The Good Life: Ricky and Dina

Ricky and Dina met through a program for people with intellectual disability. “To teach us how to be independent and put us into it into a house or unit and learn how to cook and clean and all the stuff that we need to do in our lives” said Dina. They each moved out of their family homes, and in with flatmates from the program. 

One day Ricky decided to ask Dina out on a date, and they eventually ended up moving in together “We were each living with other people, and I thought it’d be a good idea to move in together” shares Ricky. 

Ricky and Dina have been married five years. “I decided to propose to Dina at my 30th birthday in front of my entire family and friends. I was nervous, but I was pretty confident she’d say yes. And she did!” 

“Marriage is definitely a learning curve. It’s about thinking about someone else, and working out things. It’s sort of like being a team.” 

“It also helps that we share so many interests like pop culture. We love our movies. Dina and I love going to restaurants and catching up with people. We’re both very social. On a typical week, we were out maybe three or four times.”

Recently Ricky and Dina made the big decision to purchase their own apartment. “It’s incredible. You know, unfortunately, it’s still that kind of stigma of disability where some people think we’re just not capable of getting married and doing all these things. But we are!”

“We’re a good team. I do a lot of the vacuuming and the washing and Ricky does the shopping and pays the bills.” 

“I’ve got a bad right eye and Dina’s got a bad left eye. She’s seeing for me on one side and I’m seeing for her on the other. We’re literally looking out for each other”

❤️ Ricky and Dina are married and live together in their own apartment. They love pop culture, and going out to movies and restaurants. You can find out more about their good lives in the Visibility podcast