Austin (KXAN) — Two guys in Central Texas are building an online community for adults with special needs, one video chat at a time.
Friends Shine Online launched in June 2021 as a virtual network for adults in the special needs community.
Mary Maluski and Celeste Thompson of Central Texas founded this group based on their 25+ years of experience working with and nurturing people with disabilities. Maluski works as a teacher in a special education program, Thompson works in the school system and has a son with special needs.
“The whole premise of this program is to reach places that are hard to reach, or where there are no opportunities that might be in parts of a big city,” said Thompson. is to reach out to friends, especially those who want to go out into smaller communities, stay at home, build friendships, and interact daily.”
Most of the adults they worked with came from life skills programs, or curricula focused on teaching skill sets for people with disabilities transitioning into adulthood. Some people have no type of work.
At Friends Shine Online, according to Maluski and Thompson, interactive virtual sessions involve small groups of up to 15 participants. Activities include covering news and community events, learning American Sign Language, hosting a book club, exercising, and demonstrating household chores.
The two worked on migration services within Round Rock ISD. The program focused on students ages 18 to 22 who had earned high school credit but were still eligible for service in the district. After providing these services virtually for her year, Maluski and Thompson said a parent told them his son was graduating soon and asked about resources for him after completing his time at RRISD.
This is how the idea of Friends Shine Online was born.
“Basically, we’re a continuation of what we’ve done with the school system for the community,” Thompson said.
A year and a half into the program, Marski says participants are becoming more entrenched in the virtual community.
“The group has more and more affection and interest in each other,” she said. seem genuinely interested in each other.”
Friends Shine Online currently has slots 5-15 open for participants. The group was mostly word of mouth, but the pair plan to form a new group if the organization grows and set up a waiting list until enough people are gathered to hire someone to help with the sessions. said.
The two are based in Central Texas, but their reach extends throughout Texas and beyond. Their hope is that these structured sessions will help remove geographic barriers that can affect residents of small communities, teach new skills, and find a sense of place and purpose. .
“How effective are we at moving students into the next phase of their lives?” Marski asked. “Are they working? Are they all day [habilitation]I wonder if they’re doing something productive in society…. It’s a bit difficult when you’re around your own family all the time. ”
