The document discusses the importance of sexual rights and intimate relationships for people with disabilities, highlighting personal experiences and societal barriers they face. It outlines essential rights related to sexual expression and emphasizes the need for holistic, flexible support services that respect these rights. The Sexuality and Disability Alliance aims to promote these rights and foster a supportive community for discussions on sexuality and disability.

1. By Benjamin Seaman

2. “Pete and I met on Intro Line.
I called him to me and the
Universe brought us together.
He is the one true love of my
life. Pregnant with our second
child, I feel complete. I’m
happy in a way that I’ve never
been before.
This body has finally done
something right. My disability
is irrelevant where it really
counts. I’m all woman. I can
give and receive sexual
pleasure. I have the ability to
create and to nurture human
life. I can love. That’s what
matters in the end …

3. … People with disabilities love just like anyone else.
We have the right to a sex life. But we also have the
right to relationships and family… We are often
denied the right to such fulfilment. Ableist attitudes
make it hard for us to form intimate relationships. Our
society has a long way to go. But we must not allow
that to stop us from finding happiness.
Katie Ball (1966-2004) – Intimate Encounters

4. The barriers…
• Physical
• Social isolation
• Attitudinal
• Emotional
• Parental
• Learning

5. Sexuality – A Rights Framework …
1. The right to be treated as an adult
2. The right to knowledge (accessible information)
3. The right to sexual expression
4. The right not to be at the mercy of the individual
sexual attitudes of carers/support workers
5. The right not to be privacy
6. The right to take risks

6. What we need from services …
• Holistic supports
• Sex positive
• Glbti friendly
• Innovation
• Community minded
• Flexible and responsive
• Individualised
• Willingness to take risks

7. Sexual Facilitation …
• Facilitated sex is defined as assistance in performing a
sexual activity supplied by someone who provides personal
care or assistance to a client. This assistance could include
positioning the disabled person for masturbation or for sex
with a partner, helping her or him undress, assisting with
stimulation for the disabled person or for that person’s
disabled sexual partner, transferring the person to a bed or
couch, transporting her or him to a partner’s residence,
purchasing condoms, or providing reminders about using
birth control (Mona, 2003; Tepper, 2000b) and soliciting the
services of sex workers (Shuttleworth, 2004; 2000).

8. Sexuality and Disability Alliance …
• Sexuality and Disability Alliance (SDA) is a group for and by
people with disabilities, and those with an interest in the area of
sexuality and disability.
SDA aims to promote sexual rights, in addition to portraying
positive and diverse representations regarding the sexuality of
people with disabilities. It also aims to provide a supportive
forum for the discussion of issues related to sexuality and
disability.
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