Many times our children that have special needs do not have opportunities to develop friendships with their nondisabled classmates within and out of the school setting. Best Buddies is a nonprofit organization that provides this opportunity. Not only does Best Buddies provides opportunities for children with special needs to develop friendships with their peers, but also has developed several other opportunities to help them "mainstream" into society.
What Are Their Other Programs?
Best Buddies currently has the following programs:
- Best Buddies Middle Schools
This program assists middle school students with special needs develop friendships with their nondisabled peers.
- Best Buddies High Schools
This program assists high school students with special needs develop friendships with their nondisabled peers.
- Best Buddies Colleges
This program helps develop friendships between college students with and without special needs.
- e-Buddies
This program creates an opportunity for individuals with and without special needs to develop an email friendship.
- Best Buddies Citizens
This program helps people with and without special needs be paired to develop friendships that are in the "corporate and civic communities."
- Best Buddies Jobs
This program is an employment program that assists individuals with special needs to obtain and keep competitive employment within the community. It also provides support and training that the individual with special needs may need.
How Can I Find More Information?
There are several ways to learn more about Best Buddies. First if your child is in middle school or high school, contact his or her principal to see if the school has Best Buddies. If they do, ask to speak with the sponsor. If not, you can use Best Buddies' website, www.bestbuddies.org, to either contact Best Buddies organization via email or phone. Best Buddies is a great organization that not only provides opportunities for our children to develop friendships with their peers during their middle school and high school years, but also provides opportunities to develop relationships during their adulthood and assist them in obtaining competitive employment.
