SPINALpedia: See it. Believe it. Do it.
Locations
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.
About You
Section 1: About You
First Name
Brittany
Last Name
Martin
Website
Organization
SPINALpedia
Country
United States
Section 2: About Your Organization
Organization Name
SPINALpedia
Organization Website
Organization Phone
484-885-3737
Organization Address
8112 River Falls Drive Potomac, MD 20854
Organization Country
United States
Your idea
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)
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| spinalpedia_current_screen_shot.jpg | 241.26 KB |
| spinalpedia_reality_check.jpg | 136.02 KB |
 | brittany.j.martin updated this Competition Entry. - 750 days ago |
| brittany.j.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 Competition Entry. - 752 days ago read more > |
| brittany.j.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 Competition Entry. - 753 days ago read more > |
| brittany.j.martin updated this Competition Entry. - 753 days ago |
| leo_hphp@yahoo.ca said: Please explain why your idea/project, is suited/perfect to using... 'media' ...to bring about A BETTER "WORLD"...the entire planet...? ... about this Competition Entry. - 753 days ago read more > |
| brittany.j.martin updated this Competition Entry. - 754 days ago |
| brittany.j.martin submitted this idea. - 761 days ago |
Comments
Please explain why your idea/project, is suited/perfect to using... 'media' ...to bring about A BETTER "WORLD"...the entire planet...? Thank you! a.
People with any kind of disability are at disadvantage in society. People with paralysis who are active and visible are often considered anomalies. Just like other vulnerable populations, social equality depends on people in those situations being given the tools to lift themselves into mainstream life and make sustainable changes to traditional perceptions. The millions of people living with paralysis are often left to figure out their new lifestyle on their own, but now with media, we can use collaborative learning to change that. Once we establish it for paralysis, we replicate it for other disabilities, and we build a more inclusive societies around the world from the ground up. A more equal, inclusive world is a better one. Do you agree?
I was thinking about this question more last night and wanted also to share that we want SPINALpedia to set a paradigm for collaborative learning that will be replicable for all kinds of disabilities and the people affected by them. Whenever faced with a disability, whether it be an injury or disease or giving birth to a child with one, the first step is to reach out to others who understand. The structure we have created allows for connections based on similar challenges within a naturally empathetic and motivating community, and we have the potential for unprecedented global collaboration.