Here is an interesting sign of the times: Disaboom.com. It’s a new community online specifically reaching out to people with disabilities. From their “About Us” statement:

People with disabilities have basic needs that range from occupational therapy to special shower chairs and from catheter comparisons to understanding medical journals through physician interpretations, but their needs go well beyond medical services and products. They often become housebound not just because of their physical limitations, but because they feel unable to control themselves or navigate their own environment. Some may give up on dating or making friends simply because they don’t know where to meet people who will understand them and oftentimes they don’t continue their educations or embark on careers because of transportation difficulties. Many never get the chance to experience a vacation because they’re worried that once they arrive on site their special needs won’t be accommodated. Without the comfort of understanding friends and an empathetic community, many people with disabilities are depressed and have a lower quality of life. [full text]

Disaboom.com is trying to be the solution for many of the problems described above, providing a wide range of information and community options for people with disabilities.

Coincidentally, as I was researching for this post, I found that The New York Times had an article about Disaboom yesterday, primarily looking at it from a business/marketing perspective.