To Table of Contents
Marco and wife , Karin , on a 2016 cruise
Being considered ‘ different ’ for Marco extends into his romantic life . As an inter-abled couple , he and his wife Karin , often face abject public curiosity and downright rudeness . Together for 13 years , married for 6 , during the early years of their relationship , being protective of Marco , Karin would wear her fiercely defensive armor when public encounters were imminent . While holding hands , people would draw the erroneous conclusion that she was Marco ’ s nurse , caregiver or sister and compliment her for that action , “ Oh , that ’ s so nice ”. She was never ashamed of his disability , but hated being judged by others , and their often-expressed opinion that she “ can do better than to be with someone with a disability ”. Karin eventually came to the realization that negative public opinions had to be ignored and , like Marco , start using their relationship to educate and inform . Karin has now learned to tune out the stares , snickering and curious looks that assail them when they go out , and their outings are many ! Among other things , they both enjoy rock-climbing , swimming and exotic vacations . One of their favourite vacation things to do is cruise to the Caribbean , where , although most of the islands are not very accessible , the genuine warmth of the people and their readiness to help has made all of their trips quite memorable . Of fond note are the islands of Aruba , St . Lucia and Bonaire .
Marco advises people with disabilities to do extensive research prior to booking that vacation ! He suggests the use of Mayaan Ziv ’ s
Access Now , which
pinpoints accessibility around the world . People can search for accessible places which others would have rated and pinned on Access Now ’ s map .