Disaboom

Disaboom

Web address	http://www.disaboom.com
Slogan	Live Forward
Commercial?	Yes
Type of site	Social network service
Registration	Required for participation in discussions and blogs; optional for most other services.
Available language(s)	English
Owner	Disaboom
Created by	Dr. Glen House
Launched	2007
Alexa rank	47,591 [1]
Current status	active

Disaboom is a social networking website, 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. The site serves as a comprehensive resource for those living with disabilities, as well as their family members, friends, caregivers, and employers. The website is owned by Disaboom, Inc. a for-profit, publicly traded company that is listed on the OTCBB under the symbol OTC Pink: DSBO. Its business model is based on advertising revenue and was featured in the New York Times on October 30, 2007.^[2] The company is headquartered in Greenwood Village, Colorado, USA.^[3]

History

Disaboom.com was founded in September 2006 by J. Glen House, MD, a board-certified physician specializing in the area of spinal cord injury. 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. April 23, 2013 - Disaboom moved its focus to media aggregation and advocacy with this move it shutdown its primary websites.

Site organization

The disaboom.com model integrates social networking features that provide members with tools to blog, participate in discussion boards, and engage in real time chat. Additionally, the site provides health and lifestyle articles that are written by professionals and updated regularly.

Health

The health section features articles written by medical professionals on a variety of disabilities including Cerebral Palsy, Muscular Dystrophy, Multiple Sclerosis, Fibromyalgia and other disabilities and functional limitations. Articles on pain medication, rehabilitation, and mental health issues are also present. The site is updated regularly with new articles.^[4]

Living

The living section contains articles on relationships, health and fitness, sports, recreation, living with disabilities, and more. Although the content is catered towards those with disabilities, the subject matter is often not specific to the disabled community, and may have general appeal.^[5]

Media Room

The media room features video of individuals with disabilities skiing, snowboarding, playing basketball, lifting weights and engaging in other physical activities. Many individuals featured in the Media Room videos have a spinal cord injury, including rap artists Four Wheel City.^[6]

Community

Disaboom members have the option of setting up their own profile, which includes an avatar, a biography, and the option to start a blog. Recent blog posts are displayed in the main community section. Members can also select other members as their favorites. The activity of a member’s favorites is tracked and summarized using the My Disaboom feature. Disaboom currently has 6,505 members as of January 10, 2008, and is growing at the average rate of 100 members a day.^[7]

Discussions

The disaboom.com discussion section contains over 35 forums, with over 7,000 threads ranging from health conditions to relationship advice, political dialogue, and more. Only administrators can start forums, but any member can create a new topic.^[8]

Reviews

The disaboom.com review section contains reviews on the accessibility and quality of restaurants, hotels, resorts, attractions, medical equipment, and other items such as automobiles and miscellaneous consumer electronics.^[9]

Career Center

The Disaboom career center offers job listings specifically targeted toward people with disabilities. Some listings are for companies that hire continually for positions available to those with disabilities, while other listings are for specific current opportunities.^[10]

Advertising campaign

Disaboom’s initial advertising campaign focused on featuring musicians, athletes, parents, and models with disabilities who have successful careers in their fields. Paralympian John Register, actor and amputee John Siciliano, and the hip-hop duo Four Wheel City—composed of two rappers who were paralyzed from stray gunshot wounds—were all featured.^[11] The ads also took current stereotypes of the disabled and used their deprecating language in empowering ways.

Philanthropy

On December 27, 2007, disaboom Chairman and CEO, J.W. Roth donated 75,000 shares of stock to non-profit organizations, including the Life Rolls on Foundation and the Miami Project.^[12][13]

References