SPINALpedia
See it. Believe it. Do it.
SPINALpedia is an online video sharing network that supports people with paralysis and their families in living active, healthy lives. We provide the infrastructure for members to share videos with tips, experiences, and advice to support others, thus improving quality of life and reversing the negative social stigma of disability.
First Name
Brittany
Last Name
Martin
Website
Organization
SPINALpedia
Country
United States
Organization Name
SPINALpedia
Organization Website
Organization Phone
484-885-3737
Organization Address
8112 River Falls Drive Potomac, MD 20854
Organization Country
United States
Name Your Project
SPINALpedia: See it. Believe it. Do it.
What is your idea? What makes it innovative? Why is it important?
SPINALpedia is an online video sharing network that supports people with paralysis and their families in living active, healthy lives. We provide the infrastructure for members to share videos with tips, experiences, and advice to support others, thus improving quality of life and reversing the negative social stigma of disability.
Will you launch your idea as a business or non-profit?
Non-profit
Country your work focuses on
United States
What will be the impact of your idea?
SPINALpedia is the first venture to leverage the age of video sharing and social networking to spur pattern breaking change in the disability community. We’re upgrading to Mentoring 2.0 by erasing barriers and using media to increase the capacity of people to educate and empower each other with knowledge derived from their experience. We will unite 5.6 million Americans and millions more abroad into a global paralysis community, finally bringing people facing paralysis out of isolation and inspiring new attitudes in overcoming their perceived limitations. With videos as fundamental as how to dress yourself or as exciting as adapted skydiving, we give people the tools to redefine their daily lives and aspirations. This positive trend has the power to reverse dismal statistics like unemployment and depression and change negative stereotypes of disability. SPINALpedia is the go-to website for people with paralysis to improve their quality of life and connect to others with similar experiences. We will increase the number of people who adapt their lives and re-engage as active citizens, allowing us to spread awareness as SPINALpedia’s members become more visible members of society.
Who will help you develop your idea? Why are you the one to make this happen?
Josh Basile and I, co-founders, represent the potential for living an active life with paralysis. Josh was paralyzed in 2004 in a beach accident, and has devoted his life to mentoring, using his life as an example of overcoming the limitations of paralysis. A communications major and spinal cord injury advocate, Josh has anchored us firmly in the paralysis community and is managing outreach and publicity. My dad was paralyzed in a car accident in 1998. I bridge the gap to society with the physical requirements to navigate the able bodied world without inciting people’s prejudices, but with the awareness of the untapped potential of the paralysis community. I have studied and taught social entrepreneurship at Harvard, and manage our business development and sustainability. Together, we have developed our prototype and are running a pilot website with over 1800 videos. Our members hail from more than 10 countries, including people paralyzed, their spouses, friends and parents, and doctors and scientists. SPINALpedia is an opportunity to demonstrate our belief that social change is not about pity or charity, but building a foundation for people to lift themselves out of adversity.
How much will it cost to launch your idea? (This can be an estimate)
We secured grants and donations for our pilot, but $25,000 would give us the opportunity to refine our pilot based on user experience and feedback and launch our idea to a larger market. We are focusing primarily on our innovative tag system that allows users to identify information about their situation and physical functionality to optimize search efficiency for relevant content and members. We are also aiming to enhance our networking capabilities to bolster community interaction. We will also be building management software to facilitate our revenue generating strategies including targeted advertisements, adaptive product sales, and subscriptions for related vendors. For our upcoming launch, we will need to fund our publicity campaign to generate traffic and enhance the depth and diversity of our community in order to demonstrate our functionality and value. We are able to run a relatively low-budget service with the capacity for a high return on investment, offering unprecedented benefit to the paralysis community and improving societal awareness of disabilities. With our niche market potential, we anticipate being financially self-sustaining after the first year.
This Entry is about (Issues)
 | brittany martin updated this idea. - 61 days ago. |
 | brittany martin said: I was thinking about this question more last night and wanted also to share that we want SPINALpedia to set a paradigm for collaborative ... about this idea. - 62 days ago read more > |
| brittany martin said: People with any kind of disability are at disadvantage in society. People with paralysis who are active and visible are often considered ... about this idea. - 63 days ago read more > |
| brittany martin updated this idea. - 63 days ago. |
| a. b said: Please explain why your idea/project, is suited/perfect to using... 'media' ...to bring about A BETTER "WORLD"...the entire planet...? ... about this idea. - 64 days ago read more > |
 | brittany martin added this idea to their favorites. - 64 days ago. |
| brittany martin updated this idea. - 64 days ago. |
 | brittany martin submitted this idea. - 71 days ago |
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