5 ms·

>"We have found that achieving good outcomes for full-time wheelchair user clients can be quite challenging." Dating in general is hard, dating as one with a d

>"We have found that achieving good outcomes for full-time wheelchair user clients can be quite challenging." Dating in general is hard, dating as one with a disability is a whole new level of hard. I think the service's response is well-intentioned even if woefully ignorant. Surely the UK has laws similar to ADA and protected classes?

22c 6y ago
> Surely the UK has laws similar to ADA and protected classes? The article seems to imply that the journalist was "refused service" because of their disability. That does not seem to be the case. My understanding of the email was that the journalist was given a choice to proceed with the service after being informed that it's not likely to lead to a successful outcome.
- dundercoder 6y ago
  Agreed. I was just thinking that generally people are more reluctant to present a choice like this when protected classes are involved, lest it appear that they are discriminating in any way.
downrightmike 6y ago
They are just being upfront with her. 'British Paralympic swimmer Tully Kearney added: "Wrong on so many levels but the repeated use of ‘the disabled’ unforgivably offensive."' It reads like she's not okay with her life circumstances and found a way to blame someone else.
- sterlind 6y ago
  I'm disabled and I can sort of see both sides of this. The service didn't outright reject her (which would have been a violation in the US at least), but they did discourage her from applying, ostensibly drawing on their past experience. But maybe if there were more disabled people on dating platforms, they could - say - match them together, or perhaps abled people would become less prejudiced. I found an able-bodied partner, after all, who isn't resentful of my limitations. I also wonder how well they tried to match their disabled clients before. If the matchmakers themselves are ableist, they might not be giving it their all.

22c 6y ago

> Surely the UK has laws similar to ADA and protected classes? The article seems to imply that the journalist was "refused service" because of their disability. That does not seem to be the case. My understanding of the email was that the journalist was given a choice to proceed with the service after being informed that it's not likely to lead to a successful outcome.

dundercoder 6y ago
Agreed. I was just thinking that generally people are more reluctant to present a choice like this when protected classes are involved, lest it appear that they are discriminating in any way.

downrightmike 6y ago

They are just being upfront with her. 'British Paralympic swimmer Tully Kearney added: "Wrong on so many levels but the repeated use of ‘the disabled’ unforgivably offensive."' It reads like she's not okay with her life circumstances and found a way to blame someone else.

sterlind 6y ago
I'm disabled and I can sort of see both sides of this. The service didn't outright reject her (which would have been a violation in the US at least), but they did discourage her from applying, ostensibly drawing on their past experience. But maybe if there were more disabled people on dating platforms, they could - say - match them together, or perhaps abled people would become less prejudiced. I found an able-bodied partner, after all, who isn't resentful of my limitations. I also wonder how well they tried to match their disabled clients before. If the matchmakers themselves are ableist, they might not be giving it their all.