A recording of this event can be viewed by clicking the video below.

In this engaging and informative presentation, attendees:

• heard about experiences of people with developmental and intellectual disabilities when participating in virtual dating
• learned about barriers people with disabilities face in accessing digital dating, and
• learned tips and resources for safe and satisfying online dating experiences for people with disabilities.

This was a hybrid event, and some participants chose to attend in-person at The Ability Hub or joined online.

A little bit about Dr. Martino:

Dr. Alan Martino (he/him) is a faculty member in the Community Rehabilitation and Disability Studies program in the Department of Community Health Sciences at the University of Calgary.

His main research interests are in critical disability studies, gender and sexualities; feminist and critical disability studies theories; qualitative and community-based research (particularly participatory and inclusive research methodologies).

His doctoral research examined the romantic and sexual lives of adults with intellectual disabilities in Ontario, Canada, by putting into conversation theories from both the sociology of sexualities and the field of critical disability studies. His current research project explores the intimate lives of 2SLGBTQ+ disabled people in Alberta.

His work has been published in journals, including Disability Studies Quarterly, Canadian Disability Studies Journal, and Culture, Health and Sexuality, as well as edited volumes focused on disability and/or sexualities studies. He is the former co-lead for the Sociology of Disability Research Cluster at the Canadian Sociological Association, as well as the current co-lead for the emerging Disability and Intimate Citizenship Research and Advocacy Hub.