Life with MS

Whether you are looking for conversation, flirtation, companionship, online chat, or a true love connection, here are some resources that may prove helpful. While these are geared primarily toward individuals with physical or emotional challenges, you needn’t limit yourself. You may find love and companionship with someone who is not living with a physical or emotional challenge. Surprisingly, overcoming your own self-limiting thoughts and beliefs may be your biggest challenge. However you choose to reach out, strive to focus on your positive attributes. Keep in mind that everybody has challenges in life. Indeed, it is often these very challenges that transform us into compassionate, courageous, loving individuals.
 
BOOKS
 
The Ultimate Guide to Sex and Disability For All of Us Who Live with Disabilities, Chronic Pain and Illness
 
By Miriam Kaufman, M.D., Cory Silverberg and Fran Odette
 
Cleis Press, 2003
 
This self-help sex guide is written for the millions of people living with disabilities and chronic pain and illness. Written by a doctor, a certified sex educator, and a women’s disability advocate, the book provides encouragement, support, and expert information and illustrations on everything from sexual positions, orgasm, communication, and sex toys. The resource guide offers hundreds of books, websites, and organizations.
 
Enabling Romance: The Guide to Love, Sex and Relationships for People with Disabilities
 
By Ken Kroll and Erica Levy Klein
 
No Limits Communications, 2001
 
Written by a husband and wife team, one of whom has a disability, this book provides a wealth of candid information on sexual variations and alternatives, safe sex and family planning, building self-esteem, the role of personal care attendants, the joy of sex alone, and more.
 
FREE ONLINE DATING COMMUNITIES
 
www.Dating4disabled.com 
 
Dating4Disabled.com was developed by a group of volunteers who wanted to provide social, intellectual and romantic outlets for disabled individuals. This growing community has become a gathering place for the international special needs population, where people can share, connect and just be heard.
 
The Dating4Disabled environment is welcoming and user-friendly. Advanced Internet tools allow for easy communication via forums, a dating service, private chats, blogs, and more. The site has also incorporated large font options and supporting icon comments to assist the visually challenged. 
 
Membership is free. In the two-minute sign-up, you will create a profile outlining your online preferences and letting other members know more about you and what you’re looking for. You can customize your interactions by type of relationship, life-challenge, geographic location, special interests, and more.
 
www.Disabled-world.com
 
Disabled World, an online resource for people with all types of disabilities, has a free dating community. The disabled dating community is an international site that includes disability chat rooms, personalized mailboxes, a compatibility matchmaking service, instant messaging (IM), and many more features. This Montreal-based online community also has links to local dating services and practical articles on sexual issues for individuals with various types of challenges.
 
www.SoulfulEncounters.com
 
Soulful Encounters is an online support system that offers the opportunity for friendship and more for people with disabilities by people with disabilities. It includes expert advice from a pharmacist, social workers, pastor, and other professionals. Louise, founder of Soulful Encounters, has been disabled for many years and has also worked in the medical field. After hearing of people’s struggles to find friendship and love with a disability, she created this site to help make people’s lives brighter.
 
Before you do anything, do your homework first. Read safety guidelines on websites and be cautious about paying for any memberships. If in doubt, ask a trusted friend or family member to help you check out any websites or local dating services. Never disclose any personal information, such as your address, phone or social security number.
 
(Last reviewed 7/2009)