides equalized opportunity to access health care and life skills. “The web is transformative technology and we’re using it very specifically to reduce stress for struggling families,” Ms. Tucker said. Our team is dedicated to advancing access to care for families and caregivers who have children with disabilities,” she added.
“Visitors can actually request an appointment with a WIYLBOX medical professional and parent advocate – who are truly respected in the community,” said Richard Bergér, VP of E-Business at ASTRALCOM, the team that helped WIYLBOX develop their Second life presence. Some of the participating professional representatives are from UCLA, David Geffen School of Medicine, CSUN’s Marilyn Magaram Center of Food Science, Nutrition and Dietetics and
their Department of Kinesiology.
Studies show that virtual environments can help individuals with social disabilities. The Canadian Journal on Developmental Disabilities states, “Second Life gives visibility, a voice and an alternative means of communication to individuals and groups who are potentially socially isolated and stigmatized in the physical world due to autism or other disabilities.” This is exactly why WIYLBOX developed a Second Life presence.
Visit WIYLBOX in Second Life at http://tinyurl.com/WIYLBOXinSL or on the web at www.whatsinyourlunchbox.net.
About ASTRALCOM®
ASTRALCOM Digital Business Solutions [www.astralcom.com] is a digital business solution provider that creates and develops strategic Internet and e-business implementations using web development, mobile phone applications, e-commerce, search marketing, social media, virtual world deployments, social intelligence messaging, customer experience management and business growth tactics. ASTRALCOM is a multiple award-winning business and has been named as one of the Top 10 Most Dependable Web Design Forms in California.
###
ASTRALCOM Contact:
Richard Bergér, VP of E-Business
ASTRALCOM Digital Business Solutions
562.240.2114 | 562.425.6976
Richard@astralcom.com
