Our Mission
To create an inclusive virtual space for neurodivergent kids that builds confidence and connections
Our Goals
Tackling social isolation
Individuals with social, emotional, and learning challenges are disproportionately affected by loneliness and social isolation.
Nearly one in three young adults with autism experience social isolation. Students with learning disabilities are more likely to describe feeling lonely, oppressed or undervalued at school.
Katapult seeks to provide a digital third space — a non-judgemental, non-competitive neurodiverse community.
Encouraging self-directed growth
At Katapult, we want our members to feel in control of their social interactions and empower them to step outside of their comfort zone on their terms.
To us, video games are a confidence building tool — they provide predictable, rule-based environments removed from the anxiety and pressures of face-to-face interaction. This confidence has a lasting impact: research has shown that autistic individuals who play online games are more likely to have satisfying friendships than those who don’t.
Prioritizing accessibility
We believe that play, friendship, and community are universal joys that should be accessible to everyone. We make it a priority to ensure that our server is a welcoming, safe, and inclusive environment for all, regardless of tech familiarity or neurology.
What We Do
Community
Katapult has created a dedicated private server with a survival world, creative world, and mini games, specifically for neurodivergent kids and their families. Both parents and kids can rest assured knowing that everyone playing on the server will have been whitelisted by our team and that rules are in place on the server to ensure no bullying and breaking of other people’s builds.
The server is currently under development, in beta mode. If you would like to join early or be added to the waitlist, please contact our team.
Partners
Katapult seeks to engage the existing infrastructure of the neurodivergent community. We partner with schools, nonprofits and community organizations to deliver customized play-based programs for their audiences. Depending on your needs, we can collaborate with you to build custom Minecraft worlds and curriculum, train your staff, and help facilitate programs.
If you are a program director, educator or community organizer interested in bringing Katapult to your organization, please get in touch and let’s talk about how we can work together!