Dating, Relationships, and Disability

Did you know the month of July, which is when this publishes is Disability Pride month? Disability Pride Month is intended to honor the history, achievements, experiences, and struggles of the disability community. I would like to do this through the lens of  dating and relationships for people with disabilities. As we celebrate Disability Pride Month this July, it's essential to recognize th...

If you’re listening to this the day it publishes, Happy Fourth of July if you live in the States. When we think of July Fourth, two words most commonly come to mind: independence and freedom. I want to talk about the latter today, especially in regards to dating. As I work with people on having courage and confidence to date, especially in our membership, Dating Made Easier, I’m reminded of all th...

Today we're diving into a topic that many of us have experienced on online platforms: ghosting. We'll explore how hurtful it can be and share some strategies for getting over it.  Here's an email I recently received about being ghosted: Dear Kathy, dear Radiant Abilities Team, I found your site through Google while looking up resources regarding Ghosting and relationships and first of all I w...

In teaching about dating and relationship skills, we cannot do that without addressing sexuality. Sexuality and disability has long been a complex issue due to what was discussed in Episode #2 regarding sexual ableism. Sexuality, as defined I define it, is a natural part of you, independent of your relationship status. We are typically socialized to think that sexuality relates to the act of havin...

Family and friends. You probably rely on them the most. They’re the people who love you, hopefully see you for who you are, and I really hope they get the value you bring to the world. I know that’s not always the case, and relationships with family and friends can get sticky and complicated. We’re going to talk about one of those sticky situations with family and friends today—navigating the diff...

If you’re listening to this close to the time that it publishes, we’re in Pride month. For years now, and I mean before honoring Pride became so acceptable, I thought as a disabled, heterosexual person, there was volumes that the disability community could learn from the Pride community. Today we’ll be exploring the parallels between the disability rights movement and the LGBTQ+ movement and how t...

Too Busy To Date “I’m just really busy.” How often have you heard this and have also found yourself saying it? About anything? We live in a too busy world. I sometimes find it being my automatic response when people ask how I am. It’s probably very valid. You are busy. Life frequently offers a lot to us. It can be very hard to say no. But….many times what keeps us busy is not what is most importan...

Today we'll be discussing the importance of doing a belief audit to improve self-esteem and confidence when it comes to dating. We'll be diving into the importance of doing a belief audit and how it can positively impact your love life. But before we jump in, let's define what a thought audit actually is. A belief audit, also known as a thought audit, is the process of examining and evaluating the...

If you have been listening to me or following me for any length of time, you know that what I want most for people is to have success in dating and relationships. I see the mission of my life’s work to move the needle so that people with disabilities or the disabled, whichever you prefer, are more easily viewed and accepted as dating and relationship partners. That’s why we now have the Dating Mad...

Many people will not try online dating or maybe tried it at one time, had a bad experience or no experience, meaning no results, and will not try it again. While I will always say, you need to do you and decide what’s best for you, there’s no denying that online dating can be successful for many. According to a 2019 study, around 39% of straight couples and 65% of same-sex couples meet online. I w...

Dating skills are so important for all people, but especially people with disabilities.  That's why RADIANT ABILITIES IS COMMITTED TO HELPING PEOPLE, BOTH WITH AND WITHOUT DISABILITIES, TO MAKE DATING AND DEVELOPING HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS EASIER. When addressing issues surrounding dating and relationships with parents and support staff, collaboration can be difficult and challenging.  Som...

There are some real scary statistics out there about the high rate of sexual assaults on people with disabilities. While they should be discuss every day as a means of figuring out how to bring down this horrendous number, April being Sexual Assault Awareness Month, is a good time to do so. In 2017 the US Justice Department came out with a report that said someone especially with an intellectual d...

Sign up for these workshops happening TODAY (publish date): How to Solve the Dating and Relationship Puzzle Why Dating Apps Are Not Working and What to Do Instead*? Nichole Hastings is  Coordinator of Self-Advocacy & Community Engagement Westchester Institute for Human Development (WIHD) and is the Vice president of the Hear Our Voices Self-Advocacy Group And a current Trainee in the LEND...

