As an undergraduate student at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, more than a decade ago, Caitlin Baine joined her campus chapter of Best Buddies because she wanted to help others.
“I had no idea of the impact it would have on me,” said Baine, who earned her undergraduate degree in psychology and is now pursuing a doctorate in special education at The Ohio State University. “I was like, ‘This is my path.'”
Best Buddies, an international organization that helps foster one-to-one friendships for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, connected Baine with two friends in Tennessee that she talks with regularly. She has an email buddy in Boston and awaits a friendship match here in central Ohio.
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What is the Best Buddies program in Ohio?
Unlike programs that connect adult mentors with young people, Best Buddies facilitates friendships among people of similar ages, according to Sarah Blakely, a deputy director for Best Buddies in Ohio.
Of the program’s 51 chapters across Ohio, 49 are based in elementary schools, middle schools, high schools and universities. The other two bring adults together who are 25 and older.
In schools, the connections give students someone to sit with in the cafeteria, say hello to in the halls or join in the stands at football or basketball games. They dissolve the isolation and exclusion felt by many with disabilities.
“The power of friendship is something we really focus on,” Blakely said.
There are 14 Best Buddies chapters in central Ohio, including 13 based in schools. Student chapters are at Colerain Elementary School in Columbus; John Clem Elementary in Newark; Avery Elementary, Hilliard Davidson and Hilliard Bradley high schools in Hilliard; Hastings Middle School and Upper Arlington High School in Upper Arlington; Grandview Heights High School; Canal Winchester High School; Pickerington North High School in Pickerington; Teays Valley High School in Ashville; Denison University and The Ohio State University.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Best Buddies in Ohio fosters friendships for people with disabilities
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