Facilitating safe social, affective and romantic connections for people with intellectual disabilities

Dinder Club is a mobile application designed specifically to support social, friendship, and romantic relationships for adults with intellectual disabilities. The app provides a dual structure: a “dates” section where individuals can connect privately, and a “plans” section where group activities are organized, such as cultural outings, leisure events or social meet-ups, enabling users to meet peers with similar interests.

What distinguishes Dinder Club from conventional dating apps is its commitment to accessibility, informed consent, safety, and the specific social-emotional needs of its users. Access to the app is restricted to people with an intellectual disability (equal or above a defined threshold), who are affiliated to a recognized social entity. Registration involves a validation process (including a “test of affective-sexual knowledge” and user profiling), to ensure that applicants are capable of providing informed consent and understand basic concepts related to intimate relationships.

The application interface is developed with “easy-read / easy-understand” standards (in collaboration with a social-disability federation) to make content and navigation accessible. Plans and activities are accompanied by facilitators, to support participants during social outings, which adds a layer of supervision and support beyond digital connection.

Beyond facilitating connections, Dinder Club frames itself as a social-transformation project aimed at expanding relational opportunities and autonomy for people with intellectual disabilities, addressing the scarcity of safe, adapted spaces for affective and social life in this community.