Connection and Cohesion in a Co-designed Virtual World: Experience of Online Aphasia Groups

People who have aphasia report having reduced social networks and social activity. This paper introduces and explores experiences in EVA Park, an accessible multi-user virtual world, co-designed with people with aphasia. The study reports 16 people with aphasia taking part in virtual world social support groups in EVA Park, exploring their experience through self-reported measures of connectedness, structured observations of cohesion, and interviews. Self-report outcomes suggest that virtual social support groups fostered feelings of social connection and observation analyses indicate consistent evidence of group cohesion across time. Interview outcomes reveal largely positive experiences of being part of an aphasia group in the virtual world but caution that such groups should represent an addition to and not a replacement for real-world connections. Findings suggest that social support groups delivered in a co-designed virtual world, offer users with aphasia a space in which to foster consistent levels of social connection