Welcome to the first episode of  the disabilitymatch Podcast.  We start with an interview with Katie from Gig Buddies (http://stayuplate.org/gig-buddies-project/)which is a super cool charity down in Sussex to help people with learning disabilities attend gigs and other events safely in the company of a 'Gig Buddy'.   Gig Buddies is part of the Stay up Late campaign @StayUpLateUK (https://twitter.com/StayUpLateUK) to help people with learning disabilities enjoy night time socialising without depending on their regular carers.  You can contact them via their website (http://stayuplate.org/gig-buddies-project/) or catch them on twitter @gigbuddies

This first episode also has a 'destination report' which will be a regular podcast feature.  We are delighted to have the expertise from Gillian at disabledholidays.com (http://www.disabledholidays.com) who will talk to you about suitable holidays and destinations that you might not have even considered.  Today Gillian looks at Tenerife which is a favourite destination of mine and has a great climate all year round. It is a resort with great wheelchair accessibility.

Because disabilitymatch (http://www.disabilitymatch.co.uk/registration) is a disabled dating site we thought it essential to have a really good disabled sex expert on the show to front our 'Intimacy Report'.  We are delighted to have with us Robin Wilson-Beattie  who is based in Atlanta Georgia and is an expert on sex and disability.  Robin Wilson-Beattie is a member of the Association of American Sexual Educators, Counselors and Therapists(AASECT). She has been involved in sexuality education and awareness since high school. After acquiring a physical disability, she began in 2008 speaking on sexuality and disability topics and issues. Robin has done presentations and speeches at conferences, medical schools, and disability organizations. You can reach Robin through her website http://www.sexabledwithrobinwb.com (http://www.sexabledwithrobinwb.com)  or follow her on twitter @sexAbled

We have great guests arranged for our upcoming episodes and we welcome suggestions from our amazing community at www.disabilitymatch.co.uk and our twitter followers  @disabilitymatch.  Please subscribe to our podcast and share us on all your social media.

Thanks for listening

David Miller