Samantha-Marie VanAlstyne is a disabled content creator and author of “Hi, I’m Sam” and “Sam Wants to Get Married.” She’s never let her disabilities get in her way. Recently, she competed in Ms. Wheelchair New York 2025, where she placed second runner up.
One of the challenges Sam and her fiancé face is actually getting married.
“I believe that love should exist without limits,” Sam said. “I refuse to sit quietly in the corners of society. Disabled rights are human rights.”
Currently, Sam receives SSI, but if she were to marry her partner, Jordan, she would face what the Social Security Administration calls the “marriage penalty” and receive a reduction of 25% or more of her SSI benefits. Because of this marriage penalty, those with disabilities marry at less than half the rate of able-bodied counterparts.
Sam reads an excerpt from her book: “Jordan and I dream of a world where we can marry and still get the help we need. Wouldn’t that be great?”
Sam will hold a book signing at the Barnes & Noble in Kingston, NY at 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 24, 2025.