Skip to main content
Category

Disability

Ted Shirres smiling

Disability And Intimacy – a musical tale.

By Disability, Sex & disability, The Love Lounge

Ted joins the Love Lounge team.

Ted recently joined our Love Lounge team and will be answering your questions in his own unique way. With his fair share of relationship ups and downs he’s got plenty of experience of dating as a disabled person. Ted promises to be straight talking and considerate in helping to solve your dating, relationship, and disability and intimacy dilemmas. The following article is

A Musical Tale

I thought I’d start with an analogy for disability and intimacy that I’m pretty sure only I could come up with. You see I’m a rather obsessive fan of the musician Neil Young, to the point my girlfriend refers to him as my boyfriend.  The few willing to indulge me in my musical obsession know there’s one ‘act’ I prefer: Neil Young & Crazy Horse. Yes, that’s right, they are to be referred to as one band. Neil and the three others will refer to themselves as ‘in the band Neil Young & Crazy Horse’. Two have become one – to quote a song I obviously have no time for.

Pure Magic

So I bet you guess I think they’re all wonderful musicians? Well, erm no. Neil just plays guitar in his very unique yet messy style, and the three others are very primitive to say the least. The bass-player seldom manages more than the route note of the chord whilst the drummer has a somewhat restricted range of tempos. And the rhythm guitarist appears to leave the main rhythm to Neil and then copy him when he’s off on a solo. That’s why Bob Dylan once asked Neil why he plays with those “f***in’ idiots”. Having said all that, when Neil gets with these guys it is pure magic. Something just clicks. I always love his guitar playing but it reaches a special grade of awesomeness when he’s with these guys.

Chemistry Counts

And frankly, that is what disability and intimacy is all about. Yeah technique and skill are great things, but when there’s a click and tonnes of chemistry these things seem superfluous. As a disabled person seeking to be intimate, or indeed a non-disabled person seeking to be intimate with a disabled person, you may occasionally ponder how the restricted movement won’t restrict the quality of the sex. However, as I remember every time I listen to my favourite group, if the chemistry is perfect between the two, the end-product will be too!

Can we help?

Got a question for Ted or our Love Lounge non expert sexperts? Get in touch.

Discover more about sex and disability with our free resources or buy our Undressing Disability e-book priced at £5.99. All proceeds go to our charity.

Join us on Instagram and twitter #UndressingDisability #LoveLoungeUK.

Julia Bahner wears a red suit jacket and a black top. She has short dark hair, red lipstick and glasses.

Interview: Julia Bahner

By Disability, Sex & disability, Undressing Disability

It’s been really exciting to see the distinctions between the different countries, both in terms of policies but also disability rights movements.
I would say that the UK has the most diverse array of disability and sexuality-focused organisations, and especially with regards to those that are led by disabled people.
Special ’sex care’ services as well as sex

Read More
A drawing of a pair of ladies pants against a yellow background

Accessing A Smear Test As a Disabled Woman

By Disability, Sex & disability, Undressing Disability

There’s no doubt you’ve heard all the statements out there about smear tests, encouraging those of us who are busy, scared or just downright lazy to crack on and book an appointment. ‘It literally takes two minutes, it doesn’t hurt, and it’s FAR more important than it is embarrassing’. All absolutely true, for the most part, but is it the same experience for a disabled woman?

Read More
Georgia is sitting on the grass cross legged at a festival. She is wearing a pink,green and vibrant blue shirt with black shorts and boots. She is smiling and her brown shoulder length hair is wavy.

Life as a young person with a disability

By Disability, Real Life Stories

A guest blog by Georgia Hart, a 22 year old from the North of England. ‘When someone asks a disabled person how they are, they want to hear of positive developments, they want to hear how they are overcoming adversity and what they are doing to ‘fight’ their condition. This sounds like a minor misconception, but it is one that has taken a toll on my mental health.’

Read More
a couple laying on the bed cuddling

Love Lounge Top Tips – Sex that’s out of sync

By Disability, Sex & disability, The Love Lounge

Positioning, pain and having those oh-so-intimate conversations in the bedroom – topics that we regularly get asked questions on at the Love Lounge. Seductive Hollywood movies and porn films are full of sleek, perfectly angled bodies having sleek, perfectly angled sex. But what happens when what really goes on between the sheets isn’t quite as in sync as we’d planned?

Read More
Jennie holding the Power 100 nomination list.

Enhance the UK CEO awarded for her work with disabled people

By Accessibility, Business, Disability, News, Workplace

Jennie Williams, founder and CEO of Enhance the UK, a charity which aims to challenge perceptions of disability through its campaigning work and its disability awareness training has been named in the prestigious Shaw Trust Power 100 List. Now in its fifth year the Power 100 List celebrates the achievements of individuals who strive to break down barriers around disability to create a more inclusive world.

Read More
Top