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RIT - NTID - NTID News - RIT/NTID Grad Creates Social Networking Site for the Deaf
Just in time for Valentine's Day, an RIT/NTID graduate has created a new social networking site to help other deaf and hard-of-hearing people find friends on the Internet.
Patrick Petronelli, 28, of Quincy, Mass., created DeafPals.com after becoming frustrated trying to find other deaf people on Facebook and Myspace. Already, more than 700 people from more than three dozen countries have joined his free networking site since it opened in December.
Petronelli, who was born hard of hearing, spent most of his youth in public schools.
"I liked the public school system but I wanted more exposure to the deaf world and people like myself," he says. "My sophomore year, I decided to try something different, so I transferred to American School for the Deaf (in West Hartford, Conn.). During my time there, I discovered a whole new world but more importantly I finally realized I wasn't alone and felt comfortable with myself. I was able to make deaf friends and learn about deaf culture."
Petronelli made more deaf and hearing friends in Rochester when he majored in Web Development at Rochester Institute of Technology's National Technical Institute for the Deaf. After graduation in 2005, he moved back to the Boston area to be closer to his family.
But he missed the social atmosphere of being around so many deaf people.
"I discovered how frustrating it was to meet new deaf and hard-of-hearing friends near me using the common social networking sites," he says. "I know there are thousands of deaf and hard-of-hearing people on Facebook and Myspace, but I had no way of reaching out to them. There is no search option that allows me to screen for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. I want to give everyone a platform for networking."
So the computer whiz used the skills he learned at RIT/NTID and created his social networking site for deaf and hard-of-hearing people.
Its members can search for others by age range and geographic location, and send emails through their profiles.
"Facebook is great for staying connected with friends you know as well as reconnecting with old friends," Petronelli says. "But how many people are out there are just as frustrated as I am? I can actually reach people like myself using my education. So I built a network created solely for the deaf and hard-of-hearing world or anyone who is interested in deaf culture."
He hopes the site will also increase exposure of the deaf community to others. And it could become a source of education for parents of deaf children who want to know more about being deaf.
"It's so important to have friends that you can relate to, to share your life with someone or just have a feeling that you belong. That's why I built DeafPals.com," he says. "The Internet today is so HUGE. It's almost to point where it's too big to find anything anymore. I hope by creating DeafPals that it doesn't make the world seem quite as big anymore for the deaf community."
Just in time for Valentine's Day, an RIT/NTID graduate has created a new social networking site to help other deaf and hard-of-hearing people find friends on the Internet.
Patrick Petronelli, 28, of Quincy, Mass., created DeafPals.com after becoming frustrated trying to find other deaf people on Facebook and Myspace. Already, more than 700 people from more than three dozen countries have joined his free networking site since it opened in December.
Petronelli, who was born hard of hearing, spent most of his youth in public schools.
"I liked the public school system but I wanted more exposure to the deaf world and people like myself," he says. "My sophomore year, I decided to try something different, so I transferred to American School for the Deaf (in West Hartford, Conn.). During my time there, I discovered a whole new world but more importantly I finally realized I wasn't alone and felt comfortable with myself. I was able to make deaf friends and learn about deaf culture."
Petronelli made more deaf and hearing friends in Rochester when he majored in Web Development at Rochester Institute of Technology's National Technical Institute for the Deaf. After graduation in 2005, he moved back to the Boston area to be closer to his family.
But he missed the social atmosphere of being around so many deaf people.
"I discovered how frustrating it was to meet new deaf and hard-of-hearing friends near me using the common social networking sites," he says. "I know there are thousands of deaf and hard-of-hearing people on Facebook and Myspace, but I had no way of reaching out to them. There is no search option that allows me to screen for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. I want to give everyone a platform for networking."
So the computer whiz used the skills he learned at RIT/NTID and created his social networking site for deaf and hard-of-hearing people.
Its members can search for others by age range and geographic location, and send emails through their profiles.
"Facebook is great for staying connected with friends you know as well as reconnecting with old friends," Petronelli says. "But how many people are out there are just as frustrated as I am? I can actually reach people like myself using my education. So I built a network created solely for the deaf and hard-of-hearing world or anyone who is interested in deaf culture."
He hopes the site will also increase exposure of the deaf community to others. And it could become a source of education for parents of deaf children who want to know more about being deaf.
"It's so important to have friends that you can relate to, to share your life with someone or just have a feeling that you belong. That's why I built DeafPals.com," he says. "The Internet today is so HUGE. It's almost to point where it's too big to find anything anymore. I hope by creating DeafPals that it doesn't make the world seem quite as big anymore for the deaf community."
