When Hannah Aylward first emailed Shane Burcaw, she thought it was just a harmless case of late-night exam procrastination. She never expected that they would tie the knot in a stunning at-home wedding a few years later!

Today, the couple, known online as Squirmy and Grubs, are not just partners in life but pioneers in shifting the narrative around disability, love, and what it means to care for someone.

Their story began in an unlikely way. Shane, an author and non-profit executive living with spinal muscular atrophy, had already made waves in the disability space when a documentary about his life caught Hannah’s attention.

Pic: Hannah Burcaw/Instagram

Living in Minnesota and studying sociology at the time, Hannah sent him a short message. One email turned into a conversation, and that conversation never really ended.

Separated by more than a thousand miles, their connection deepened through texts and FaceTime calls. Within months, they met in person, though not without a rom-com-worthy hiccup: Shane was an hour late picking her up at the airport.

Pic: Hannah Burcaw/Instagram

Still, that didn’t stop him from asking her out the very next day, nor did it stop Hannah from saying yes. For two years, they navigated the challenges of a long-distance relationship.

Eventually, Shane relocated to Minneapolis, where the two moved in together and Hannah became his primary caregiver- a fact that often garners gasps or pity from outsiders. However, their relationship defies the tired trope of ‘burden and sacrifice'.

Instead, Hannah and Shane openly share how caregiving and intimacy can co-exist, and how their relationship, like any other, is built on mutual respect, laughter, and shared goals.

Pic: Hannah Burcaw/Instagram

Their next chapter came with a YouTube channel: Squirmy and Grubs, the cheeky nicknames they gave each other early on. Initially meant to document the trials (and comedy) of travelling with a disability, their videos quickly went viral.

One particular interview on another channel brought them hundreds of thousands of followers, national media attention, and more importantly, a platform to advocate for a more inclusive understanding of love and disability.

Hannah Aylward and Shane Burcaw

Since launching their channel in 2019, Hannah and Shane have turned their digital fame into a real-world impact. They’ve delivered talks across the globe, partnered with major brands on diversity initiatives, and even co-authored a book: Interabled: Love Stories.

Despite the attention, their mission remains simple: to normalise disability and help others unlearn the harmful assumptions so often projected onto interabled couples.

Pic: Hannah Burcaw/Instagram

‘Far too often,’ they say, ‘our relationship is perceived by others as remarkable, bizarre, tragic, or unrealistic- but these perceptions come from a flawed and damaging understanding of disability.’

In truth, their relationship is like any other. They binge-watch shows, try new foods, go on adventures, and support each other through life’s ups and downs.

They just also happen to be changing the way the world thinks!