My #100outof100: Ten Years and Counting in an Inter-Abled Relationship

On April 19, 2009, I was finishing my first year of grad school. At the end of a stressful weekend working on first-year final presentations, my classmate, Jason, took me out to dinner in downtown Boulder. We had a very pleasant sushi meal, which was made slightly awkward when Jason read the menu aloud-and some of the fancier sushi rolls had sexualized names. But, we got through it. And then, when he dropped me off at home, he kissed me goodnight.

I had dated a few blind guys before, but a sighted guy had never shown the slightest interest in me. I won’t embarrass Jason on this blog, but I will embarrass myself a little by admitting that after he left, I started dancing excitedly around my apartment. Mostly because I really liked him and had been staying late on campus just to spend more time with him. But also because I had thought that perhaps only blind men would reciprocate my affections.

Recently, Dr. Phil hosted an “inter-abled” couple on his show-the man in the couple has a spinal cord injury and requires regular caregiving. Dr. Phil got himself on the wrong side of the disability community by asking the woman why she wanted to date someone “in a wheelchair.” Then he declared, “You can be his lover or you can be his caretaker, but you can’t be both…It won’t work, 100 out of 100 times this won’t work.” This has prompted a firestorm of response from successful, happy inter-abled couples-using the hashtag #100outof100.

Jason and I have been together for ten years. After sharing four different apartments, today we are moving into our first home that we own. (Well, technically we own 51% of it; the bank still has the other 49%). In celebration of the happiest decade of my life, and the permanence we have achieved together, I want to jump on the #100outof100 bandwagon. Here are some photos of us through the years.

Engagement Photo, February 2013
Jason and I posing with out diploma covers at graduation, May 2014
Jason and I on vacation in Sedona, May 2016
Jason and I holding hands at our wedding, September 2013
Jason and I in the March for Science, in front of the EPA building, April 2017
Photo of a chocolate bar that Jason gave me with braille dots spelling ‘Love you’, November 2017

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