When Johnny Ciocca and his older brother Christian moved to Florida from New Jersey with their family two years ago, Johnny noticed that his brother, who has Down syndrome, was having trouble making friends in their new city.
That’s when Johnny came up with an idea to help Christian make connections online. So, the 17-year-old developed a new app, compatible with the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch devices, called “youBelong,” which was released earlier this month.
Ciocca says his app is similar to social media networks like Facebook that allow users to find friends and communicate with them online. The main difference, however, is that “youBelong” is intended as a virtual safe place for users with special needs.
“We wanted there to be a regular place for people to go where it was only special needs because there wasn’t one yet,” Johnny told CTV News Channel from his home in Bonita Springs, Fla., on Thursday. “It’s easy, safe, secure.”
Ciocca says his big brother, who is 18, particularly enjoys posting photos to the app. He said users can also post videos and text captions with the app, which is helpful for people who struggle with verbal communication.
Although Facebook and other social media networks allow users to create pages dedicated to specific topics, Ciocca said it can be difficult to find those pages for users with disabilities. He said he hopes his app will become a one-stop place that’s easy to find for those users.
A quick search on Apple’s App Store reveals dozens of apps developed by Johnny. The inventive teenager said he’s been learning how to program and create apps since 2012.
“I wanted to learn how to start working with computers and eventually from there I learned how to program in a group over the years,” he said.
Johnny said he’s been receiving a lot of positive feedback about “youBelong” since its launch attracted attention from local media.
“There’s been a huge increase in users and everybody who goes on says they love it, it’s a great idea and thanks for creating one place to go,” he said.
Christian said he’s having an easier time meeting and talking to new people with the app.
“I like to use it because I want to make some friends,” he said.
