Disaboom

Disaboom.com was founded in September 2006 by J. Glen House, MD, a board-certified physician specializing in the area of spinal cord injury.[5] Rendered a C-7 quadriplegic after breaking his neck in a skiing accident at the age of 20, Dr. House went on to pursue a career in medicine despite losing the use of his legs and dexterity in his hands. The first student in a wheelchair to graduate from the University of Washington School of Medicine, he is board certified in both Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Spinal Cord Medicine. In addition to being an integral part of disaboom.com, he is the President of the Colorado Rehabilitation Physicians, President of the medical device company Flexlife, and medical director of the Center for Neuro & Trauma Rehabilitation at Penrose Hospital in Colorado Springs, Colorado. April 23, 2013 – Disaboom moved its focus to media aggregation and advocacy with this move it shutdown its primary websites.

In April 2007, the company raised $2.89 million by selling shares in a private placement for 50 cents each.[6] In May 2007, the company received approval to list its stock on the OTC Bulletin Board.[7]

The disaboom.com model integrated social networking features that provide members with tools to blog, participate in discussion boards, and engage in real time chat. Additionally, the site provides health and lifestyle articles that are written by professionals and updated regularly.

Disaboom members had the option of setting up their own User profiles, which included an avatar, a biography, and the option to start a blog. Recent blog posts were displayed in the main community section. Members were also able to select other members as their favorites. The activity of a member's favorites was tracked and summarized using the "My Disaboom" feature.

Disaboom's initial advertising campaign focused on featuring musicians, athletes, parents, and models with disabilities who have successful careers in their fields. Paralympian John Register, actor and amputee John Siciliano, and the hip-hop duo Four Wheel City—composed of two rappers who were paralyzed from stray gunshot wounds—were all featured.[9] The ads also took stereotypes of disabled people and used their deprecating language in empowering ways.