Shane Burcaw Posts Rare Photos of Outside of Wheelchair

Shane Burcaw continues to show his true self.

In a recent Instagram post shared on Feb. 20, the YouTuber — who’s known as Squirmy and Grubs online alongside his wife, Hannah Burcaw — marked a courageous milestone in his life by sharing a series of photos of himself outside the “safety” of his own wheelchair.

“I’ve had a complicated relationship with my body throughout my lifetime. I’m aware that’s probably the understatement of the century, but it’s true,” wrote Burcaw, who has spinal muscular atrophy, in his caption that explained why he felt that way for so long.

“For many years, I was so ashamed of my disabled physique that I pretty much flat out refused to ever let anyone see me outside of the obscuring comfort of my wheelchair. In the last ten years or so, though, I’ve grown to love my body,” he continued.

“The shift in my attitude can largely be attributed to Hannah’s unconditional and complete love for me exactly as I am, as well as my own growth in my disability identity journey,” added Burcaw. “Anyway, here I am over the years, OUT OF THE SAFETY OF MY WHEELCHAIR!⁣”

The first picture featured the interabled couple, who married in September 2020 and use their platform to demonstrate what it means to love someone for who they really are, smiling while posing together in a swimming pool.

Other photos in the Instagram carousel include Burcaw enjoying a spa day, lying outside on the grass, relaxing on the couch, reclining back in a car seat and alongside his dog on a bed.

A few days earlier, Burcaw posted two different photos of himself on Instagram outside of his wheelchair and sitting on a couch. He explained the significance of that seemingly minor, yet major move in his daily life.

“For someone who sits in a wheelchair all day every day, you’d think I’d be a little less excited about SITTING on a couch,” he began in the caption.

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“However, after losing the ability to sit unassisted many years ago, then starting the breakthrough treatments for my disease, and ultimately regaining that lost ability, I am tickled every time I get to sit somewhere other than my wheelchair,” he continued in part.

Both Burcaw and his wife Hannah spoke with PEOPLE exclusively in January about their love for each other, while chatting about their latest co-authored book Interabled: True Stories about Love and Disability from Squirmy and Grubs and Other Interabled Couples.

Their new publication compiles of collection of essays to tell chapters of their own story and give other interabled couples a platform to share their experiences as well.

“Something that we realized from running the channel is that there were a ton of misconceptions out there about disability and dating, disability and relationships about our relationship, but also more widely in society,” Burcaw told PEOPLE exclusively.

Their intent for the book is to reach people with little knowledge about interabled partnerships and show them that “relationships like ours are not rare,” he told PEOPLE. “We’re hoping that when they see a book full of dozens of couples that deal with disabilities, they begin thinking differently about that.”