What is myMDA?
myMDA is an online community for individuals affected by neuromuscular disease, as well as their family members, friends and medical professionals. It’s a place where you can offer and find support, exchange helpful tips and resources, and meet others in the MDA community. At myMDA, you’ll definitely find “Strength in Community” as you share experiences and exchange support with fellow community members.

If I join myMDA, will I automatically sign up to receive services provided by MDA?
No. Joining myMDA gives you access to the information and support available within this online community, but doesn’t register you with MDA to begin receiving the Association’s wide range of services. To register with MDA and receive services, contact your local MDA office. To find the MDA office in your area, visit MDA’s local office locator Web page and enter your zip code to view contact information for the office near you.

Do I have to register?
Yes, you'll have to join the myMDA community for the full, free and feature-rich experience. Registration takes only minutes. As a member, you'll be able to share your media and thoughts with other myMDA users. It's free and easy. Join now.

Do I need special software or computer memory capacity to use myMDA?
In order to fully experience the myMDA community, you'll need the following:

Can I identify myself with a nickname on my profile?
Yes, since each member needs to have a unique name to register, using nicknames or variations of your name will make registering much easier.

How do I change my username once I’ve already signed up?
In order to change your username, you’ll need to create a new account. First, log in to your current account, and change the e-mail address to something invalid, such as <name>@hotmail.catt. This is necessary because once the account is disabled, the e-mail address can’t be used again. Changing the e-mail address on the account to something else will allow you to use your valid e-mail address when creating a new account. Next, log out of the old account, and sign up for a new account with the desired username and password. After you’ve successfully completed these steps, e-mail mymdaadmin@mdausa.org with your request and old username, and we’ll disable the old account.

What should I do if I lost my username or password?
If you lose your username or password you can go to the following page to retrieve your needed information: Retrieve Username and Password

Is myMDA monitored or censored?
Due to limited resources and the volume of content posted to myMDA, MDA will not fully monitor the site or censor content. Please refer to the myMDA Terms of Use for more information.

Am I required to create a personal profile page?
In order to have full access to the myMDA community, you will have to register and create a personal profile page. However, you can limit access to your profile page so that it's only viewable by those to whom you provide access.

How do I limit who has access to my profile page?
You can set your profile to private if you wish. A Private profile page can only be seen by members on your friends list.

Can I invite individuals under age 18 to visit my profile on myMDA?
No, myMDA is only for those 18 and over. Please refer to the myMDA Terms of Use for more information.

Can I search for a profile page?
If you are a member of myMDA, all private and public profiles are shown during a search. However, with private profile pages, you must first become friends with that member before you can view details of the profile.

What is a message board?
A message board is an online discussion site. Members participating in the myMDA message boards can inspire others with their insights, accomplishments and advice on how to overcome everyday challenges. Also, people can post questions they may have to the message boards, where the community can respond and assist.

Will I receive e-mail communications when someone responds to something I post on the message board?
You have the option to setup your account so you receive e-mail notification of messages, etc., or you can choose not to receive e-mail notification. This setting can be accessed in the edit account section of your profile.

What is a chat?
MDAchat is a service of the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) Web site. The focus of MDAchat is to encourage adults and children affected by neuromuscular diseases and their families, friends and caregivers — interactively — to share points-of-view, experiences and similar interests. Please refer to the MDAchat User Policy for more information.

What is a blog?
Blogs provide individuals the opportunity to post personal commentary or news on a particular subject; they can also function as personal online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images and links to other blogs, Web pages, and other media related to its topic. Blogs give readers the ability to leave comments in an interactive format.

What is a group?
A group in myMDA is a sub-community created around a specified topic or subject.

How are groups formed?
Groups are formed by going to the "Groups" section of myMDA and selecting the "request a new group" link located on the right side of the sub-navigation. There you will enter the "Group Name" and click on the "send request" button. The myMDA administrator will create your group and notify you via message that your group has been created.

How do I post photos and videos?
Please go the Quick Tips section to get instructions on how to upload photos, videos and more.