Back to Program: April 25 | April 26 | April 27 | Pre-recorded Sessions
Dateability: Making Love Accessible
Jacqueline Child, Alexa Child
Abstract
After years of experiencing ableist and offensive behaviors on the mainstream dating apps, Jacqueline Child and her sister Alexa decided to change the dating experience for disabled and chronically ill people. The sisters created Dateability, which is making love accessible as the only dating app for the disabled and chronically ill communities. By welcoming those with physical, intellectual, and psychiatric disabilities, users have access to a wide variety of people. With a section called “Dateability Deets,” users can choose vague descriptors to put on their profiles, such as ‘neurodivergent,’ ‘wheelchair user,’ and ‘immunocompromised.’ Jacqueline and Alexa acknowledge the importance of inclusion and they strive to make online dating more empathetic and accepting through normalizing disabilities and integrating the nondisabled and disabled communities.
About the Speakers
Jacqueline Child
Jacqueline Child graduated from Colorado College in 2016 with a degree in Psychology and received her master’s degree in Family and Human Development in 2017. She spends her free time playing music, volunteering at the local animal shelter, and hanging with family and her dog, Luna.
After becoming disabled due to chronic illnesses as a teenager, Jacqueline’s life was forever changed. She was quickly exposed to the ableist behaviors and expectations perpetuated by society. She found dating challenging and would always fear disclosing her disability. She constantly wished she could meet someone else who understood life with chronic illness and disabilities. Since there wasn’t an app to do that, Jacqueline and Alexa decided they would make one.
Alexa Child
Alexa graduated from College of the Holy Cross in 2012 and Georgetown University Law Center in 2015. After law school, she began her career in public service and is currently a legal aid attorney. Alexa and her sister collaborated on Dateability after Jacqueline’s negative experiences dating with chronic illness. She enjoys all the typical Colorado things—hiking and skiing—but also loves to cook and binge watch TV.
Sponsored By:
- Division of Information Technology (DivIT), University of Maryland
- The Graduate School’s Office of Graduate Diversity and Inclusion (OGDI), University of Maryland