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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To not want to date this guy?

231 replies

Destinysdaughter · 16/01/2016 22:11

I had a blind date tonight with a guy who seemed really nice online and he turned up to the pub and he was in a wheelchair! He hadn't mentioned his disability before so I was a bit taken aback by it. He was nice but don't think I want to date someone in a wheelchair. Does that make me a v shallow person? He broke his back in a motorbike accident when he was 30, is 50 now. He was nice company but I do feel annoyed that he didn't mention this at all before we met. I feel bad about not wanting to meet him again, I'd be happy to see him again as a friend but as sex would be impossible, I don't see it being a relationship. What would you do?

OP posts:
wannaBe · 16/01/2016 23:18

Supermanspants IMO there are disabilities which might mean that someone wouldn't want to continue dating said person. However often the wish to not date someone with a disability is often born out of ignorance than an informed decision iyswim, which is why many people don't declare their disability up front and give the potential date a chance to get to know them a bit as a person first before seeing them as a wheelchair/deaf/blind/person with mental illness first and making that decision accordingly.

If there are implications to the disability e.g. Regular hospitalisation/severe episodes/need for care/genetic condition which could be passed on then yes, of course, these need to be discussed in conjunction with the getting-to-know-you process.

Fwiw my xh has a visual impairment which while is not severe enough for him to need adaptive technology, is severe enough that he won't ever be able to drive, for instance. And it is genetic, with a 50/50 chance of it being passed to any children. It is noticeable in that he needs to look closely at screens etc and one eye moves involuntarily. However, he didn't tell his now DP until they were several dates in. He actually assumed she didn't know, but when he did mention it she had already realised. However I'll admit I was a bit Hmm that he had as yet not told her, because not only is he VI but his entire family is as well, so the implications for them having children together were that there was a very real chance any children could inherit the condition. It wsn't an issue for her as it happens, but it very easily could have been, esp given the condition is genetic, and any children born with it would require surgery very soon after birth.

It's a balancing act between where someone should just be accepted for who they are and when who they are might impact on the lives of others. But equally different people balance those factors differently, and reality is that most choose to not even go there, not because of knowledge but because of ignorance.

Heatherplant · 16/01/2016 23:18

If he's used the chair for 20 years he probably doesn't see it as a big deal so didn't mention it and if he's on a site like 'fabswingers' I'm sure he's capable of having sex. TBH I'd be more worried he was meeting up for casual sex online than I would the wheelchair.

shazzarooney99 · 16/01/2016 23:18

Bombaybunty i agree with you xx

Supermanspants · 16/01/2016 23:19

Sir
Still not answered the fucking question though have you Hmm

Samcro · 16/01/2016 23:19

yawn
dear OP disabled people can fuck and reproduce.
I am glad this guy had a near miss and I hope he finds a nice person

Supermanspants · 16/01/2016 23:21

Good post wanna

user7755 · 16/01/2016 23:22

And I said in my following post (which you obviously read) that I wouldn't make a decision based on someones health but their personality.

The reference to a previous post was an attempt at a helpful signpost to the general feelings around the issue.

Not really sure why there is the need for a concrete yes or no tbh - perhaps you are trying to make a point and it isn't quite working for you?

codolod · 16/01/2016 23:23

Emily is a friend of mine I traveled with. She's the most independent person I know, she crossed the desert with myself and a group of others on camel back, and became the first wheelchair user to do so.

She knows what she's talking about with this stuff, give her blog a read, you might get a little bit of insight.

This post is particularly topical.

And my personal opinion:
*Yes, of course you shouldn't feel bad for not wanting to date somebody in a wheel chair, you have no emotional investment in this guy yet and I assume the feeling's mutual. However, there was no need for this, real situation or not, if you feel bad then nothing anybody can say on here will make you feel better, and if everybody says "oh yes, you're a terrible person, give the poor guy a chance" then obviously you aren't just going to change your mind because why would to date somebody you don't want to date? (that is, assuming you've got any sense about you)

*No, of course he shouldn't have said anything beforehand, that's perfectly his own choice. It isn't selfish of him, he's well within his own rights. And like Toffeelatteplease said, I assume you don't list your own physical status on the website?

*Just like the general consensus, the assumption that 'sex would be impossible' is ignorant, uneducated and just down right insulting. Perhaps he might not suddenly turn into Magic Mike as soon as the curtains close, but it's not all about the effort he would put in.

