Thursday 05 November

Find out About an Online Social Community Made for & by the Disabled

Website Snapshot

What is It? Disability Resource Exchange is an online community for people with disabilities.
Who is It Good For? Besides people with disabilities, we also recommend this site for those who care for someone who is disabled as it could help you get some insight into their lives and how they feel.

Having a physical disability, especially when a mobility aid is needed for getting around, can make some people feel very distant and cut-off from others. Disability Resource Exchange works to unite people with disabilities and bring them together in a vibrant community, the Disability Resource Exchange. The website was the brain-child of 31-year-old Rudy, a man who has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair. His vision is to have people share ideas and stories that will work to help and support others in the online community he built.

Created on Ning, most of the social networking site cannot be accessed until you set up an account, but once you have you can invite friends, customize your page, share stories or ask questions from other users. The site covers so many topics—from dating when you have a disability, to looking for work, to how to help aging parents when you are disabled and much more. Users come from all over the place and are a wide variety of ages. It really is a great network for anyone who has questions about how to deal with a disability from the very practical of "how can I pay for school on my measly disability checks" to how to find clothing that fits you. So tell anyone you think could benefit from this site about it today—and we'd also love to hear from you, so please tell us about any online communities that you think are valuable—we are here to point out great resources to people and look forward to your contributions.