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Best Buddies: A Review
I’m a developmentally disabled new grad student 3,000 miles away from home and wanted to check it out and meet some new people.
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What is Best Buddies?
Best Buddies International is a non-profit aimed at fostering connections between intellectually and/or developmentally disabled people and non-disabled people and improving the quality of life of people with disabilities of this nature. Their mission statement reads, “Best Buddies International is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to establishing a global volunteer movement that creates opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment, leadership development, and inclusive living for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD)”.
How did I find out about it?
After struggling to find suitable clubs on campus, I stumbled upon a post about the organization in one of the disability-oriented Facebook groups I am a member of and decided to see what they had to offer. I also have dreamt for a while of a platform where disabled and non-disabled people teach about each other’s cultures in the tandem partner-like format I enjoyed so…