Meet the Dating App for the Disabled, Chronically Ill

In her early 20s, Kaci LaFon lived in Branson, Missouri, a tourist town known for its older population. She wanted to date but found it a challenge, so, like many her age, she headed to the apps. Over five years, she'd get a date here and there, but they always petered out. The issue, in her eyes? LaFon, now 28, is chronically ill. She has Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a connective tissue disorder, as well as a range of other health issues. Her matches had no idea how to navigate her challenges, or they had a god complex and wanted to treat her as an invalid. That all changed when LaFon went on Dateability, an app designed for both disabled and chronically ill people, per the AP. Soon after joining, she found her forever person, Collin LaFon, who has cerebral palsy and endured a similar dating experience. They married in September. More:

• More than 70 million US adults, or 1 in 4, reported having a disability in 2022, according to the most recent data available from the CDC. That's also the year that sisters Jacqueline and Alexa Child founded Dateability. They had 1,000 people sign up in the first month, and their user base has increased 10-fold in the last year, they say.
• The service has both free and paid options. Among the differences in tiers: Users who don't pay must like or pass on a profile before seeing another. Paid users can see all profiles that have sent them a "like" at once.
• Dateability also welcomes nondisabled users, screening as best it can to avoid those who fetishize chronically ill or disabled people. The sisters have found that most nondisabled people using it have some connection to the disabled or chronically ill communities through a loved one or their own advocacy work. "We wanted to make it truly inclusive," Alexa said.

• In addition to stigma and misconceptions about their abilities and challenges, people with chronic illnesses and disabilities face other roadblocks in dating. Not all social venues like bars and restaurants are fully accessible, which could mean no ramps, poor lighting, or a noisy environment. Online, some dating apps have limited assistive technology, such as sign language support or screen reader compliance with common software for the visually impaired.
• Opening up about their personal needs can also be daunting, said disability advocate Matthew Shapiro. Some have given up on dating altogether, or never tried. "People with disabilities deserve love and deserve relationships, just like anyone else," he said.

More here.