When the subject of disabled people and sex is talked about in the media all too often sex workers are mentioned and discussed. Most people want the chance of a meaningful sexual experience, it doesn’t have to mean marriage and children but the majority of us want to be having sex with someone who isn’t being paid to perform the act.
There’s is a huge gap in our eduction system that denies disabled children inclusive sex education. There is also a massive lack of representation of disabled people in the media and this is problematic in itself because people who are not disabled more often than not don’t see disabled people as being sexually active.
Enhance the UK supports people with physical and sensory impairments and is trying to change the perception around disability. If someone was to hire a sex worker or parents hire a sex worker for their child it should be a choice, not because that is the only option for that person to have a sexual experience.
We also need to be very clear there is a difference between the kind of support and education that someone who has a learning disability and someone who has a physical sensory impairment would need.
We need to be educating young disabled people, and supporting parents and there needs to be more positive everyday representation in the media around disability so ‘sex and disability’ isn’t still seen and treated as Taboo subject.
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