Disaboom: Disability Community for Persons with Disabilities

Introduction

Disaboom (www.disaboom.com) was a social networking website for the disabled, described by founder Dr. Glen House as "a premier interactive online community dedicated to improving the way individuals with disabilities or functional limitations live their lives."

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NOTE: Since the writing of this review, Disaboom has since shutdown its website Disaboom.com

Disaboom.com was founded in September 2006 by J. Glen House, MD, a board-certified physician specializing in the area of spinal cord injury. The Disaboom website once served as a comprehensive resource for those living with disabilities, as well as their family members, friends, caregivers, and employers.

Rendered a C-7 quadriplegic after breaking his neck in a skiing accident at the age of 20, Dr. House went on to pursue a career in medicine despite losing the use of his legs and dexterity in his hands. The first student in a wheelchair to graduate from the University of Washington School of Medicine, he is board certified in both Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Spinal Cord Medicine. In addition to being an integral part of disaboom.com, he is the President of the Colorado Rehabilitation Physicians, President of the medical device company Flexlife, and Medical Director of the Center for Neuro & Trauma Rehabilitation at Penrose Hospital in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

In 2007 Disaboom.com acquired Lovebyrd.com, a disabled dating service targeting people with disabilities. Disaboom combined both information and community for the estimated 54 million Americans living with disabilities, so a move into online dating for the disabled made sense at the time.

Sections of the Disaboom Website Included

• Health: The health section featured articles written by medical professionals on a variety of disabilities including Cerebral Palsy, Muscular Dystrophy, Multiple Sclerosis, Fibromyalgia and other disabilities and functional limitations.
• Disability Discussions: The disaboom.com discussion section contained over 35 forums, with over 7,000 threads ranging from health conditions to relationship advice, political dialog, and more.
• Disaboom Jobs: The Disaboom career center offered job listings specifically targeted toward people with disabilities. Some listings were for companies that hire continually for positions available to those with disabilities, while other listings were for specific current opportunities.
• Accessibility Reviews: The disaboom.com review section contained reviews on the accessibility and quality of restaurants, hotels, resorts, attractions, medical equipment, and other items such as accessible vehicles and educational information that included Disaboom Scholarships for students with disabilities.
• Disaboom Dating and Social Network: The living section contained articles on relationships, health and fitness, sports, recreation, living with disabilities, and more. Although the content was catered towards those with disabilities, the subject matter is often not specific to the disabled community, and may have general appeal.