7 Tips on going on a date with Cerebral palsy

With Valentine’s Day soon approaching, I tend to think about my past dating experiences and how nerve-wracking it was for someone like me to have gone on a date for the first time as a young woman with Cerebral palsy so I’ve come up with 6 tips to help you knock your first date out of the park :

Have a plan in place – when it comes to going out on a date you must set a plan in place of where you’re going and the activities you will be doing with your date so you know what to bring with you so that you’re able to stay out and enjoy your time with your date, I always like to bring my ibuprofen when I’m out of date just in case, I start to have a flare-up
when I’m out of date just in case, I start to have a flare-up.
Be aware of your surroundings – when it comes to going out on dates I really like to become aware of my surroundings and becoming familiar with the area, I’m going to just to be on the safe side.
Try your best to stay calm– staying calm on a date could be nerve-wracking when you are on a date but it good to stay calm and just let everything flow and let everything work out the way it’s supposed to since you wouldn’t want to make your date feel awkward or uncomfortable.
Research the place you and date will be going to make sure it’s assessable for you and your needs – before I used to go on a date with my ex-boyfriend we would always research on the places he wanted to take me whether it was the museum or the movies he would always call the place in advance to make sure the place was handicapped assessable and if it wasn’t he would figure out a way the place could make accommodations for me and my needs
Bring any you utensils you may need for the date – when I go on a date, I like to bring my pingo plastic cup and my plastic straws, and sometimes plastic spoons to make it easier for me to be independent and reduced my anxious while on dates fearing that I might drop food on my clothing or spell something on my clothing

7. Be yourself – I know it could be nerve-wracking going on a first date with someone new but the best way to have a great time and allow your date to get to know you the person you are and if someone like a spastic attack happens so be it it’s part of you and you should always be yourself.