A mom in Apple Valley, Minnesota, has launched a matchmaking service to help people with intellectual disabilities find love. Katherine Gyolai was inspired by her son, Nicolas Diaz, a 20-year-old with Down syndrome who wanted to join dating apps. Concerned about potential online scams, she refused. We are all ingrained to want love and connection and relationship and friendship, whether we have a disability or not," she said. "That doesn't go away because you have an extra chromosome. So I decided to do something to help my son and hopefully a bunch of other folks."
Katherine created “Find Love Safely,” a matchmaking service specifically designed for individuals with intellectual disabilities. Using the app, Diaz has already gone on three dates with a young woman named Raya, who Nicholas says "I think she's cute and wonderful". It’s his dream to get married one day, saying, “Everybody who has Down syndrome deserves love.”
To help participants navigate dating, Gyolai provides coaching and video lessons on social cues. She hopes to expand the service to "every single major city in the United States,” so more people can find meaningful relationships. To celebrate Valentine’s Day today, the organization is hosting a speed dating mixer for people with intellectual disabilities in St. Paul.
Source: CBS NEWS