FUNDING FOCUS: TECHNOLOGY
The Buddy Project is a organization headquartered in Frederick, MD that is dedicated to helping the Disabled and Low Income. The Buddy Project is the only technology organization for the disabled in Maryland, and has already served more than 500 individuals since its founding in 2007. Our service provides refurbished computers to those who are intellectually and developmentally disabled, and these computers are set up specifically for people with disabilities. The Buddy Project is an increasingly vital part of the disabled community and plans to be an important advocate and educational resource to the general public about disabled individuals. Once the client receives the refurbished computer, there is a training curriculum that is covered with each and every client to help them better understand their computer and how they work. We work with the client for as long as he or she is apart of The Buddy Project. Eventually the client will be assigned a Program Manager that will work with him/her on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. Furthermore, all computers are maintained by The Buddy Project and are switched out about every two years in order to allow the client the best technology experience possible. In 2016, we created the “e-Xcel” program that bridges the gap that often is that of asset and income limited people, but did not qualify for our traditional The Buddy Project program. The program is now being streamlined to help as many people as we can. We also started a Autism Advocacy Speaking program in 2015 where Eric D. Zimmerman goes to Autism Advocacy Support Groups around the world speaking on what it was like to grow up on the Autism Spectrum to parents of adolescents and preteens with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)