
Happy early Valentine's Day everyone! Since Valentine’s Day is coming up, I wanted to give some ideas for accessible dates that I’ve either been on, or really have wanted to go on. Hope you have a nice day with your partner, friends, family, or pet!
1: This is an all day date, but going to a museum! I have had great experiences getting mobility aids at museums. The workers were friendly, personable, and very kind about finding wheelchairs for me to use when I need them. I’ve seen tools for those who want audio descriptions, and many give tours for those who want more information. I also get overstimulated easily, and these rooms are often very quiet. A bonus is many museums give discounts if you have a student ID for college or K-12, are a veteran, or a senior. It’s a fun way to connect with my partner and use my brain in an accessible way! Museums I recommend in the SoCal area are: The Natural History Museum in LA, LACMA, and the Santa Barbara Museum of Art.
2: Board game nights. This is a low cost option that doesn’t involve leaving the house! I have two versions of this. 1: Play classic games like Uno, Yahtzee, Backgammon, whatever games you have and like playing! A fun twist is the winner of the night gets to pick dinner or dessert! My second version of this idea is to get the card game You’re Not Really Strangers. This game asks questions to help you get to know whoever you are playing with on a deeper level. This can inspire connection without the pressure of coming up with topics of conversation. This game starts off light hearted, and then gets to more deep questions the more you play! You can play anywhere, which makes it mobility accessible, and the questions help come up with new things to talk about if coming up with small talk is uncomfortable for you. I like being able to get to know people without the stress of worrying about saying the wrong thing or asking the wrong questions, so these types of structured games help me follow the social rules.
3: Playing a co-op video game together. I just started getting into video games through my partner, and some of them are really fun! I have found that playing a co-op game helps me work on team-work, communication, and unity in achieving a goal with the person I am playing with. Co-op games are accessible for me due to being able to play them in a seated position, I can pause to stretch my legs and ask any questions I might have, and I can understand the goals to help me relate to those I am playing the game with. Games I recommend that inspire cooperation and are less competitive are Blanc and Key We. I play both on the Switch and think they are cute and fun.
4: Cook together! This will be elaborated on a seperate blog post, but I struggle to navigate cooking both with standing in the kitchen for a long period of time, and with touching certain types of food. Some ways to make this date accessible is to bring a chair into the kitchen to take rests, wear gloves to avoid touching textures you don't like, and incorporating cooking gadgets that help with mobility, such as an electric mixer instead of a whisk. For me, I am just trying to find meals I like and can make regularly, so this is enough of a challenge, but if you want to add in more of a challenge I have some ideas. One idea is looking through old recipes from relatives and talking about the history behind the dishes. Another fun idea is to each pick one "wild" ingredient that needs to be incorporated into the meal. This date is fun to find a way to connect while also ending up with a (hopefully) yummy meal!
5: Painting together is another fun low energy date idea. This is a date I have done countless times, and I love it. You can use anything as a canvas, my favorite so far has been painting boxes to store my rock collection in! Painting is accessible for me because I can sit down, and really focus on what I am doing. Through painting I have also been able to improve my drawing skills, which has been a confidence boost. As with most dates at home, painting is accessible because I can sit down, and self regulate by choosing when to focus more on the conversation and when to focus more on the painting. I also have been wanting to try a paint and sip class, which is a great way to still stay seated and focus on a project while also having a common object to paint.
Happy early Valentine's Day! If you have any questions or comments, feel free to reach out at @Anniekrollblog on Instagram or Facebook. Thank you for reading, and I hope to see you next week!
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