Cerebral Palsy Alberta (CPAA) is a registered non-profit organization that supports people affected by cerebral palsy and other disabilities in the province of Alberta, Canada. Their mission is to enrich and support the lives of children and adults with cerebral palsy and other disabilities through their programs and services. 

CPAA created their app ‘Flutter’ as a one-stop community for individuals with disabilities and their families to connect with advocates, health professionals, researchers, other organizations, and each other. They say it takes a village to raise a child, but it takes a community to raise one with complex needs.

Before turning to Disciple to create their community, CPAA found themselves using mostly Facebook as a way to connect individuals but noticed it was difficult to connect with health professionals or organizations where they were free to collaborate. Most support groups where parents might go for help have strict rules about organizations or health professionals posting their services, as a result, they saw lots of different groups, but not one that actually connected everyone together in one place.

As a result of building their community app ‘Flutter’ with Disciple, CPAA has been able to bring together people who have a wide invested interest in the disability community but also want an opportunity to break off into smaller groups to discuss what is most important to them. Where one person may join Flutter to advocate for accessibility and inclusion, another may have a sibling with disabilities and want to seek advice about becoming a caregiver. Both of them have the same end goal of a better world for individuals with disabilities but may take different paths to get there. Disciple provides them with a platform to work with them both.

Disciple has provided CPAA with the safety, security, and flexibility they need to create an app that serves the sensitive needs of their community. They’ve been able to set up groups around specific themes or events and have the functionality to easily modify groups to ensure they’re driving maximum value for their members. CPAA also loves the ranking system – a unique feature that allows them to celebrate their members and make them feel like they’re a part of something special. The opportunity to create another revenue stream by charging a subscription fee has also been a huge game-changer for them.

“Being a non-profit, we’re always seeking the most efficient ways to stay connected to those we serve, plus reach even further when it comes to awareness. We believe other non-profits could do the same by using Disciple’s community platform.” – Leah Ison