Interabled Couple Responds To Misconceptions About Their Relationship By Documenting How 'Fun' And 'Normal' It Is

Jul 05, 2022 by apost team

Youtube stars Hannah Aylward and Shane Burcaw document everything — from their first date to their everyday lives, the couple is used to sharing almost every part of their relationship. Though there's nothing new about a couple with a YouTube channel, Aylward and Burcaw are unique. The couple is interabled, meaning that one of them is disabled while the other is able-bodied. 

Burcaw has spinal muscular atrophy, and as a result, he is unable to walk or use his arms. His partner, Aylward, is a tall, blonde, athletic type, and she used to be a collegiate swimmer. She has no physical limitations to speak of. 

Though the pairing may seem unlikely, the couple is smitten with one another, and they don't hold back when it comes to sharing their love with their fans on the internet. They even post details about more intimate parts of their relationship, answering questions about sex and how Burcaw's disease affects it. 

Their channel, called Squirmy and Grubs, has over 945,000 subscribers. But even before their internet fame, Burcaw had already established a media presence. In college, he started a blog called "Laughing at My Nightmare," which gained an impressive following. He later wrote a book about his life with the same title. 

In 2013, "The Office" star Rainn Wilson produced a short documentary about Burcaw. Three years later, in 2016, Aylward was a college student, and she found the documentary online. She emailed Burcaw, and the two began talking to one another all day, every day. The rest, as they say, is history. 

Burcaw published a second book titled "Strangers Think My Girlfriend Is My Nurse" in 2019. In it, he described that despite what others may think, his disability made their relationship stronger. 

 "Because of my disability I'm forced to show vulnerability right away and our relationship is that much more intimate from the get-go," he said. 

That same year, he asked Aylward to marry him. Though Burcaw normally has no qualms about being vulnerable in front of thousands on his YouTube channel, he told Inside Edition that when it was time to ask Aylward's parents if he could marry her, he was terrified. Thankfully, her parents couldn't have been more supportive. Aylward's mom was so happy that she began to cry. 

"It was so adorable, and she got up and gave me a big hug, and her dad was very happy as well," Burcaw said. "So having that kind of support, it means so much to me."

Burcaw wanted the proposal to be a complete surprise. He waited until they were at a dinner party with Burcaw's family, celebrating her then-recent graduation. He waited for the perfect moment to get her alone, and in the end, Burcaw faked illness to get her alone.

"He said some nice things, and the ring was hiding behind his back, so he had me pull that out," Aylward said. "It was very cute." 

The couple got married in a small ceremony in September 2020, and they wanted everyone to see them as they see themselves — normal. 

Burcaw told PEOPLE, "And so we're just trying to show people that our life is normal and silly and fun and disability is a part of it in the ignorance we face, but it doesn't inhibit our life."

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Burcaw also published a piece in TODAY titled "6 things I want you to know about our interabled relationship." He listed the points that he wants people to understand about his love for Aylward. He explained, "Because of the widespread and deeply-ingrained misconceptions about disability, people tend to see me as a child, or as someone who could not possibly be involved in a romantic relationship." 

He also shared an instance, "Hannah and I were once checking out at a liquor store when the cashier said to Hannah: 'Does this big guy want a lollipop?'" He continued, "I spoke up and said, 'Nope, just the beer. Thank you, sir.'"

Burcaw also shared that he wants people to understand that his relationship is not unique and that hundreds of other interabled couples have shared their own stories after watching "Squirmy and Grubs." He said that "the common theme of these messages is simple, yet profound: 'Our relationship feels so normal! Why can’t the rest of the world see that?'"

He addressed another point that many people may wonder about but not vocalize: "Many of our viewers have wrongly assumed that, by being with me, Hannah is signing up for a life of childless celibacy." Burcaw clarified that they have a satisfying intimate life, and down the road, both of them want to have children. 

Burcaw also clarified, "Although I can’t wash the dishes or fold the laundry, I contribute to our life in other ways," such as making appointments, calls and creating shopping lists. Essentially, "both perform equal physical and emotional duties to support each other." 

What do you think about this adorable couple's love story? Pass this along to the hopeless romantics in your life!