Interabled influencers Shane and Hannah Burcaw have announced they're expecting their first child, six years after getting married in September 2020. The couple, known for sharing their life together on YouTube, revealed the news on Instagram to their one million followers on 8 September.
The announcement
Sharing the news, the couple wrote: "We are beyond ecstatic to announce that we're expecting our first child this coming January! Hannah is 20 weeks pregnant and although we've been thoroughly enjoying this special time in privacy so far, we've also missed sharing all the joy with you, and there's so much to share." They confirmed both are doing well, and acknowledged that pregnancy announcements can be difficult for those who've experienced fertility struggles themselves, revealing they'd previously gone through years of unsuccessful IVF before this pregnancy.
Their relationship and the scrutiny it's faced
Shane lives with a severe muscle-wasting disease and uses a wheelchair, while Hannah is able-bodied. The couple, who share the podcast Junkyard Mayhem on their channel Squirmy and Grubs, have said their relationship drew significant scrutiny when they first went public, particularly around assumptions about physical intimacy.
Shane has said people often perceive them as asexual, assuming either that his body doesn't function that way or that he isn't capable of romantic attraction at all. Hannah has said they frequently receive comments claiming physical intimacy between them wouldn't be possible, with some people accusing them of lying about their relationship altogether.
Hannah has also described facing accusations that their relationship is somehow inappropriate due to Shane's physical size, including comments suggesting it would be treated differently, and viewed as illegitimate, if their disability and gender roles were reversed. She's said this reflects a broader pattern of people wrongly assuming disabled individuals can't meaningfully consent to or engage in intimate relationships, a misconception she says applies to both physical and intellectual disabilities.
Shane, who wrote a book titled Strangers Assume My Girlfriend Is My Nurse, has said plainly that disabled people can have fulfilling romantic and sexual relationships, and are just as capable in that regard as their non-disabled peers.
