Wikipedia defines personals as - An item or notice traditionally in the newspaper, similar to a classified ad but personal in nature. With most personals being posted by those looking to make friends or find romance, it usually consists of some details about the person posting it along with a brief description of who they are looking for. With the wide scope that it offers, the web is a popular site for personals relating to dating and matchmaking.

On dating sites for disabled people, personals are hugely popular. Members can make up their minds about connecting with a person after getting a glimpse of their character from the personals.

Disabled personals often mention the nature of the impairment and the expectations of the person posting the personal. This helps the member who is accessing the site decide beforehand whether the impairment is something they can deal with. The person who has posted the personal too is spared early rejection on the basis of the impairment.

Like other classifieds, disabled personals too are expected to follow some basic criteria. Most dating websites for disabled people lay down a set of guidelines with regard to personals. Chief among them is that only persons above 18 years of age are allowed to post a personal and providing contact details like phone numbers and addresses is inadvisable for security reasons.

Other than some adult contact sites, disabled dating sites as a rule want their members to be single. Those whose marital status is legally separated, divorced or widowed are included in this category. However anyone looking for an extra-marital affair or couples looking for group sex are prevented from posting personals.

Most websites also discourage the use of obscene or abusive language in their personals and advise against including measurements of body parts.

There are particular guidelines to photographs as well. Usually dating websites displaying both disabled and non-disabled personals require posted photographs to conform to certain regulations as regard to size and format.

They strongly discourage pictures which are violent, obscene or those which show nudity. Portrayals of illegal sexual activities or those involving minors or animals are cause for immediate dismissal of the personal. Members are also advised not to modify their photographs using computer technology!

With dating being the primary reason behind disabled personals, honesty is the best policy when writing them. It makes little sense to make up facts and embellish a profile just to appear better or just because other people are doing it. The potential date is bound to find out the reality sooner or later!

Being clear about an existing disability or condition is also a good idea. Keep the basic rules in mind and you will surely find some exciting people at these sites.

Describing oneself in an interesting though brief manner attracts people to the personal. The description needs a bit of prior thought though, as introspection about oneself is not always easy. As one website advises - Try to see yourself as the likable person you are!

Dating success through disabled personals is proof enough that this option of finding compatible partners is here to stay!