31 Days of SMA: An Inter-abled Couple’s Love Story

Written by Kevin Schaefer | August 22, 2019

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Day 22 of 31 Days of SMA⁣⠀⁣⁣⁣⁣ Topic: An Inter-abled Couple’s Story ⁣⠀⁣⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ This is @shaneburcaw and @hannahayl story:⁣⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣⁣ We are Shane Burcaw and Hannah Aylward, and we are trying to change the way society thinks about disability. Through our YouTube channel “Squirmy and Grubs,” writing, and speaking engagements, we are using our love story to show people that interabled relationships can be just as fun, exciting, and normal as any other.⁣⠀⁣⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⠀⁣⁣⁣⁣ We’ve been together for over three years, and in June of 2019 we got engaged!⁣⠀⁣⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⠀⁣⁣⁣⁣ So often, strangers make the false assumption that Hannah is my mother, or my sister, or my nurse. When they learn that we are a romantic couple, their jaws drop and their eyes widen with astonishment. These assumptions, and the ensuing reactions, are a byproduct of society’s deeply flawed understanding of disability—that people with disabilities live sad, lonely, useless, and boring lives. We are determined to do our part to change these damaging stereotypes.⁣

A post shared by SMANewsToday (@smanewstoday) on Aug 22, 2019 at 9:57am PDT

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About the Author

Kevin Schaefer Kevin Schaefer (he/him) is a writer, podcaster, and lover of all things pop culture. Diagnosed with SMA type 2 at the age of 18 months in 1995, he shares a vast array of hilarious and eye-opening stories from his life with a neuromuscular disability. He works as the associate director of community content for this site’s parent company, BioNews. He also hosts the SMA News Today Podcast. Kevin is a graduate of North Carolina State University and lives with his parents in Cary, NC. People regularly mistake him for Tony Stark, on account of his intellect and advanced technological equipment.