Looking for Love? Try Dateability
“Faint heart never won fair lady/maiden.”
This old proverb first showed up somewhere in the early 1500s according to Google. The fact that we still hear it today shows that humanity continues to relate to this sentiment. In other words, love takes courage. It takes a lot to put oneself out there. You must be vulnerable and real. You need to be open to rejection, all while hoping for acceptance. What could be riskier?
Nonetheless, where are people looking?
Did you know that dating apps are currently the number one way couples meet in the USA? Dating apps used to fight for this top spot with mutual friend introductions. So how did society get here?
It started back in 1965. Picture an IBM 1401 computer and two Harvard students. They launched the first ever tech-based matchmaking service in America. Of course, the birth of the world wide web in 1995 made the way people look for love virtually explode.
What’s out there?
I’ll admit it. I was one of the reluctantly bold. I ventured into the tangle of online dating. Undoubtedly, the dating world is a mess! If you haven’t experienced it yourself, I’m sure you’ve heard stories. For instance, there are trolls lurking. Mean-spirited bullies, for example, pop out from behind coded 1s and 0s. People need to guard hearts accordingly against cruel messages and rapid judgements. Don’t even mention scammers.
If I received verbal attacks just for existing in a profile, what about others? What about the side of society that is already marginalized? What kind of abuse are people with disabilities seeing? How do people with IDD find relationships?
There are over 1,500 dating apps out there. Thus, you could say there is something for everyone. Dateability became available in 2022. It claims to be “the only dating app for the disabled and chronically ill communities.” Records showed 20,000 users in spring 2024.
Interestingly, two sisters, Alexa and Jacqueline Child developed Dateability. Jacqueline faced painful discrimination and offensive comments. She happens to be disabled due to chronic illness. The treatment she received on mainstream dating apps was unacceptable. She’s not the only victim. With this in mind, the duo launched the app to help change the dating game. Dateability aims to be a safe, go-to app for people with physical, intellectual, and psychiatric disabilities.
So what’s the deets?
Of course, users can filter potential matches by age, gender, and interested in. That’s a lot like other apps out there. Unique here is a category called Dateability Deets. This allows a person to build a profile that reveals a little about unique needs. However, privacy can be upheld with general headings like “wheelchair user” or “service animal.” This way a user doesn’t need to share their specific diagnosis with the world, unless they want. Everything is optional and there is a free write-in as well.
The verification process is optional. However, the yellow badge is a reassuring security measure. A user snaps photos posing as requested and these go through a human screener.
There’s even a shop if you want to get Dateability swag and raise awareness with merchandise.
Now what?
Before you do anything online, it is important to review safety strategies. Dateability has a checklist to get you started in making your own safety measures plan. Check out https://info.dateabilityapp.com/safety-resources. Dateability is available for iOS, Android, and web application in North America. Learn more at https://info.dateabilityapp.com.
