Project Summary

A vibrant community of those with disabilities exists. This project, a specially designed online social network with unique functions and safety features, will allow this community to interact and coordinate events throughout the year.

About me

For the past four summers, I have coordinated a week-long summer camp for teenagers with Down syndrome in suburban Philadelphia with a group of fellow college students. Since the camp's inception five years ago, the program has grown to more than 50 volunteers and over 40 campers --some who come from as far away as Maine, Florida, and Kentucky. The campers love the experience, usually citing it as the best week of their lives, and the all-volunteer staff has a great time as well; they contend that the experience fundamentally changes their views on those with disabilities. The Camp experience has affected me profoundly. Realizing how much the week can mean to those involved has empowered me to look for ways to affect as many people in this community as possible. But I realize that for a community to grow, it needs to have the resources to undergo this process organically. This proposed socialization site will provide those in this community with an opportunity to interact online, coordinate events, and find out about new opportunities. In a community where information flows less freely, this site has the capacity to unite those with disabilities and their peers in new, exciting ways.