Date Night

Natasha Padmore

Accessible Date Essay

Human socialization                                  Date Night

            I thought that this assignment was right on time because I recently met a guy who is disabled. When I first met him I had no idea about his disability until we got to know each other and he explained his disability to me. My friend Name is Jermaine and he was in a really bad car accident. Jermaine’s car flipped over several times and crashed into a pole. Paramedics hat to use the Jaws of Life to remove him from the vehicle and he was mistakenly pronounced dead. He remained in a coma for several months before waking up. Jermaine suffered several broken bones and concussions. I decided to accept Jermaine’s invitation to go out on a date with me and we went to the movies, to eat and then to a club. During our date I paid close attention to our Activity, Accessibility, Comfort, Crowding, Privacy, Meaning, Sociality and Adaptability.

            To start off our day Accessibility was an issue because of the accident Jermaine does not drive so I had to pick him up from home. When I arrived at his home I noticed that when he walked with a limp and upon getting into my car it was a little difficult for him to just get right in. We had great conversation on our way to the restaurant. Once we arrived at Harmony I explained to Jermaine that it was vegetarian because I don’t eat any meat and he was okay with it. I thought that this restaurant had a lot of meaning to me. I had been going to this restaurant for many years and thought the scenery is really nice. Throughout our dinner we spoke about everything from family, work, music, likes/dislikes. Jermaine loved the restaurant and said the food was great.

Our next stop was to the movies. We decided to go see a comedy and throughout the movie it was pretty laid back. We went on a Saturday night so the theater was crowded. This did not affect us much at all. Jermaine and I left the theater and headed to Thrive night club which is in the heart of the city. Jermaine loves reggae/soca music just as I do so our main activity for the night was dancing all night. At first I thought that this may be an issue for him being on his feet for long periods but he assured me that wasn’t a problem. Thrive has a mixture of all kinds of

People so the sociality aspect was there. Both Jermaine and I mingled with other club goers and were even able to adapt very easily. We both ran into people we knew. As the date progressed I realized that although Jermaine is legally disabled it did not affect us hanging out in any way. We were able to everything I could do with someone who isn’t disabled. I had a great time hanging out with him and I figured towards the end of the night we could hang out a little bit at his house for some privacy. I took Jermaine home and he invited me in for a drink. As we walked up to his home I asked him why he lived on the first floor and he explained that after the accident it was easier to live someplace where he didn’t have to climb stairs. His home was really nice and I noticed as I looked around that his home was very comfortable. We had a few drinks and started watching a reality show that we both like. After our show we started to talk a little more. Some time pasted and it was time for me to leave so I told him that I appreciate his time and that I enjoyed his company for the day. On my way home Jermaine called me and we spoke some more until I reached home. Over all it was a great date and we plan to hang out again sometime. After doing this assignment I realized that sometimes we tend to judge people when we hear they have a disability without taking the time to figure out how they are as a person.