|
Okay, I'll voice in on this one...
While I have never dated a handicapped person, I do have a friend who did (he was in a wheelchair) and she eventually had to break up with him because he wasn't giving her enough attention and meeting her needs. And the truth is, it went over fine. Sometimes relationships end, either for reasons in or out of your control, and he took it as well as any guy getting dumped by his devastatingly gorgeous girlfriend would. He never attributed it to his handicap. How could he? She had dated him for a year, and I think if someone is going to dump you for your handicap, they would do it sooner.
I think you are looking at it the wrong way, James. You seem to be looking at it as if all handicapped people lead miserable, lonely, unfullfilling lives and that they are all self-conscious and ashamed of their handicaps, that they blame their condition for everything that goes wrong. Now, for sure there are handicapped people like that out there. But there are also able-bodied folks who blame their weight, social standing, whatever for their problems.
Many of the handicapped people I have known of have been extremely active, confident and happy. They go to college and get bachelors and masters degrees, hold full-time jobs, ski, swim, play rugby and basketball, are college cheerleader/dance team members, join sororities and fraternities, drink, party and have fun. Basically, they don't see themselves any differently than anyone else, and they act just like able-bodied people. These are the type of handicapped people I would be willing to date... because it's not a handicap that would keep me away, it is self-pity.
That being said, I would definitely be willing to date a handicapped person, but since I've never tried it, I don't know if I have what it would take to sustain a long-term relationship with one, depending on what the handicap is. It would be hard to never hear that you are beautiful if your boyfriend is blind, or to have to deal with trying to be intimate if he is paralyzed (I've hear about that one), or whatever comes with it. So, yeah, I'd try it... but no promises.
Oh, and the breaking up part, you just tell them the truth. That's how all breaups should be!
|