About this episode

Kathy O'Connell discusses her new book on dating and relationships with a disability and seeks personal stories to include in it.

Kathy O'Connell shares that she's working on a new book about dating and relationships with a disability — a follow-up to her earlier book Firewalk: Embracing Different Abilities . The book focuses on two key themes: Sexual ableism — the societal message, conscious or not, that disabled people don't belong in romance or intimate relationships. Kathy explains it as an extension of ableism: the belief that certain abilities make a person more worthy of love and connection. The power to rise above it — how people find their way through that noise to build genuine, loving, fulfilling relationships. Kathy calls this "the power to attract." Why she needs YOUR help: The heart of the book will be real stories from real people . Kathy is collecting experiences through a short survey — whether you've lived with a disability and experienced sexual ableism in dating, or witnessed it happen to someone you love. The survey has three main questions, and you can optionally leave contact info if you're open to a follow-up interview. "Data and statistics don't change people's minds. Our stories do — because they are real, human, and powerful." 📋 Please take a few minutes to fill out the survey —…

People in this episode

Host: Kathy O'Connell

Topics covered

• dating
• relationships
• disability
• sexual ableism
• personal stories
• self-improvement

Keywords

• disability
• dating
• relationships
• sexual ableism
• personal stories
• survey
• love
• connection

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Firewalk: Embracing Different Abilities

More episodes of Dating, Relationships, and Disability

• 252 - Pride, Not Pity: Dating with Disability Pride · July 21, 2026 · 30 min
• 251 - "Permission to Feel Pleasure": Sexuality, Disability & Desire · July 14, 2026 · 38 min
• 250 Milestone - Confidence, Connection, and Confronting Sexual Ableism · July 7, 2026 · 40 min
• 249 - Friendship Series: Everybody Has a Thing · June 30, 2026 · 47 min
• 248 - Six Actions to Take When You're Actively Dating · June 23, 2026 · 35 min

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