SH:24
“Welcome to Sexual Health Week! This year’s theme is sex and disability -people living with disabilities are often excluded from sexual health services due to stigma or accessibility, and are often not included in sexual health. In the media and across society, those living with disabilities face stigma and dehumanisation. This can mean their sexual health needs are overlooked.”
In The Media
News articles
Disability and Sex are not mutually exclusive
The Guardian
“Like many young women, Emily Yates has tattoos, tinted hair, a love of fashion and a great sex life. She also happens to have cerebral palsy”
“Like many young women, Emily Yates has tattoos, tinted hair, a love of fashion and a great sex life. She also happens to have cerebral palsy”
Tiny model who is just 4ft tall won’t let her size hold her back on the catwalk despite struggling to find clothes that fit
Daily Mail Online
“While most models are pushing 6ft tall, one woman who measures just 4ft 1in is carving out a successful carrer for herself in the fashion industry.
Sex ‘taboo’ leaves people with disabilities ‘desexualised’ and ‘institutionalised’
Homecare.co.uk
“One of the biggest challenges faced by care staff is ensuring that the needs of the person they’re caring for are met when care is being delivered. However one of the greatest challenges faced by people with disabilities is communicating their physical, emotional and sexual needs to the person providing care.”
Teaching about sex and relationships
The Guardian
“David Cameron, Nick Clegg and Ed Miliband have all stated publicly that sex and relationships education is important, yet Ofsted recently found that it remains unsatisfactory in a third of schools…”
Let’s talk about sex education and disability
The Guardian
“For years the need of disabled people for sex and relationship education has been ignored. Campaigners want this sweep-it-under-the-carpet attitude to change.”
Disabled people strip off for stunning calendar
Daily Mail Online
Designed to celebrate bodies with physical impairments as beautiful forms,The ‘Undressing Disability’ calendar will raise funds for project encouraging disabled people to express themselves and features photoshoots in front of prominent London landmarks feature models including Paralympic stars
Undressing Disability Calendar 2014: Celebrating Those ‘Ignored & Desexualised By Society’
The Huffington Post
“A calendar celebrating disabled bodies is available now. Undressing Disability aims to promote the bodies of people often ignored and desexualised by society.”
Videos
Disabled sex: “Escorts should be a choice, not the only option”
BBC News
“A charity says paying for sex is a choice for disabled people, but shouldn’t be the only option.Enhance the UK has told the BBC more needs to be done to normalise sex among those living with a disability.”
Disability, Sex, Relationships and Dating Roundtable discussion
Hannah Witton
“A roundtable discussion about disability and sex.”
Undressing Disability Ted Talk
TEDx Talks
“Emily’s talk on sex and disability is inspiring and thought-provoking. She addresses the issue of sex and relationships for the disabled, and how disabled communities can have access to this, which others usually take for granted.”
Body Confidence: Too… for love
Love Talk Show
“Today we are looking at body confidence. How should we look at ourselves to be confident in love? Let’s discuss it with an expert guest and someone that was on Undateable. Stay tuned!”
Meet the Devotees: The People Turned on by Disability
BBC Three
“People who are sexually aroused by disability are known as devotees. This ground breaking documentary investigates the secret world of disabled fetishes and devotee porn. Wheelchair user Emily Yates meets people who are turned on by amputated limbs, wheelchairs and leg braces; she even makes her own “porn” video to see their reactions. Emily also hears about the dark side and comes to understand just how sinister the world of devoteeism can be from disabled people who’ve fallen victim to online predators.”
Undressing Disability | Emily Yates | TEDxYouth@StPeterPort
TEDX
“Emily’s talk on sex and disability is inspiring and thought-provoking. She addresses the issue of sex and relationships for the disabled, and how disabled communities can have access to this, which others usually take for granted.”
The Undateables Season 3 Episode 1, Mary Russell debuts
Channel 4
Our very own Mary Russell debuts in the widey known Undateables TV Show
Mary from The Undateables talks to This Morning about finding love
This Morning
People think ‘you aren’t working properly’
BBC
“Victoria Derbyshire talks about sex for people with disabilities and why the subject is considered taboo.”
Websites
Jennie Williams – Shaw Trust Disability Power 100 List
Shaw Trust Power 100
“Jennie Williams is the founder and CEO of Enhance the UK, a user-led charity which aims to help people with physical and sensory disabilities to live a full life.
