How to find friends for adult family member with physical disability?

I have noticed that at my local YMCA there are many people who have various physical abilities. This includes staff members in wheelchairs. They are very inclusive and offer various classes that seem to accommodate most everyone. I’ve met some dear friends there, though I don’t have a disability. With their social events and networking, it’s a positive place to be, imo.

If not covered by insurance they also offer scholarships.

Additionally, one of our family friends who had mobility issues began a ministry at a local church where she organized a committee to send care packages and cards to the sick and elderly. She had many friends and fans in the community as a result.

Good luck with finding more options.

That’s a difficult age to make new friends when isolated. Its wonderful that you recognize the need and are trying to solve it.

Could she take an online class at a community college in a topic that interests her, and might have virtual group projects where she could make a connection with another student?
Can she access the computer okay? Assistive technologies can help.

Women her age may be into scrapbooking, that can be done digitally. Those young women tend to be social, maybe digital scrapbooking would help her find a community of users. If the idea of scrapbooking doesn’t seem interesting to her, perhaps she could do a short book as a gift to friends or family, like a compilation of photos from an event (holidays, a birthday, vacation).

Volunteering often gets any of us involved in the community, and meeting new people - there are volunteer jobs for tasks that are only online such as the virtual welcoming committee who send out a note to new members, the communication committee that updates the contact lists, the webpage committee which might want someone to monitor recent posts and notify the correct officer that their interaction is required.
Members of civic clubs tend to be middle age or older, but maybe a club or association for a topic she likes? Local playhouse theatre, local association for a favorite sports team, a friends of the library group, an arboretum club, etc.

A nearby church might need a volunteer to help stay connected virtually to shut-ins, or help with keeping contact lists of volunteers for their upcoming events, etc.
Volunteering activities might not find her a peer, but may broaden the people she communicates with.

Then there are online game groups. I don’t know much about these but at her age anything and everything virtual is in her future. Its a life skill now.
Mahjong seems to be very popular and is played virtually in teams. Also many games that build virtual communities or cities that often have interaction with other users, sometimes as parallel builders, others collaboratively (Kingdoms Reborn, Anno 1800, Pioneers of Pagonia, to name a few). So many topics: rainforests, food related, historical, futuristic, mystery, crime solving, farms, etc. It may take a tutor or mentor to help jump into an online game.

Thank you @celia16 and @triciaot for a wealth of ideas. Online ideas may be her only option. I will look into an online class for sure.

I should have mentioned that she has weekly seizures (relatively short and mild). We are unable to find anyone willing to allow her to attend events, volunteer, or hire her for a job. Even Metro Mobility requires her to have a person with her to ride. Sad, because she has good computer skills and a personality willing to help anyone she can. I've talked to her about trying to apply as a 2-for-1 volunteer position where I accompany her, but that defeats the purpose of her feeling independent and less of a burden on her caregivers.

She had a supported employment job for a few years until the program lost funding and closed. She volunteered at a Memory Care unit playing games and talking to residents. She loved it but was dismissed when a higher up decided her health issues were too risky for the Assisted Living facility. She wants to do clerical work (paid or volunteer), but we keep running into organizations who are afraid of seizures and potential liability for injury. Sigh...

@sandylakes , that’s unfortunate that she is so capable and willing, yet held back by issues out of her control. If I think of anything else, I’ll post it. Seizure issues hold a special significance in my family as my niece has them due to Tuberculosis Sclerosis Complex.