A woman has advice for people on the dating scene: Don’t go out with someone who won’t accommodate your disability.

TikToker @shesees20 learned this lesson the hard way. A woman living in Charleston, South Carolina, says she met a man on Tinder back when she was single. She says he was “super super pushy about getting me to go on a date with him.”

She could’ve blown him off for being aggressive, she says. Instead, @shesees20 took it for confidence.

Then, the TikToker, who is blind, says he told her that he didn’t want her guide dog in his car. This threw her for a loop. “I was really confused,” she recalls.

Her friends suggested she go anyway, surmising that maybe he had a legitimate reason, such as an allergy. So she agreed to give him a try, figuring she’d make do with her cane.

It wasn’t her best dating decision.

No Dogs, But 1 Mouse

Picking the right spot for a first date is tricky business. There are tried-and-true standards like a romantic restaurant, or a picnic, or an activity you both enjoy.

For their first outing, @shesees20’s date chose an unconventional spot: Chuck E. Cheese.

“Yes, Chuck E. Cheese for a first date, not that I’m complaining,” she says.

The date was “super awkward,” per her retelling.

“Then, after the date, he tries to get really, really handsy with me to the point where I was uncomfortable,” @shesees20 recalls.

She says she was so rattled that she had him drop her off on campus and didn’t even let him walk her to the door, even though it was dark and she’s night blind.

Dating While Disabled

Dating with a disability comes with a host of unique challenges. As @shesees20 found, there’s a chance your date won’t accommodate your disability.

It’s arguably more likely that you’ll be painted with the broad brush that a potential love match applies to all disabled people or to everyone with your particular disability.

The World Institute on Disability reports, “Although disabilities fall on a wide spectrum, society tends to group all people with disabilities under one category.”

They may also infantilize you, or treat you like a child. Someone you’re interested in could further assume it’s not possible based on the flawed but common thinking that disabled people can’t date.

In rare cases, someone may fetishize a particular disability—that is, be attracted to the disability, not the person.

Today, there are dating apps that specifically cater to disabled communities. These include Dating4Disabled, Disabled Passions, Dateability, and Special Bridge.

Lesson Learned

People who commented on @shesees20’s TikTok about her Tinder date were universally appalled.

It wasn’t just her date’s behavior that had them trashing him in the comments. Several were stunned that an adult would take a date to Chuck E. Cheese, a pizza joint that caters to children.

“Never go out on a date with a guy wearing a Chuck E. Cheese costume,” one joked.

But mostly people fixated on him not letting @shesees20 bring her guide dog. People with visual impairments rely on guide dogs to navigate the world. Refusing to let her bring one is extremely disrespectful and inconsiderate to many minds.

“If he didn’t want your guide dog in the vehicle knowing you’re blind that’s a red flag. And also he didn’t put your disability into consideration that’s another red flag,” one commented.

Happily, @shesees20 has since found love with a “scrumptious” man who presumably has no issue with her guide dog coming along.

But she has a piece of advice for others on the dating scene.

“Never, ever go on a date with someone who says you cannot take your guide dog. Period. End of story,” she says.

@shesees20 didn’t respond to an email BroBible sent Monday afternoon.