Big news, and dating tips, from our friend Bridget
by Beth
Bridget and George
Last year around Valentine’s Day Bridget Houlihan wrote a piece for us about factoring disability into dating. Bridget has cerebral palsy, and while she thinks dating is fun, she also conceded that it can be difficult. “It can feel especially intimidating if you have a disability,” she wrote. “Or if you’re interested in going out with someone who has one.”
Bridget wrote about all the “what ifs” that came into her mind before mustering up the courage to ask her boyfriend George out on a date:
Things like “What if he doesn’t find me attractive because I use a wheelchair?” or “What if I need his help? Will that make me less appealing to him?”
Turns out George had questions of his own. He wondered what the best ways were to make Bridget feel at ease when they went out, he wanted more details about her cerebral palsy, and he wanted to know whether or not he should help push her wheelchair if he saw her struggling with a curb cut or incline. “I learned you can’t let the what ifs and questions stop you from pursuing someone you’re really interested in,” she wrote. “You’ve got to just go for it because if you don’t, you could miss out on something extraordinary.”
We caught up with Bridget again this year, and she had some extraordinary news to share. “George and I are engaged!” she gushed. He’d proposed at his birthday party in June, and the couple will be married on September 8, 2015.
“It’s a special day,” Bridget told us, explaining that September 8 is George’s parents’ anniversary, and it’s her parents’ anniversary as well. “We decided to make it ours, too,” she said. “We’re so excited!”
Congratulations to Bridget and George, and you can check out Bridget’s top ten dating tips here — five are for people with disabilities, and five are for those who want to date someone with a disability.