Dating for disabled people has been virtually non-existent until recent times. Historically, society has long overlooked the fact that disabled people too have a need for intimacy and sex. Perceived as being almost asexual, those living with an impairment have often found it difficult to find potential partners and form lasting intimate relationships. The more severe the impairment or condition, the more difficult is the situation.

Opportunities to date thus do not come by very easily for those living with disability or inhibiting medical conditions. This is especially true for those whose impairments limit their scope of socialising outside their immediate environment. In recent times the emergence of dating websites and agencies has changed the situation significantly and persons with disabilities are finding it easier to meet new people. For online daters a whole new community is accessible at the mere click of a mouse!

Dating for disabled people is very much the same as for anyone else. It has the same excitement, the same fears, the same initial awkwardness and the same rules and courtesies. What sets it apart though is the consideration and sensitivity that needs to be shown towards the impairment itself. For example, one might set up a dinner date at a fancy restaurant only to find that it makes no allowances for people in wheelchairs. Paying attention to such details definitely enhances the fun of dating.

The initial introductory phase of dating is vital for disabled people. This is when the partners are getting to know one another and are unsure of how sensitive the other is about the disability. At this time it is very common for one of the partners to actually ignore the disability altogether in trying to keep everything normal. And thus, by trying not to unknowingly hurt the others feelings often a partner may simply overlook the fact that there is actually an impairment involved!

At the other end of the spectrum is the partner who is so overly conscious about the disability that he or she makes allowances for it all the time. This can lead to the person with the impairment feeling completely inadequate rather than special!

Both these situations are unlikely to result in a long term relationship. While allowances have to be made to accommodate the limitations posed by the disability, they vary according to the nature and severity of the impairment itself. Thus, a successful partnership is formed when a balance is struck between knowing when to help and when to stand back.

When the partners do not share the same disability or when one of them is able bodied, having some knowledge of the others condition is always useful. This helps in deciding which courtesies to extend and which not to extend, in different situations. Dating then becomes fun and exciting for disabled people.

Online dating sites and dating agencies, together with organisations working with disabilities have all lent a hand in making dating easier for disabled people. As a result, today the situation is not as difficult as it used to be earlier and the future shows great promise.