Connecting people with disabilities on social media
Social media is meant to be a virtual space for people to connect. But if you have a disability, sites such as Facebook and Instagram can be difficult to use and leave you feeling isolated.
By Carol Rääbus
To combat this, Dale Reardon has launched a social network for disabled people, designed by disabled people.
Mr Reardon has been blind for nearly 30 years and said he found most social media sites unwelcoming.
“Facebook in particular I find very difficult to use as a blind person,” he said.
“Lots of the various social media sites do have accessibility issues, which is one of the reason we’ve created the club.”
Mr Reardon’s site is called My Disability Matters and accessibility is at its heart.
For example, the site makes it easy to change the font size, the contrast or make it greyscale to help those with different vision needs.
It also works well with vision impairment assistance software, using a simple layout and descriptors to make it easy to navigate.
The site features news and information on disabilities and offers a space to connect with others affected by disabilities.
“We’re not being exclusive to disabled people — friends, families, carers, associated businesses are welcome as well, of course,” Mr Reardon said.
He said he wanted to create a virtual space where people could share their frustrations and challenges.
“Unfortunately the physical environment, with buildings, accessing public transport, or even accessing different websites and government information, [it] can still be a problem for disabled people,” he said.
“Living with disability can be lonely and very challenging. Many do not feel a sense of community.”
Creating a profile on My Disability Matters is free and Mr Reardon said he was happy to hear from those using the site on ways it could be improved for them.
“My Disability Matters has been created by the disabled, for the disabled,” he said.
“Our catch phrase is ‘nothing about us, without us’.
“We will continue to seek the feedback and involvement of the disability community to guide our future development, features and initiatives.”
Originally published at www.abc.net.au on December 5, 2016.
