BDI Empowers Webinar

Many families, caregivers, and support professionals have questions when an adult with a disability begins exploring dating or romantic relationships. How can you encourage independence while also helping your loved one stay safe? What conversations should happen around relationships, consent, boundaries, and personal choice?

This webinar provides practical guidance for supporting adults with disabilities as they build meaningful social and romantic relationships. Participants will explore how to have respectful, age-appropriate conversations about dating, recognize healthy relationship behaviors, support informed decision-making, and identify potential concerns like manipulation, abuse, coercion, financial exploitation, and online scams.

Through real-life scenarios and commonly asked questions, this session will focus on promoting autonomy while providing the appropriate support adults with disabilities may need to develop healthy relationships and strengthen self-advocacy skills.

Key Takeaways:

• Learn strategies for starting open, respectful conversations about dating and relationships.
• Explore ways to balance personal choice, independence, and safety.
• Identify signs of healthy relationships and recognize warning signs of manipulation, abuse, coercion, financial exploitation, and online scams.
• Discuss ways to support consent, boundaries, communication, and self-advocacy.

Who Should Attend:

This webinar is for adults with disabilities (18+), parents, family members, caregivers, direct support professionals, case managers, educators, clinicians, and other professionals who support adults with disabilities in building safe, healthy, and meaningful relationships.