Virtual buddies: using computer-mediated communication in therapeutic recreation.

People are increasingly using computers and the Internet for recreation and work. According to a 2000 United States Census Bureau report, 51 percent of homes had a computer and 41.5 percent had Internet access; the comparable figures in 1997 were 36.6 percent and 18 percent, respectively. The Internet allows individuals to talk to others they have never met face to face and, in some cases, to communicate with them on a personal level. While some may argue against the impersonal nature of computer-mediated communication, it has opened doors for many people vocationally, recreationally and socially. As computer-mediated communication becomes more commonplace, persons with disabilities will potentially have the opportunity to decrease social isolation and depression, and connect with a cyber community for leisure and social bonding.

Persons with disabilities may face both financial and social difficulties in gaining computer-mediated communication access. As the demographics of individuals with disabilities reveal, the high costs of ongoing medical care, decreasing medical insurance benefits and the severity of injuries, with their resulting disabilities, almost always produce strained finances. Additionally, many individuals with disabilities have experienced social isolation that hurt their ability to interact with others.

Communicating through the Internet has the potential to improve leisure satisfaction, health and quality of life. Computer-mediated communication has been shown to break down social barriers, increase positive social support for single, young mothers, and reduce the number of and length of hospitalizations for HIV-positive patients. Additionally, computer-mediated communication may increase friendships, social interaction and social support, all of which relate to morbidity, mortality, life satisfaction, and use of services. As just one example, consider Virtual Buddies, a grant-funded therapeutic recreation computer-mediated communication program that connected people with disabilities in North Carolina to the Internet and to each other.

History of Virtual Buddies

Virtual Buddies began as a demonstration project funded by the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust, administered by Charlotte Institute of Rehabilitation and coordinated by a certified therapeutic recreation specialist. The goal of Virtual Buddies was to establish a communication network among individuals with disabilities throughout North Carolina. The intent was to successfully implement a program that would benefit low-income, socially isolated individuals with disabilities, especially those in rural areas who, because of the nature of their injuries, had limited information and contact with others. Collaborating members--North Carolina's Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, the Independent Living Rehabilitation Program, the Division of Services for the Blind and Carolinas Healthcare System--recognized that a statewide need existed for people with disabilities to communicate with other individuals with disabilities as well as individuals without disabilities for social, recreational and health-related purposes.

Virtual Buddies provided individuals with permanent disabilities computers equipped with modems, Internet accounts and training, all free of charge, so that they could reach a world of information and other people from their homes. A network of regional trainers provided individualized instruction in the participants' homes to enable them to independently use the computer and the Internet. The objectives of the program were to facilitate participants' communication via e-mail, sense of belong and social connectedness, self-advocacy, and development of recreation and job skills. In addition, the participants became part of a statewide community of individuals who provided support and shared ideas and life experiences on a daily basis through a listserv developed for the project.

On the basis of an evaluation of the program and transcripts from the listserv, the program provided participants with many benefits. On a personal level, they increased their ability to become more self-sufficient in gaining knowledge and information, increased their self-advocacy activities and increased their employment potential. Additionally, participants reported that they felt empowered to seek emotional support as computer-mediated communication opened avenues for socialization, recreation and enhanced quality of life. Real social connections and friendships occurred through the statewide listserv. Through e-mail, people shared their life stories, experiences, daily struggles and victories, information, encouragement and genuine friendship without the barriers of disability and distance getting in the way. On the listserv, people with and without disabilities felt a part of a community of caring people, and had access to important, up-to-date health and disability information. In addition, the listserv played an important role in providing information to consumers on advocacy issues and coaching them on how to advocate for themselves.

The Future

The future holds great promise for using computers and the Internet in therapeutic recreation practice and research. We'll see more therapeutic recreation programs that teach clients how to utilize the Internet for leisure. Recreation therapists will be developing computer-mediated leisure education programs. Individuals with disabilities will be able to explore leisure interests, locate leisure resources and learn leisure skills by surfing the Web. Also, they'll be able to experience recreation activities in virtual environments that are totally accessible, obtain and share information about their disabilities and conditions, share similarities and interests, and develop meaningful relationships. Ideally, some will even develop more friendships via the Internet and use those friendships for social support, enjoyment and camaraderie.

There's potential for computer-mediated interventions whereby direct therapeutic recreation services are provided over the Internet. Recreation therapists will communicate with their clients and provide treatment and leisure education over long distances. This will be a valuable cost-effective method of delivering community- and home-based services, and follow-up services, especially in remote areas and to hard-to-reach clients.

The Internet may also allow therapeutic recreation researchers to collect valuable and thorough data regarding the needs of therapeutic recreation consumers and potential consumers, especially from those who have traditionally been under-represented. It can also be an effective and efficient way to conduct efficacy research, and evaluate the short- and long-term benefits and outcomes of therapeutic recreation interventions.

Recreation therapists will need to be trained in how to use computer-mediated interventions and research for these and other potential outcomes to be realized. Our university curriculums and professional organizations have a responsibility to facilitate this next level of computer literacy for our field. The future is here, and it's an exciting one.

Dan Johnson, Ph.D., TRS/CTRS, is assistant professor of therapeutic recreation in the Department of Health and Applied Human Sciences at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. Candace Ashton-Shaeffer, Ph.D., TRS/CTRS is an associate professor of therapeutic recreation in the same department. For a list of references of research materials used in writing this article, contact the authors [e-mail] or ashtonc@ uncw.edu.