There are no disabilities between people when everyone is having fun.

That's the principle put into practice by the student volunteers with Best Buddies, a university and high school-based program that pairs regular students up with people with special needs.

Unlike a paid caregiver, Best Buddies volunteer their time to create a bond of friendship that might not otherwise exist, said Rizalee Castillo, a first-year science student at Thompson Rivers University.

She and her buddy, Kayla Finney, were at Valleyview secondary Tuesday where a Best Buddies program was successfully launched early this school year.

Finney summed the program up best when she described the problems she had making friends.

"I've had trouble trusting people," said Finney, who has cerebral palsy and fetal alcohol syndrome. "I had people who were so-called friends who would eventually back away from me."

When she was buddied with Castillo, she met someone who wanted to spend time with her, and who enjoyed spending time with her, she said.

"A friend is a friend. A friend doesn't judge a book by its cover," said Finney.

Castillo said the bond is mutual. She and Finney spend hours talking over coffee and go to movies. The two tell each other things they wouldn't tell other friends or family.

She was introduced to Best Buddies while at Sa-Hali secondary, which had a program like the one started at Valleyview.

When Castillo arrived at TRU, she was surprised there were no Best Buddies at the university, so she started one and hopes to keep it going in September, she said.

Shelley Thompson, the life skills teacher at Valleyview, recruited Grade 12 student Ryan Comeau to get the program off the ground. He intends to help Castillo keep Best Buddies going at TRU.

As for Valleyview, Comeau and Thompson believe the volunteers have made the program a success. The teens have taken the life skills students bowling, to the B.C. Wildlife Park and on other outings they otherwise wouldn't have got to enjoy.

Grade 11 student MJ Van Dyk said she was nervous at first because she didn't know what to expect. But once she learned that Dustin likes music and dancing, Kenny loves to play with toys and Dean enjoys computer games, it became easy.

"It's taking the time to talk to them and learn what they like to do," she said.

The camaraderie the students have built extends beyond time spent in the program. Thompson said she sees the volunteers greet their special needs friends in the hall between classes and give each other high-fives and hugs.

"It's about levelling the playing field," Thompson said of Best Buddies.

Elijah Beaver, Kaitlyn Le Beau and Brianna Davidson are among the Valleyview student volunteers.