Most people want to share their lives with a partner. Of course, this also applies to people with disabilities. But when you have a disability, it is often much more difficult to find a nice partner. Going out can be difficult, and then of course the chances of meeting someone are immediately much lower. Escort girls and prostitutes are also very popular among people with disabilities. It is more common for an escort girl to visit a disabled person for sex.
Therefore, if you cannot work because of your disability, the chances of meeting a nice colleague who will appeal to you also vanish. If disability affects your social life, you simply meet fewer people than if you are not disabled. After all, it is not called a disability for nothing.
However, it is possible to meet someone in the way others do. Like people without a disability or handicap, you too can join a dating site to find a nice partner. This can be a 'normal' dating site, but there are also special dating sites for people with disabilities.
Registration on 'normal' dating sites
Of course, as a disabled person you can also register on a normal dating site. Dating sites are explicitly open to people with physical or mental disabilities. And they increasingly use some scientific tools to suggest people who are a good match. In addition, dating agencies regularly organise activities and singles parties in which you can participate even if you are disabled. If you are a disabled person looking for a partner who is not himself disabled, you will certainly find one on one of these websites. These are the most popular dating sites:
Having an intellectual disability does not mean that you do not want a relationship. These people, in particular, often have a great need for affection and are happy to give it. However, there is a risk of abuse. Therefore, when a person with intellectual disabilities starts online dating, it is often advisable to have a supportive partner to avoid major disappointments.
There are special websites for dating people with mental disabilities, such as ABC Date. And then there is the website Without COC Stamp, which is aimed at LGBT people with intellectual disabilities.
People with physical disabilities, such as hearing, visual or motor disabilities, also seek love in their lives. For these target groups too, there are websites where it is possible to get in touch with people who also have a disability or with people who do not have a disability but who find it quite easy to have a partner with a disability.
G-Date is perhaps the most famous dating site for people with disabilities. This website was featured in the BNN programme 'The Undateables'. In this programme, young people with disabilities were helped to find a nice partner or at least a date. On G-Date you can register to get in touch with people who also have a disability. But even if you do not have a disability, you can register here if you are not interested in your partner having a disability.
People with autistic disabilities are often perfectly capable of being in a relationship. Of course they have their limitations, but a partner who deals with this properly can have a very loving and reliable partner in a person with an autism spectrum condition. Often these people are very intelligent and are much quicker to recognise that something is happening or that they should react in a certain way.
There are also special dating sites for people with hearing and visual impairments. The best known dating site for people with physical disabilities is Datetoo.nl. Here you can register if you are hard of hearing or visually impaired or if you use a wheelchair. Blind and visually impaired persons can of course also use the website via voice navigation. The website naturally has additional functions that facilitate its use by people with disabilities. Even for this website, it is possible to register even if you are not disabled yourself, but finding a relationship with someone who is immediately disabled is no problem.
If you register on a dating site that is not specifically dedicated to people with disabilities, it is advisable to tell people that you have a disability before the first date. If someone thinks they are dating a man or woman with whom 'there is nothing' wrong, it can be a bit shocking when someone in a wheelchair takes a seat at the table in the restaurant opposite.
If you have a minor disability, such as a visual or audiovisual impairment that allows you to function practically normally, you should hide it until the first date. After all, there are many people who wear glasses, contact lenses or hearing aids and can participate in social life with these aids without too many restrictions.
It is not a good idea to hide a disability until the end of the relationship. If you have a mental illness for which you take medication, it is not a good idea for your partner to only find out about it when you start living together and you suddenly pull out a bottle of tablets and say: 'Yes, I take them every night because otherwise I behave strangely'.
Always be honest when asked about your disability or handicap. Lying or hiding things always backfires.
Even if you are not disabled, you should be aware of the consequences of a relationship with a disabled person. If you are young, it limits your freedom of movement, e.g. when going out or travelling. If you wish to have children, it can be a problem if your partner is disabled. The condition may be hereditary. Later in life, the disability may become a greater burden. If your partner is confined to a wheelchair, it may become too much of a burden to care for him or her properly.
But of course these concerns should not prevent you from entering into a relationship with a disabled person. A relationship between a disabled person and a non-disabled person can be as stable as one between two healthy people. And if you both have a disability, this can create a bond. Make sure you receive extra support or guidance if needed.
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