Website Review - One Place for Special Needs

By: Janet Skillin, EC-SEAT Scholar

I looked at the website One Place for Special Needs from a parent’s perspective, and as an educator.

Screenshot of one of the website's search menus 

Pro's: This site is user-friendly for parents and teachers. The website helps families network and find potential friends for their children. You can search for “peers”, put in your zip code and the distance you want to search in miles. Then you receive information about children with the "disability" you chose. On the home page there is a box on the right side of the page “browse by category” that has information on educational advocacy, assistive technology, games, fine motor information and a lot more, for example: 

• A guide for educational and special needs apps. 
• Resource tab with information on diagnosis, disabilities, services, events, and peers. 
• Informational articles (ex. occupational therapists on tying shoes)
• Under the resource dropdown - thousands of different resources to access. 
• Links to apps for kids
• 89 top products to search depending on your needs.
• List of “upcoming” events and workshops
• Disability scholarship information

Screen shot of resources link







Screenshot of peer match links 

Limitations and Suggestions: I would have liked to see lists under some of the resources and browse sections. For example:

• Under “Basketball” they have a video series, which is good, but it could be great if they listed places your child could play basketball in a wheelchair. 
• The section for wheelchair sports/fitness has videos of people playing tennis in wheelchairs etc, this section would be more useful for parents and if they added a list of adaptive sports programs. 
• When searching “Beaches”, they should have a list of beaches that are handicapped accessible.
• Some of the “browse by category” section choices did not work, they came us as forbidden.

Use caution when registering your child’s information for others to contact you. (even through an email). When I searched the tab for “peers”, you must put in your zip code and the distance in miles that you want to search. Then you receive information about children with the “disability” that you chose. It’s a way to “network” families and potential friends for their children. This is under both Pros and Cons, as I believe it’s a way for families to network; However, I worry about who may contact families. There is not a screening process for connecting people. 

Conclusion: This website can be utilized by parents, educators, and providers. It is very easy for anyone to navigate. It has a lot of great information about special needs and a lot of places where you can navigate to many other sites. They have a lot of information about apps for Special Needs. You can find more resources on Pinterest and YouTube and join their social media community on Facebook or Twitter. 

About the author: I am currently a graduate student at the University of New Hampshire, I am interning this year in a public school and with an early intervention developmental educator. I am working to earn my New Hampshire teacher certification in early childhood special education (birth to 3rd grade) upon graduation. I have my associate's degree in early childhood education, and bachelor's degree in child and family studies. I am the proud mom of four children. I have been working with children for 22 years of which 20 of the years has been in special needs.