Jeff Probst Show – mamasmunchkin

I was watching “The Jeff Probst Show” this past Monday and he was talking to Deborah Ann Woll from the HBO series “True Blood”. Her boyfriend happens to be legally blind because of a rare condition called Choroideremia. What I happened to find most interesting about the interview was that they were talking about the modified dates they have been on because things like the sun are painful to her boyfriend’s eyes and can actually speed up his vision loss.

No matter what a person’s disability is, they have a right to have relationships with the opposite sex if they so choose. There might be some impact on the non-disabled person’s life but depending on the disability, this is not always the case. Also, if they love each other or really like each other it shouldn’t matter either way.

It was also interesting to me that during the interview, Deborah’s boyfriend (his name is E.J.) said that while he was trying to date people, some were bothered by his disability. Unfortunately, I know firsthand, from past experience, that some people can not handle dating someone who has a disability. In the long run, it is the person with out the disability who misses out, not the other way around.

As I was thinking about this, I can’t say that one gender is more likely to date a disabled person than the other. I just really think it depends on the person’s personality and their experiences that would make them more or less likely to be open to dating someone with a disability.

All in all, relationships can be complicated enough. People should not start out from the beginning with the attitude that things cannot work out with someone who is disabled, (or really vice versa for those who have a disability that are a little leery on dating someone who isn’t disabled.) just because they may have to do things a bit differently with that person. If they are interested in dating one another, they should just have an open mind about it and see how it works out.

Why is it that when you mention the words “dating” and “disability” in the same sentence, the topic seems so out of the ordinary to some people?

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We usually hear a lot of different inspiring stories about people overcoming certain odds. I was watching “The Jeff Probst Show” yesterday and they had a story about a dad and his daughter who has Cerebral Palsy. As I started to watch the show, I was unsure of the message they were trying to send to their audience but kept watching anyhow. The father started talking about how he felt like he was being punished by having a child with C.P.

If you have read my blog before, you know or have gathered that I do not feel that way about having a disability at all. As I continued watching, I realized how Maddy (the daughter with CP) helped her family (and dad) overcome their negative feelings about disability. Even though Maddy isn’t able to talk or walk because of her CP, she has overcome obstacles of her own in the sense of her family’s outlook on her life. She also participates in different sporting events, most times with her dad and even sometimes with her whole family. This is definitely an example of living the most independent and fulfilling life you can given your situation. After telling the story of his daughter, Maddy’s father said that he no longer sees her and her disability as a punishment, he says that it is now seen as something positive.

It has been my experience that some families who have a family member that is disabled sometimes have mixed emotions about the disabled family member. I know the difficulties and obstacles that come with having a disability. It is certainly not an easy feat to live with a disability but, I feel like in this story, Maddy helped her family have a better outlook on her disability. As a result, she has brought her family closer together.

How has an experience changed your outlook on life?

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Tag: Jeff Probst Show

Relationships and Disability

A Different Kind of Inspiration