Wheelchair-using couples tell Faith Martin how they overcame wheelchair challenges to find love together, plus tips for non-wheelchair users. Dating is a challenge for anyone. But for wheelchair users, dating brings up a whole host of new challenges. The first thing to remember is that leaving the house takes planning, and dating is the same but on steroids.

If you can get through the door, how much space is there?

Dating in My 40s as a Wheelchair User

Are the toilets accessible for you or do you need a changing places loo nearby? The best thing to do is ask for recommendations, do a Google search on accessibility or ring the restaurant to see if they can accommodate your needs before booking a table.

Pre-planning dates together can help with your nerves. Activities like museums, cinemas and picnics can all be made accessible with a few tweaks. Most chain cinemas and bigger museums will have wheelchair access, while something like a picnic requires very little adaptation and can be anywhere that suits your needs.

Some national parks even offer wheelchair-accessible trails, so a romantic stroll is an option before or after your picnic. They met via Dating formerly Twitterand Poppy flew over to meet Grant when they started dating last year. Once he was click at this page, the hotel receptionist asked if I was from a 'special programme', and how nice it was 'for people to do these things'.

How to have great accessible dates in a wheelchair

Awkward moments are bound to arise on any date, let alone when you have the extra challenge of being a wheelchair user. Niamh Dunphy and Karl Doyle met through friends at university and now run a successful TikTok channel, documenting their adventures as a couple and reviewing live music.

They are both wheelchair users. Transport is always a big issue, as you wheelchair only get one wheelchair on a bus at a wheelchair My bus was late, and Niamh was waiting in the hot summer sun, burning like a lobster.

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She still has a dating mark from where her watch was, although we laugh about it now. I asked Niamh and Karl what they thought made a great accessible date. She met her partner Charlie a non-wheelchair user in hospital as children, and they reconnected years later and started dating in Around ten years ago, we went bowling — it was a great evening, and it still comes up every see more often… More recently, we dating two nights in an adapted double shepherd hut in mid-Wales — both the hut and location were truly stunning, and we had a wonderful time relaxing.

We know that for non-wheelchair-using folk, dating a wheelchair user might feel daunting. Perhaps book a restaurant that you know is accessible or set up an at-home activity. Taking the stress away means we can actually enjoy the date. All you need to do is treat us how you would treat anyone else, with respect. They have just as much to offer in a relationship as you do. Faith is a year old arts and culture journalist and disability rights champion. Her work appears in the Daily Mirror, Metro, and Gigwise.

A powered wheelchair user who campaigns wheelchair equal access to live events, she's spending Valentine's evening watching The Vaccines in Southampton.

Home News How to have great accessible …. How to have great accessible dates in a wheelchair Wheelchair-using couples tell Faith Martin how they overcame dating challenges to find love together, plus tips for non-wheelchair users.

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Is the venue for your date accessible? Once he dating gone, the hotel receptionist asked if I was from a 'special programme' Poppy Field. Niamh and Karl Niamh Dunphy and Karl Doyle met through friends at university and now run a successful TikTok channel, documenting their adventures as a couple and reviewing live music.

Tips for dating a wheelchair user We know that for non-wheelchair-using folk, dating a wheelchair user link feel daunting. About Faith Martin Wheelchair is a year old dating and culture journalist and disability rights champion.