Disaboom is dedicated to connecting individuals through community, providing knowledge not only from medical experts but also from individuals with firsthand experience of living disabled, and involving in its community those touched by disability, such as employers, family members, caregivers, teachers, medical practitioners, and others.
The website includes health-related information, links to organizations and articles, a medical glossary, and advice for those with a disability, such as tips for traveling with a disability and designing an accessible home, along with offering groups, forums, and member blogs. The site offers job openings in every field, from leasing consultant positions to optometrist jobs to careers with T-Mobile and Prudential.
''They can reach out to their community and present the Disaboom marketplace as a way for that business to advertise and to post a listing, much like a yellow pages online listing,'' says Program Director Amanda Gagliardi, as reported by Public News Service: News in the Public Interest.
Workers in the Marketplace Opportunity Brokers program range from caregivers who had to leave their jobs to stay home and care for disabled family members to former salespeople.
Gagliardi says response to the program has been so successful that they have had to stop accepting applications for a short time. However, disability advocates cite the problem with companies like Disaboom that many are not able to participate because of limited computer access.
According to the US Department of Labor, there are more than 54 million people with a disability, and more than 33 million are of working age. According to the US Census, 80% of disabled people have a disability that is not visible, and 65% of people with a disability are unemployed. A 30-year study conducted by healthcare company DuPont found that people with a disability upheld performance ratings equal to or better than those of their counterparts without a disability. According to the US Department of Labor, approximately 25% of people with a disability need accommodations, and the average cost is less than $500.
''The fact that we can touch their lives on that personal level is really exciting to us, and it’s changing our mindset as much as I think it’s helping people out there,'' says Gagliardi.
