- Oct 17, 2018

Demystifying Dating with a Disability

Squirmy and Grubs

My name is Shane Burcaw (@shaneburcaw on instagram) and I live with spinal muscular atrophy type two. My girlfriend, Hannah, and I run a YouTube channel called Squirmy and Grubs that documents our interabled relationship. In the 2.5 years that we have been together, Hannah and I have experienced some pretty weird interactions with strangers regarding our relationship. People are often astounded by the fact that we are a couple. On countless occasions, Hannah has been asked if she’s my sister/mom/nurse. On our vlogs, the questions and comments are even ruder; people often write that our love is abnormal and disgusting. All of this confusion and aversion is likely due to one of the most common stigmas about people with disabilities: that we are incapable and unworthy of romantic relationships. This is simply untrue, so Hannah and I have chosen to make our story public in an effort to normalize interabled dating. I’ll attach our first video, but there are lots more on our channel, and we post new content every week or two!

I was born with a neuromuscular disease called Spinal Muscular Atrophy that requires me to use an electric wheelchair. I am the author of several award-winning books, the President of a nonprofit organization called Laughing At My Nightmare, and a professional public speaker who has performed across the country at places such as Harvard University, The University of Florida, The University of Connecticut, Princeton University, and many more. I live in Minneapolis, MN with my girlfriend, Hannah.

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