Sign up for these workshops happening on April 11: How to Solve the Dating and Relationship Puzzle Why Dating Apps Are Not Working and What to Do Instead*? Today I want to step back and have a “bigger picture” look at dating and relationships and talk about why we date. Now, of course, we all have our individual answers for that. But I think in the grand scheme of things, most of our answers come...

Sonya Rio-Glick (she/her) is a queer and disabled Disability Justice practitioner, organizational leader, writer, and cultural worker based in Atlanta. Raised by two moms in Upstate NY, Sonya has contended with complex social justice issues her entire life. In 2013, she began providing disability etiquette and accessibility workshops at COLAGE, the largest support network for people with LGBTQ+ pa...

Marco, 36, loves everything to do with cars and working out. His relationship with Dana is my second serious relationship ever.  Dana, 44, has three children, and has a property manager for ten years. She now works for the New York state housing authority. She never dated someone with a disability before meeting Marco.  They chat with me about meeting on a dating app, Dana getting to kno...

 “Joey” Pagano,  a Central New York-based journalist, columnist, and writer. He recently obtained my masters degree in Cultural Foundations of Education and certificate of advanced study in Disability Studies from Syracuse University’s School of Education. He graduated from Syracuse’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications in May 2021, one year early, and am pursuing a career in j...

Check out our Dating Memberships: Dating Made Easier (for all people wanting to date) - is a monthly membership for anyone (with or without disabilities) who wants support and guidance in dating skills and getting the RESULTS you want in dating and relationships. Click here to learn more. Supporting Dating and Relationships membership (for special educators and professionals in disability services...

Today I want to focus on transitional behavior change in dating. In this episode, we will be discussing how to change your behavior in small ways to get the results in dating and relationships that you want. Whether you're moving from casual dating to a committed relationship or just trying to work up the courage to put yourself out there, these transitions can be challenging, and changing your be...

I'm sharing a Q & A session from the dating presentation in Episode 72 I  gave to the Myositis Association. Malati Marlene Shinazy from the Myostis community dropped a wisdom bomb on  the best question - and the only question - you should ask on a first date. We also talk about: Ableism in dating The Promotional Self versus the Real Self in Dating How to disclose a disability Sex ver...

Listen to a live workshop I gave to the Myositis Association .  You'll hear the three essentials to dating with a disability. The simple breakdown is: Beliefs - You have to have a positive belief system about yourself, your disability, and your potential for dating.  A Dating Plan - A lot of people want to date, dream about it, hope for it, but don't really plan for it. You need a plan f...

For Valentine's Day, I wanted to share a story of a couple living out dating, relationships, and disability. Victoria is a 32 year old woman who was born prematurely with an official diagnosis of spastic diplegia cerebral palsy within her first year. She is  a full-time wheelchair user - college educated with a degree in Spanish.  Sean is a science writer, maker, cat dad, and halfway dec...

This year we're aiming to make dating EASIER for you. Join us for lunch of Valentine's Day, bring a question or dating dilemma you're dealing with, and let us share some solutions with you. Sign up here to join us on Valentine's Day at 12pm EST. Check out our Dating Memberships: Dating Made Easier (for all people wanting to date) - is a monthly membership for anyone (with or without disabilities)...

“Consult your own heart and decide what kind of person you want to be,”  -Chris Lowney, Heroic Living  Often when we’re dating and not getting the results we want, ie, not getting dates or people even looking at our profile, it can get pretty discouraging. That discouragement can certainly intensify the loneliness and frustration you feel about dating. This may cause you to think, What e...

If you saw the title of this podcast and thought, Wait a minute, you’re always saying how you need dating confidence. And while i still agree with this, I think one of the ways we grow the most in life is to consider different alternatives to looking at our own ideas so they're not etched in stone. I recently read a great book that i was actually asked to review before it’s published. It will be o...