The WHEEL Appeal of Online Dating

A Two-Year Diary by Alana Wallace

As I shove two slices of toast in this darn too small toaster, I decide that after breakfast I am going to take my friend's advice and sign up for online dating!  After all, spending two years to heal my broken heart is enough time (right?). At  62, I can't believe I'm back out here in the dating pool.

The dating scene has changed so much since I was last available.  Online dating is the most popular way for singles to meet. Most women find online dating difficult, however add a wheelchair into the mix and difficulty turns into something else indeed!  Nevertheless, I'll try it.

Profile Name:  Aphrodite

Tag Line:  I Believe in Fairytale Endings  ... and So They Lived Happily Ever After!

Clever Opening:  I'm too young to give up on love, but too old to be lured into replacing real phone calls with habitual texting!

What's in a Name?



By Amy Saffell

I’ve always been someone who thinks that words matter. How you refer to someone or something isn’t just hollow of meaning; it conveys how you think about what you're speaking about, and, conversely, it can influence who you’re talking to about your subject matter. For this reason, the now commonly used people-first language comes naturally to me, emphasizing the person rather than the disability. In my life, I’ve seen a positive change in the way people think about others with disabilities by learning to focus on the person rather than the disability. It’s only been more recently that I’ve realized another way that people with disabilities may be unintentionally using words that devalue themselves.

I’m Disabled, 20-Something, and Believe in Love

By Kristin Duquette

 

This piece is an excerpt of writings regarding love and self-acceptance. Regardless of societal differences- from ability, gender, sexual orientation, race, etc. - you are a powerful source of love.

I never knew how much I was loved. It’s honorary. It’s scary. It’s overwhelming. It’s amazing.

If only we reached into these emotions more often and lived from a place of deep love, much of our daily lives would truly change- from our relationships, friendships, family bonds to strangers we pass by.

I never knew how much I was truly cared about and that I actually influence people’s lives.  Society has a tendency to see me as a broken individual, but with love, I’ve learned to shatter those lenses and begin to see myself as a source of love.

Kirsy's Makeup Journey and Adaptable Makeup Tutorial

by Kirsy Rodriguez



Ever since I was little girl I've always liked makeup, something about it always caught my eye. I remember when I was around five years old I used to get into my mother's makeup bag and pullout one of her lipsticks to put it on. Actually, it was more like slathering it on since not just my lips got some of the lipstick action. Then when I was in junior high school I remember sneaking out one of her lipsticks and hiding it under the cushion of my wheelchair and putting it on right before arriving to school on the yellow bus. I know, I was such a little rebel. I wish I could say that I didn't get caught but nothing got passed my Dominican mother. Thankfully, all that sneaking around ended once I started high school and I was finally allowed to put on a little lipstick without having to hide it from mom. It was such a liberating moment, apart from getting my first power chair of course.