The wonderful world of dating. It includes mysteries, such as “How long should I wait until calling him/her back?” and unwritten laws, like “Better not text two times in a row” and “If I’ve been the first to text ‘Good Morning’ five days in a row, it should be his/her turn.” Hours are spent on getting the hairdo just right or perfecting that online dating profile– especially the oh-so-important “About Me” section (by the way, there’s no way that EVERYONE in online dating enjoys traveling, right?). A lot of pressure comes with dating– for everybody.
But for people with disabilities, another question can often come to mind: “Does my disability matter to the person I’m dating or interested in?”
My Life Without Limits decided to look into this. Many different scenarios exist when you’re “dating with a disability.” Maybe one partner has a disability and the other does not. It can be a man or woman with the disability. And whoever he/she is dating can be a man or a woman. Or maybe both people have a disability. Lots of ways to approach it, huh?
After diving deeper into this question, it can be determined that perhaps the answer is dependent on whether the person with a disability is trying to attract a man or a woman as his/her potential love — thus, creating a new question: “Who is more accepting of a disability — men or women?” Or, the flip side: “Will my disability be a deal-breaker for my potential date?”
To discuss this further, we pulled together a mix of staff and friends at United Cerebral Palsy’s (UCP) national office in Washington, DC to offer their thoughts on the matter. People with and without disabilities chimed in and (SPOILER ALERT), let’s just say the verdict was a bit lopsided.
So who, in fact, is more accepting of a disability — men or women? Check out the video below and let us know what you think. This is just our introductory video to the topic and we’ll be exploring this further. So chime in and feel free to join the discussion!