Alvie – the new social platform designed for Australians with disabilities

Finding friends and connecting with new people is made safer and more accessible with this NDIS-friendly app

Connecting with other people to make friends and share common interests is something that enriches life for everybody. For many people with disabilities, it can be challenging to find the right opportunities to spark these new connections. Mainstream social media sites sometimes do not meet accessibility needs or consider the safety concerns of people with disabilities.

Alvie is a platform which is uniquely designed for people with disabilities. It empowers users to ‘match’ with other people, send direct messages, and even attend in-person meetups and events.

Steve Bear, the creator the Alvie platform, has set out to remedy social issues like loneliness and isolation in the disability community. In prior years working with children with disabilities, Steve saw first-hand the difficulties of making new friends for some people, and the impact that positive relationships could have for someone’s quality of life.

“Making friends is difficult for all of us, and to make friends when you have a disability, it can be even harder,” he said.

“Alvie has been designed to match members on a number of things—age, location, interests, and hobbies—enabling one-on-one chat if both members accept, while also providing assistance to facilitate in-person meetups.”

NDIS participants can claim the annual membership fee for Alvie through NDIS Core Funds or Community Participation. The app has been designed to keep trusted people, like a family member or a support worker, in-the-loop with activity on the platform.

“Those that are independently able, can feel safe using the Alvie app on their own. For those that need a little bit of help, the support worker or parent can feel confident that they’re in a safe environment as well,” Steve said.

Security on the app is ensured with a mandatory police check for all users. Alvie’s moderation system protects users from any inappropriate or unwanted interactions with other people. Anyone can apply to be a member of the Alvie platform, including children who have parental consent.

Visit https://alvie.com.au/ to learn more and to sign up.

For more information about developing friendships and relationships, My CP Guide has information resources for people of all age groups with cerebral palsy. Visit the Relationships section of the site to browse a variety of resources.