Internet
Making difference on-line
By João Durão da Silva
Social networks are truly implanted among internet users' habits today. People use them to chat, share ideas and experiences or even for marketing purposes. Disability Resource Exchange however has something more
 Disability Resource Exchange (DRE) is a social network created by Rudy Sims, a 31-years-old man from Teaneck, New Jersey, who was born with cerebral palsy. You can find it at www.disabilityresourceexchange.com and its name says it all. As one may find in its home page, “Disability resource exchange is a place to discuss disability issues and exchange resources ideas and support”.
For that, Rudy intends “to bring together all those interested in disability issues, both people with and without disabilities”, as well as “organizations within the disability community”, making this network “a place with a supportive atmosphere, where we can all learn from each other”. He explains his goal: “I want the community to be a very supportive and positive place. I am trying to foster an environment that encourages understanding and knowledge exchange, even from people with very differing opinions.”
 This network was created in 2007, after “a 10 year struggle with severe postoperative chronic pain”, says Rudy. Today, it has more than seven hundred members and 50 groups, presenting also a very active forum with such different and original topics as “Video Games for Rehabilitation” or “Disability Stereotypes”. Besides these features, there are also videos, photos, blogs and all of those possibilities that are usual to find in this kind of websites.
According to its author, this project results from a 10 hours a day work and it's seen from a global perspective, which also includes other websites and networks, like Twitter and Facebook. Actually, most of DRE's members came from Twitter, where Ruddy has more than four thousand followers. “The growing amount of web communities focused on disability and chronic illness issues are an invaluable resource I believe”, he says. “They're providing a new and wonderful way for disabled people, especially those who can't get out much for one reason or another, to connect with one another and also connect with people who are interested in disability issues, whether they are disabled or not.”
 Rudy sums up his aim saying he “always wanted to make a difference, even if it's just a small one.” He continues, adding that his websites and his mission to raise disability awareness are a huge driving force in his life. “I am very passionate about it and it's one of the reasons why I'm such a happy person. I am working towards my dream of helping many people and with the hope of eventually making a sustainable living at it”.
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