Interabled

October 14, 2024
Married collaborators and disability advocates Shane Burcaw (Strangers Assume My Girlfriend Is My Nurse) and Hannah Burcaw, a debut author, present a heartfelt collection of 22 interviews interspersed with the couples’ own personal narratives to showcase interabled romantic relationships across a spectrum of cultures,
sexualities, ethnicities, and disability experiences. The creators—who post
videos on their YouTube channel Squirmy and Grubs—balance seriousness and
emotional vulnerability with cheeky banter, particularly when addressing their own experiences with dating and marriage: “Every story from our relationship has two perspectives. There’s Shane’s memories of events, which is inevitably tainted by fantastical exaggerations that he’s added throughout the years. Then there’s Hannah’s perspective: clear, accurate, refined.” Centering adult perspectives, each included interview tackles issues surrounding sex and intimacy, discrimination, and balancing caregiving with a romantic partnership, alongside funny and endearing recollections. The Burcaws’ approach to
storytelling is transparent and genuine, often including parenthetical asides with further
context or extensive quotes. It’s a sophisticated and necessary compilation that sheds light on the normalcy
of interabled romance and how frequently it’s ignored, misunderstood, or dismissed. Ages 12–up. Agent: Tina Dubois, Creative Artists Agency.