The Internet and Online Communities

This posting will introduce a topic of interest that has been drawn from my fieldwork experience. I will search three communties that relate to the topic and provide a brief discription, the services provided there, different ethical issues that may arise in this community and the benefits these communities provide over traditional geographical communites.

A topic that I'm interested in that has been drawn from my fieldwork experience is children with Autism.

The first cite that I would like to discuss is the Children's Autism Foundation, and that can be found by clicking on the link: http://www.autism.org.nz/support-group-childrens-autism-foundation.html
The following reveals what the vision of the foundation is, and how they can help.
Our vision is to see society fully accept and include people with disabilities; and the framework starts within the family. The goal of Children’s Autism Foundation is to help you create a rewarding and meaningful life for your child within your family dynamic.
We are here to help you. Our broad range of services include personalised advice, training and intervention, an educational resource library, information service, support groups, parenting workshops and one-on-one home visits to equip and encourage.
Autism is considered to be at epidemic proportions internationally, occurring at 1:110-150 people, with rates increasing. Children’s Autism Foundation is stepping in to meet the growing demand for quality services in Auckland. Our family-centred programmes are unique among service providers in Auckland, complementing services provided by other agencies such as Autism NZ and ihc.
While autism is a lifelong disability, much can be done to help autistic children enjoy life and participate in society. Studies indicate that one of the most significant factors in an autistic child’s later success in life, is a devoted parent. We look forward to helping you build a brighter future for your child – contact us now.

I find this cite not very interactive, however it did offer a lot of information and contact details if viewer required more information. Ways that the general public can contribute is by donating money so that they can continue with this service. Reason why people may contribute is if they have a child with autism, or no someone that has a child with autism, and can see the benefits and support that this service provides. Therefore to continue to see this service running and helping out other families in need, donating to them will be a way for an individual to contribute.

Here is an example of the text discussed above:

What we're doing to make a difference:

Services include personalised advice, training and intervention, an educational resource library, information service, support groups, parenting workshops and one-on-one home visits to equip and encourage.

Our track record:

Children’s Autism Foundation provides services to families in the Auckland region who have children up to the age of 21 with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. Our organisation is a Registered Charity (CC11460) operating as Not-for-Profit service. CAF started its life in 2000 as a parent support group and now serves almost 300 families.
Childrens Autism Foundation. (2010). Give a little. Retrieved from http://www.givealittle.co.nz/org/childrensautismfoundation

The potential ethical issues that may arise from this community is the different photos that they have displayed on the web page. This community needs to ensure that they have consent from the family members (as the children are under 18), because this page can be viewed by anyone who wishes to see it.

This group is based in Auckland, therefore will only be appropriate to the people of this community. This means that people that do not live in Auckland, or are distant from this group will have to look elsewhere for a service that provides the same support.

The second community that I would like to discussed based on autism is Autism New Zealand Inc which can be found by clicking this link: http://www.autismnz.org.nz/
The following reveals the vision of this community and how they can help:
The main purpose of Autism New Zealand Inc. is to provide support, resources and information on autism spectrum disorders to those with these conditions, their family/whanau, caregivers and professionals working with them.

Autism New Zealand's key activities are to:

• Raise awareness of autism spectrum disorders
• Provide support, information and advice for parents and carers
• Gather and distribute the latest information and research relating to autism spectrum and related disorders
• Initiate and organise seminars and conferences
• Provide training courses for parents and professionals eg S.P.E.L.L. and EarlyBird^® programmes
• Liaise with other agencies on behalf of individuals, parents and other family
• Make submissions on relevant legislation and government reviews
• Provide a quarterly newsletter

This cite provides a lot of information and is also very interactive as it includes helpful games that children with autism can play. There are many ways that the general public can contribute to this community and that is by:

• Signing up with slingshot and they will automactically donate 3% of your bill to this community.
• Gift with a difference: Instead of having a birthday or christmas present, you can ask family members to donate money on your behalf.
• Shine a light for autism: The aim of the candle is to help raise awareness and funds for this organization.
• Donating a gold coin and receiving a thomas and friends bumber sticker.
• Payroll giving: This allows you to make donations to charities and receive immediate tax credit.

The potential ethica issues that may arise from this community could be Intellectual Property. As this cite offers a lot of ideas, artistic works and pictures etc, this could lead to plagarism.

Autism New Zealand has support groups all over the country that offer different things such as holiday programme groups, provide training programmes for parents, different seminars, teen and young adult groups and different conferences. Because this community is all over the country it can provide support to anyone who may need it.

The last community that I would like to discuss regarding this topic is Otago Children's Autism support group which can be found by clicking this link: http://otagokidsautism.org/. The following reveals the vision of this community and how they help:
We are a group of pro-active parents in the Dunedin area of New Zealand who have children with autism.
We are committed to helping organise and fundraise for intensive early interventions which help make easier the lives of affected children and their families
We are a group of pro-active parents in the Dunedin area of New Zealand who have children with autism.
We are committed to helping organise and fundraise for intensive early interventions which help make easier the lives of affected children and their families

This cite offers different news letters on different topics that viewers can read and comment on, and different ways to get support from this community. They too have a place where the public can donate money to keep the organization going, this is explained in more detail here:
In the past year, our costs have doubled to $10,000 per month, and funding is getting harder to find. We are always searching for more organisations who are able to contribute in some way.
Children on the autism spectrum have the ability to learn and interact, and ABA helps develop the skills to enable each child to reach their full potential. It is difficult for parents who want the best for their child yet are crippled by the financial burden. If you or your organisation can make a donation and help improve this situation, please either contact us or use the button below.
Otago children's autism support group. (2011). Please Contribute. Retrieved from http://otagokidsautism.org/funding.html

As this organisation is in Otago, it will only be useful for this community.