Meeting the information needs of carers of children with disabilities: a case for the use of virtual communities

From the initial diagnosis parents of children with a disability need timely and accurate information to effectively manage their child’s condition. Focussing on the findings of a collaborative research project examining the needs of parents of children with a disability (0- 12 years) the study identifies several information related factors adding to parental stress levels. These include a lack of awareness of support services, application processes, and disability specific information. To overcome the limitations of existing information delivery approaches we propose creating a wiki-based virtual community to serve as a user friendly “one-stop shop” for carers . Such a community would give them greater access to the lived experience and empathy of other parents who have successfully managed their childs condition.