Speed dating disabled people
13-Dec-2019 14:01
All three are living in New York and actively participating in the dating scene without their sense of sight.
There are over seven million Americans living with vision loss, and one in five Americans have used online dating.
We can see how very outdated and silly the stigmas around disability and dating truly are.
These three 20 and 30 something’s show us that blind people flirt, go on dates, fall in and out of love, get married, and have children, just like anyone else.
Voiceover and tactile solutions have given visually impaired individuals access to so many outlets in the virtual world, and yet, online dating platforms and apps continue to lag far behind.
“Online dating for blind people is frustrating at best,” Gus shared, who also works as a technology accessibility specialist for the Helen Keller Services for the Blind in New York.
Sure, it may seem like we shouldn’t need that reminder in the 21st century, but we do.
The film welcomes us to open our minds to that reality and get desensitized: dating as a blind man or woman will have the same ups and downs, teach the same lessons, and potentially introduce us to a part of ourselves that we couldn’t have learned on our own.
It taps into some of our worst fears – the fear of being rejected because of the way we look or the fear of not being good enough.
The film peels back that superficial layer, letting us into the lives of Nefertiti, Gus, and Anthony on a more personal, intimate level.
As a result, we start to see ourselves and our own experiences in each character’s story.
“You really do step out and take a ride in someone's dating life, and it’s a fun ride.
I think everyone has left having learned what it’s like to be blind or consider dating someone blind to a degree.
The slurs become more rampant when they try to socialise with people, make friends, and/or get into a relationship.