A couple from Lancashire have found TikTok fame after sharing the candid – and often outrageous – questions they get asked when one person in a relationship is a wheelchair user.
Jade and John Reynolds took part in the ‘what people say to me’ trend where creators reveal the very real, and sometimes questionable, things strangers have asked them.
Jade, who is a wheelchair user, and her husband submitted their own versions entitled ‘questions I am asked about having a disabled wife’ and ‘things strangers have said to me as a wheelchair user’.
In total, the two videos have amassed over seven million views.
Some of the questions featured in the videos include some pretty insulting comments, such as: “can you guys have sex?”, “can she actually be a good mum though?”, “do you have a thing for disabled women?”.
@johnejreynolds Questions I’m asked about having a disabled wife #disability #disabled #wheelchair #interabledcouple #disabilitytiktok #disabilityawareness #funny ♬ original sound - KyleAndJackieo
Jade, the disabled mum-of-two, said people often ask her: “can I have a go in your chair?”, “can you have kids?” and “close your eyes and tell me if you can feel this?”
@johnejreynolds Reply to @johnejreynolds yes, someone really said that last one 😳 #disability #disabledtiktok #disabilitytiktok #disabledmum #wheelchair #wheelchairmum #interabledcouple ♬ original sound - John Reynolds
John, who works as a youth pastor at St Luke’s Church in Blackburn, said the couple, who live in Preston, wanted to take part in the trend as they “thought it would be quite funny” but were also bolstered by some of the negative experiences they have had in the past.
He said: “We had seen the trend and we wanted to try it but with the angle ‘things strangers have asked my disabled wife’.
“We thought it would be quite funny but some of the motivation was down to the bad experiences we have had in the past.
“People will often euphemistically ask Jade if she can have children and people will often make comments questioning if it is fair for disabled people to have children.
“The comments on the videos are completely polarized – some people actually want to know the answers to the questions, while others ask why anyone would ask them in the first place.”
While these some of these comments have frustrated the couple in the past, John says they try to deal with them in a positive and light-hearted way.
He said: “We try to deal with most things that frustrate us in a light-hearted and humourous way.
“Jade has a really good sense of humour and doesn’t see her disability as her personality.
"She wanted to use that as a way to cope and thrive in her journey with paralysis.
“Comments on social media can be toxic. With rude online comments I try to intentionally misunderstand them or assume the best.”
The ‘what people say to me’ videos aren’t the couple’s only hits, and they have amassed more than 140,000 followers on the video sharing app in just three months.
They mainly share challenge videos and funny stories about their “interabled family”.
One story that threw the family into the spotlight was of John and Jade’s first date.
In the story, John reveals how their cinema date resulted in Jade being carried up stairs as the venue didn’t have a lift.
John said: “I took her on a date to the cinema and the lift was just inaccessible.
“We were frustrated that the venue wasn’t accessible but it think a lot of people found it to be a cute story and so many people connected to it.
“After than video I went from having a few followers to 30,000 with some videos amassing millions of views.”
John said the aim of the account is to be a “a wholesome family channel that normalises disability”
He said: “We are just trying to show our normal life where my wife just happens to be paralysed.
“She wants people to realise that disabled people are normal and just like any other woman; she is a great wife and mum but just happens to need a wheelchair.”
John also hopes to help the vulnerable with his channel with many of his followers donating to or gifting items to St Luke’s in Blackburn.
He has set up a PayPal and Amazon wish list where people can offer a donation if they wish.
He said: “We have had a few people reach out to us for paid partnerships and thought it would be cool to provide for people in our community.
“I was amazed at how kind people on TikTok have been with their donations. Over £500 has been donated to the PayPal and some items on our Amazon wish list have been purchased.
“It’s a testament to how amazing social media and TikTok can be – those people just volunteered that and weren’t asked.”
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