Disability, identity and disclosure in the online dating environment

Abstract

This paper examines how disabled people construct self-identity and negotiate disclosure of impairment in the online dating environment. Grounded theory was used to code and analyze 108 responses to an online open-ended questionnaire completed by disabled people who engaged in online dating. Findings reveal that while the body and impairment may not be present in digital space, it plays an important role in how disabled people present themselves online. This paper suggests that the embodied/disembodied dichotomy that has been traditionally used to distinguish offline and online interaction is blurred in the online dating environment.

Keywords:

• online dating
• self-identity
• impairment
• anonymity
• self-disclosure

Acknowledgements

The author wishes to thank John Thompson and Martin Hand for their helpful comments on earlier drafts.