Overall: please raise your self awareness about how people in wheel chairs are just that: people in wheelchairs.

SirBoobAlot · 16/01/2016 23:23

No I haven't, mainly because you appear to be behaving like a needy child. "No I ASKED A QUESTION! ANSWER MEEEEE!"

Samcro · 16/01/2016 23:26

i spy with my little eye.........
come on sirboob and Wannabe.......it begins withs

Supermanspants · 16/01/2016 23:26

Not really sure why there is the need for a concrete yes or no tbh - perhaps you are trying to make a point and it isn't quite working for you?

Nope. Because the usual double standards are in full swing (pardon the pun Smile)

Oh do calm down Sir
Honestly. Hmm

user7755 · 16/01/2016 23:28

You're going to have to be a bit clearer for me? What double standards?

Supermanspants · 16/01/2016 23:35

That it is ok to flame a poster for stating she didn't want to date someone in a wheelchair but the majority then seem to dodge the question re:mental disability (although a few posters have now responded)
My ex stayed single because nobody could cope with his behaviour. He was a lovely guy but it was bloody hard.

I hadn't seen the previous thread you had mentioned at 22.53 and can't seem to find it.

The poster was on a swingers site so I guess my query is irrelevant.

Samcro · 16/01/2016 23:35

out of interest... how many people have reported the sock?

Supermanspants · 16/01/2016 23:36

Samcro ?????? Confused Really?

Supermanspants · 16/01/2016 23:37

Is that directed at me Samcro

PaulAnkaTheDog · 16/01/2016 23:38

I think you're getting a shit time here op. People complain about people being overweight compared to their profile photos and everyone agrees it's a dickish move. God forbid you're a bit put out that someone hasn't mentioned they're disabled though... Hmm And before anyone says: no I'm not comparing being overweight to being disabled. I'm comparing the different reactions to someone deliberately withholding information.

It's not disablist, it's not appreciating dishonesty.

user7755 · 16/01/2016 23:39

I don't think anyone was dodging the question, but your vehemence that people should answer with a definitive answer escalated quite quickly which may have put some people off.

I actually agree that people often have double standards, I'm not good with searching on here so can't find the thread I referred to earlier. I just don't see those double standards on this thread.

Supermanspants · 16/01/2016 23:41

Fair enough.
It seemed people waded in pretty quickly on the OP and IMO were being really quite unpleasant and vitriolic hence my view.

RudeElf · 16/01/2016 23:45

Surely if someone you are seeing discloses a mental illness you make a decision based on how much you like them, whether you want to pursue a relationship, the severity of the illness, the impact it would have on your relationship, on your life if living together, the impact in potential children, the impact on later life and care requirements. Just like you do with every other decision in life. It doesnt matter when it is disclosed, You weigh up the pros and cons. I'm not sure what point pants thinks they are making with that question.

user7755 · 16/01/2016 23:46

Personally I think the response was justified but I would feel equally annoyed if someone came on and said that they had decided not to shag someone (which is essentially what this is, not a relationship) because they had told them on their first blind date that they had schizophrenia.

Supermanspants · 16/01/2016 23:54

I guess I was curious to know if those who jumped on the OP held the same attitude towards other types of unseen disability Rude but yes, you are right.

abbsismyhero · 17/01/2016 00:01

sorry supermanspants to answer your question yes i would think twice more than twice before getting involved with someone with a mental disability because i have three children and i would have to consider if/how they would be affected

i wouldn't be bothered if it was just a quick shag

hefzi · 17/01/2016 00:01

Superman as OP has said, this isn't a dating website they've met on - it's a hook up site for swingers. (She also mentions he has reviews or whatever, so presumably, that would indicate he is able to have sex, but whatever...) So your question is irrelevant in this context, as you are asking about a relationship. However, if you're interested in the dating question, take a look at the thread on it from before the New Year- there were many opinions, some even from those of us with severe MH difficulties: you might find it less clear cut than you seem to be implying Hmm

Supermanspants · 17/01/2016 00:06

I was trying to find it hefzi but can't.
If you had read one of my previous posts you would have seen I had already stated my question was irrelevant given the nature of the site.
My question was based in response to the way other posters were jumping on the OP in a really nasty way.

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