 Although the connection between disability and interpersonal relationships is a topic worth exploring in its own right, it also has important implications for well-being and health. Numerous empirical studies across a number of behavioral science and medical disciplines have shown the importance of close interpersonal relationships for health and well-being (Cohen, Gottlieb, and Underwood 2001; Uchino, Cacioppo and Kiecolt-Glaser 1996; Cohen and Wills 1985). For example, more than 130 empirical studies have shown that on a number of well-being indices, married men and women are generally happier and less stressed than unmarried people (Coombs 1991). Personal relationships, including love and friendship, are for most people an essential ingredient of the life they want for themselves, something to value for their own sake as well as for the support they provide during stressful times. However, many people see disability as an obstacle to friendship, romantic love, and rewarding family life. Disability scholars and activists reject this widespread belief, arguing that the obstacles that exist to accessing such relationships are due primarily to features of the social and physical environment.