TORONTO -- For many Canadians, staying home in recent weeks has been a challenge. For 23 year-old Madison Cray, the experience has also been, at times, confusing.
“It’s been kind of difficult, eh?” Elaine Cray asks her daughter Madison, during a conversation with CTV News Toronto. “Madison asks me all the time, ‘when are we going to go back to basketball?’ Or, ‘why do we have to stay in?’”
Cray is the creator of Special Friends Network – a group for youth and adults with neuro-differences or disabilities. She started the group when Madison was growing up, so that her daughter would have friends to do activities with. Those activities were put on hold when physical distancing measures were put in place, but group members were eager to stay in touch.
“I was getting messages saying, ‘When’s cooking club?’ and ‘How come bowling’s cancelled?’” explains Cray. “I thought, oh boy - we better try and find a way to stay connected!”
That’s where the idea of having daily sessions on ZOOM came to be. Every afternoon, the group members meet and chat virtually. They also participate in games and put on talent shows.
“It’s been great,” says Cray. “It kind of puts that ‘norm’ back in, where we still see each other. We actually see each other more now than we ever did before, which is hilarious.”
20 year-old Jacob Thorpe has been a part of Special Friends Network for about a year and a half, and has recently been participating in the daily video calls. Thorpe tells CTV News Toronto that the chats have been “delightful.”
“Our ZOOM calls are really helpful,” he says. “It’s really helpful to connect with our special friends.”
“These calls are allowing these kids to come out of their shells in different ways,” adds Candi Thorpe, Jacob’s mother. “It’s hard enough for an adult with special needs to build good and lasting friendships. To see those relationships blossom in that short time has been amazing for us.”
Thorpe adds that she believes some of the shy members of Special Friends Network have benefitted from moving the gatherings to a virtual setting.
“It’s actually a bit of a blessing in disguise, I think,” she says. “What these ZOOM calls are doing is, whereas in face-to-face meetings [Jacob] might just talk with one or two people, he’s actually expanding his social network in a way that is actually going to help him I the future.”
Cray says the virtual chats have been so successful that they will likely continue doing them, even after social distancing measures are lifted.
“Funny enough, we had members who didn’t come out to some of our events due to social anxieties and they’ve joined in via ZOOM because it’s a little less face-to-face,” says Cray.
Turning to Madison, she asks “Why do you like doing Zoom every day?” “Because I see my friends,” Madison says.
Cray and Thorpe both hope that sharing the story of Special Friends Network will remind people to think about community members who may be more vulnerable during this time of physical distancing.
“Reach out to people, particularly those with special needs who might, on a day-to-day basis anyway, experience some social isolation,” says Thorpe.
As for her son, Jacob has this advice for those spending time apart: “having fun is a great way to connect with friends.”
