Many people with disabilities are using online support groups and social networking tools to interact with each other and participate in group therapy sessions, the Roanoke Times reports.
Virginia-Based Program
The not-for-profit organization Brain Injury Services of Southwest Virginia recently launched a program -- called, Community Living Connection, or CLiC -- that provides both a virtual support group and group therapy for people with brain injuries. The group gathers through online video chat sessions, and a moderator leads discussions and tells riddles aimed at improving participants' brain function. Some of the participants in the CLiC project also have started using Facebook to interact online.
Jim Rothrock, commissioner of the Virginia Department of Rehabilitative Services, said, "A lot of research notes that with any disability, beyond the direct implications, one of the biggest problems is loneliness and isolation." He noted that Virginia has been monitoring the CLiC project and similar efforts that the state could replicate to reach residents with disabilities.
Barriers to Replicating Program at State Level
Karen Rheuban -- president of Virginia Telehealth Network and medical director of the Office of Telemedicine at the University of Virginia -- said Virginia has been "progressive about supporting telehealth," but added that implementing a program like CLiC would be costly for the state. CLiC primarily is funded through grants.
According to Rothrock, Virginia has considered using social media tools to interact with residents with disabilities, but professionalism-related issues have stood in the way. He said, "Our agency is dealing with ethical issues of contacting clients because that is different than peer to peer. Counselors in particular are having to think about this because with younger people they are more inclined to communicate with Facebook, LinkedIn, Google and Twitter" (Bruyn Jones, Roanoke Times, 12/18).