During Pride Month, we celebrate the LGBTQ+ community’s achievements and progress towards equality. It’s important to recognize and amplify the voices of LGBTQ+ individuals with disabilities, highlighting their unique experiences. By understanding their challenges and contributions, we can foster a more inclusive society.
As a millennial, it is not uncommon for my generation to meet partners on dating apps, so when I graduated college and moved to Denver, I gave the apps a good shot. I set up my profile using my favorite photos of myself, crafted a cheeky bio, and began swiping! The matches rolled in and I felt excited…but the excitement didn’t last long.
Love is a universal language that transcends boundaries, yet for many individuals with disabilities, chronic illnesses, and neurodivergence, the journey to find love and experience romance can be filled with unique challenges. In a society that often places limitations on who is deemed deserving of love, it is crucial to shed light on the barriers faced by these individuals and advocate for a more inclusive and empathetic approach to relationships.
Dizziness and vertigo are among the most common, and most debilitating, complaints in doctors offices and Emergency Departments; about 20-30% of the population is affected by dizziness annually (1). Despite it being one of the most common complaints, it is not a symptom that many physicians and other providers know a lot about. So, if you are a person who lives with dizziness, let’s dive into what that could look like for you, and what the reason could be.
Tips for Your Dateability Profile Online dating can be intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be! What should you include in your bio? Which pictures should you use? Here are some tips to make your dating app experience the most fun and successful: 1. Photos: When choosing photos, use ones that are the best representation of yourself! Don’t use photoshopped pictures—you are beautiful the way you are. Use high quality photos (and ditch the sunglasses!). Lastly, use a variety of pictures, such as ones with friends or one in which you are doing a hobby. 2. Verify Profile: Fill out the profile verification form to let users know that you are the real deal! You can also request users to verify if they have not done so already. 3. Basic Descriptors: On Dateability, users have the option to hide the basic descriptors. Profiles with the most information receive the most likes! 4. Bio: Add a fun bio so users can get a good sense of your personality. 5. Activity: You need to use the app to get those matches! Log on every day for at least five minutes to swipe through your feed and likes list. Message your matches and don’t ghost! 6. Image Descriptions: Because Dateability is a dating app for disabled people, we include a text box for image descriptions. Image descriptions are helpful for blind & low vision users, as well as those with sensory processing disorders. Add image descriptions to each picture. Stay tuned for a post about how to write them! Jacqueline Child Jacqueline is the co-founder of Dateability. She lives with multiple chronic illnesses and is dedicated to changing the experience of disabled people.
We are excited to release a big update! We took all of your feedback and enhanced the app according to your suggestions.
At my last trip to the Emergency Room, the doctors just attributed the merciless pain I’d been feeling for a week in my neck and down my arm as just a manifestation of stress and anxiety. They ruled out a heart attack, but no x-rays. Just a dose of Dilaudid and an escort to the waiting area for my ride to pick me up. I felt like my mental health must have become so weakened that I was making it up or exaggerating my symptoms. I was scared of the pain, but more terrified it was all a product of my mind. That I was making myself sick somehow.
Think about the last time you saw a romantic lead with a disability in a movie or TV show. Now think of one that was portrayed authentically, in a non-offensive way, AND played by an actor or actress with a disability in real life. Hard right?
Ableism, the entrenched discrimination against individuals with disabilities, poses a formidable barrier to achieving an equitable and inclusive society. Rooted in ignorance and prejudice, ableism perpetuates harmful beliefs that marginalize and disempower individuals with disabilities. In this blog post, we delve into the complex web of ableism, emphasize the urgent need to dismantle its pervasive influence, and offer actionable steps to cultivate empathy and foster inclusivity…
As a young girl, I dreamed about the day I would get married. I imagined finding my partner in college and beginning a happy life together, but when I graduated without a partner, I hit the dating apps. I knew the apps were becoming increasingly popular and real people were finding love on them, so I said, “Hey, why not? Let’s give it a shot.” I put my hobbies and basic information on my profile and uploaded my favorite photos. The matches started rolling in, but then the course suddenly changed. What happened you may ask? I told my matches I was disabled…