Relationships can be complicated. Whether they’re chosen or assigned at birth, they represent an innately human characteristic – a desire for connection, to understand others in a way that helps people understand themselves. For adopted individuals who grew up with unanswered questions regarding their biological origins, relationships may be even harder to navigate. Nevertheless, there often comes a time when an adoptee takes a courageous step toward exploring their biological identity, venturing onto a path of self-discovery that is not only an audacious pursuit of truth but also exposes their vulnerability.
Katharine Wall, Director of Adopted.com – a leading adoption reunion registry – comments: “For those hoping to reconnect with their birth parents, the process has never been straightforward. There’s no real reason it should be this way. Nobody should have to go through hurdles or the bureaucratic ‘red tape’ of the system to find crucial answers about their own identities. The primary goal of Adopted.com is to build a bridge that connects adoptees with their biological families; in a way that is conscious of the emotional weight of the process, easy to use, and mutually collaborative.”
When approaching the reunion process, mutual understanding is imperative. Both parties may experience feelings of anxiety as they contemplate the reaction of the other, grappling with the potentiality of rejection, shock, or misunderstanding. Historically, those adopted through a private agency find that the agency no longer exists, while those searching through state-sponsored registries are met with significant delays. Even if their attempts are successful, there is no guarantee that the other party is there to engage with them.
“This can make a tough, emotional process needlessly tougher,” says Katharine, “instead of wondering whether your child or parent will be receptive to your attempts to connect, Adopted.com is a place where you’ll know the answer right away – they’re only on our system if they too, are seeking you.”
After assisting a friend in searching for his adopted older brother, Katharine Wall discovered room for development within this underserved space – researching further and finding registries across the region were small, fractured, and primarily offline.
Katharine Wall
She continues: “There was no unified interface so we worked to create just that. Adopted.com began as a rudimentary website in an attempt to explore the demand for such a service. Before long, it was flooded with interest and we spent an entire year developing the technology to facilitate the 5,000 members that joined right out of the gate. We made sure we were asking the right questions – ones that anybody would be able to answer – and we’ve never had to revisit them, since. Today, we have over 1 million profiles, all of which are created by individuals and not formulated by grouped data, making them personalized, honest, and reliable.”
With a commitment to both adoptees and their biological parents, Adopted.com serves as an indispensable resource for either party, bringing them together in a way that eliminates unnecessary stress and uncertainty. As thousands of adoptees around the world enter the system each month, Katharine Wall hopes to lay the foundations for a brighter, more connected future.
While the organization continues to gain ground-breaking momentum, Adopted.com invites all those experiencing frustration while using outdated systems to register on the database and take a brave step toward meaningful reunions. “The more people taking part in this revolutionary service,” adds Katharine, “the more families we can reunite and the more life-changing connections we can cultivate.”