Jennie and the team she lead the campaign to change public perceptions of what disabled people can do, linking individuals up with life-enhancing opportunities and useful products and services, and delivering insightful and confidence boosting disability awareness training for public and private sector organisations.”
Norman Lamb meets Minister to discuss Disability Awareness
North Norfolk Liberal Democrats
“Norman Lamb, MP for North Norfolk and Liberal Democrat spokesperson for health, has advanced his campaign for better disability awareness training for security staff in a constructive meeting with the Minister for Disabled People, Justin Tomlinson.”
Let’s talk about sex education and disability
Selby District Disability Forum
“According to a 2010 report almost 50% of disabled people surveyed said that they received no SRE at school.”
The calendar that shows disability in a different light
West Welfare Society Territory
“Too often, people see those with disabilities as asexual beings, who are not able to have a healthy and active sex life or romances.”
Calendar promotes naked truth of disabled sexuality
The Buck Sherald
“The Undressing Disability Calendar, showing disabled people posing in their underwear around London, was the brainchild of Jennie Williams, the founder and CEO of Aylesbury-based charity Enhance the UK.”
Blogs
Yes, Disabled People Can Have Sex. So Why Doesn’t Anyone Teach Us How?
Huffington Post
“Bodies in textbooks and on screens never looked like me. So it took years for me to gain confidence in myself as a sexual entity, writes Dan Batten.”
Hot Octopuss
“Emily Yates is an amazing writer and speaker who campaigns to make the world a more inclusive and accessible place. We’ve wanted to have her writing about sex and disability on our blog for ages. Here she tells us about finding sexual confidence as a disabled woman, and inclusive sex tips that work for her.”
Accessible partying: The dos and don’ts of a wheelie great night out
BBC3
Guest blog from Emily Yates giving her advice for a foolproof evening
Why don’t we take disabled people seriously when it comes to sex and relationships?
Scope UK
“Guest blog from Jennie Williams, founder of disability charity Enhance the UK. Its current campaign, the Love Lounge, focuses on improving disabled people’s access to high-quality sex and relationships education.”
Undressing Disability: celebrating all bodies and campaigning for change
Disability horizons
“Enhance the UK is a charity specialising in ensuring there are equal opportunities for those with disabilities and sensory impairments, delivering interactive disability awareness training and online resources. They recently ran a successful campaign called Undressing Disability.”
Disabled and Fighting for a Sex Life
The Atlantic
“How misperceptions about disability can prevent people with physical and cognitive impairments from being able to express their sexuality.”
2014 Charity Calendar Exposes Naked Truth of Disability and Sex
Same Difference
“In a bid to discuss disability and sexuality in the same sentence, a UK disability awareness charity has released a 2014 calendar featuring disabled models. Undressing Disability features a variety of body-confident disabled people and delivers a simple but important message: disabled people have sex too…”
Undressing Disability Calendar Aims To Erase Stigma
Disability And Me
“A Calendar Featuring scantily clad models with various disabilities is aimed at erasing stigma when it comes to sexuality among those with special needs.”
Radio
Jennie Williams talks with BBC Radio Sheffield
BBC Radio Sheffield
Our CEO Jennie was interviewed on BBC Radio Sheffield as part of their Naked Podcast campaign which looks at body image. Jennie talked about our work in raising awareness of the issues surrounding sex and disability and also about our Love Lounge.
Enhance the UK discusses disability awareness
Share Radio
The Disabled Living Foundation say there are over 6.9 million disabled people of working age in the UK – which is almost 20% of the working population. Yet one in 10 businesses felt unable to support an employee with a disability or long-term health condition according to Disability Rights UK. Georgie Frost meets CEO and founder of Enhance the UK Jennie Williams to find out more about the issue.
Podcasts
Dating and intimacy for persons with disabilities
Xceptional Podcast Network
“A charity that is well known for its innovative approach to disability awareness training, and it’s campaigns to break the taboo around about sex and disability.
Jennie, who has degenerative hearing loss and lives in Brighton with her fiancé and two daughters, began her career in the care sector and founded the charity ten years ago. In 2019 her work was recognised in the Shaw Trust Disability Power 100 List.”