BEFRIENDS, A cloud-Based Social Media Network For People With disabilities. THE ORIGIN OF BEFRIENDS
At the 2015 National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) Conference in Brisbane, Datanova’s Founder and Visionary, Christian Krauter, Took up sponsorship for the idea of one of the Digital Dreams presenters.
Alanna Julian wanted to create a cloud-based social media Platform, specifically catering for people with disabilities.
Alanna’s Story – The Origin of Befriends
Growing up, Alanna much preferred to use technology by going online to build friendships with people who had either the same or a similar, intellectual disability as her.
I MADE MANY DIFFERENT FRIENDS OVER THE YEARS AND WE SUPPORTED EACH OTHER THROUGH SO MUCH TOGETHER. WE HAVE BEEN THROUGH THE GOOD TIMES, THE BAD TIMES, THE HARD TIMES AND MILESTONES.
Alanna Julian
For people with intellectual disabilities like Alanna, having friends who understood each other, show empathy for each other and support others in a similar situation, with similar life experiences, is very important.
Alanna has found that people with disabilities who are not linked with a disability or social group, are unemployed or can’t access their community, can have trouble making friends. This got her thinking of ways to combine a chat program, where people with disabilities can form friendships, with a platform to access their community in their local area, and also find out about activities for people with disabilities in their local area and even the opportunity to post events for people with disabilities within their community.
This is where Alanna came up with the idea of BeFriends.com.au (initially named Community Friends), which she presented at the NDIS Conference in Brisbane in October 2015.
As with any social media platform, it needs to be about the people, which is why Datanova is so excited to offer a suitable cloud-based solution. BeFriends.com.au is a site that provides people with disabilities with a range of social media options to meet and interact with other people with disabilities nationwide.
BeFriends.com.au offers a safe online environment, without the pressure of mainstream social media sites, ensuring a pleasant and interactive experience. It is a place where people can connect, make friends, share photos, videos, jokes, and stories, and join or create live and online events
References:
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https://www.ndis.gov.au/participants
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Booklet 2 – Creating your NDIS plan