In fact, unlike all the other things, human relationships are almost the only element of life that cannot be affected by disability – every human has the capacity to love and be loved.

I don’t mean that I ever thought I couldn’t have relationships, but I used to be terrified that my disability meant that nobody could possibly be attracted to me. Even when it was plainly obvious that they were, I told myself it was a freak occurrence, or that they were being patronising or charitable.

I foolishly paid attention to the people who tried to reassure me that someone somewhere might eventually want to sleep with me. And if these people felt the need to tell me that so often (and published special pamphlets on the subject), it couldn’t be true, right?

All the advice I received seemed to be based on the premise that, yes, disabled people are hideously unattractive but eventually someone (probably equally flawed) would be attracted enough to see past all that. It didn’t ring true, but I didn’t have the self-confidence to fully comprehend that it was wrong.

When things go wrong in any aspect of life, it is easy to blame the biggest difference between me and the person who got what I wanted – my wheelchair. It is tempting to tell myself that if only I weren’t disabled, my life would be perfect. But the fact is that I failed my first job interview because I presented like a naive and stupid school-girl instead of the Oxbridge law candidate I was.

I failed my first driving test because I nearly ran over an old lady at a pelican crossing and couldn’t reverse round a corner, and the first boy I ever had a serious crush on rejected me because he was about to go to university and I was just starting my GCSEs.

It’s tough out there in the real world. If you want to be treated like everyone else, you have to recognise that all the other aspects of who and what you are will affect how people react to you just as much as your disability will. You can’t demand to be treated the same and then play the disability card to get your own way. What is more, the disability card does not work in relationships.

Sometimes, like the book and the film tell us “He’s just not that into you.” No blame. No inequality. There are girls all over the world wondering whether they have some terrible flaw that means they are unlovable. Yet the human race is perpetuated generation by generation and, no offence, but they’re not all Hollywood-style beautiful babies. Which means that it’s not only the perfect ones who are getting some. In fact, there are no perfect people. Some guys will fancy you, some will not. Only Angelina Jolie is spared this problem.

What every girl disabled or not, learns is that some are attracted to each individual. Not all, just some, and the proportion varies for every person: but there is more than one in all the world too, no matter what Rapunzel tells you. “The One” is a fine ideal, but you don’t have to go from girl on her own in the tower to blushing bride in one leap. And you don’t have to settle for someone who isn’t right for you just because he shows an interest.

There will be idiots who have the nerve to say “You’re a great girl and if you weren’t in a wheelchair I’d like to go out with you.” but they’d come up with another reason if a magic wand was waved because, like I said, they are idiots.

Newsflash: some men can behave like idiots, particularly when it comes to the opposite sex and it’s easier to remember the hurtful things that tap into your insecurities. Is that only relevant to disabled women?

Bad luck my fellow disabled girls: we’re just the same as everyone else, except we get better parking.