Tag: disabled people
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Disability History: SAAM Edition
This piece on disability and sexual assault was published in 2010, long before hashtag movements and mainstream coverage. It’s 2018, and, honestly, I don’t feel as if we’ve made any sort of significant cultural shift. Each April, we observe Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Every year we learn about at least one more documentary, local or…
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Because I Won’t Shut Up About the Importance of Sexual Healthcare
Sexual healthcare is vital for anyone and everyone who’s sexually active, but, between inadequate research, inaccesible buildings and equipment, inexperienced and insensitive healthcare providers, and a whole bunch of other factors, most people with disabilities aren’t getting their sexual healthcare needs met. Before I read this article from the Disability Visibility Project, I knew that…
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Conversation: Stigma, Sexuality, Disability
Last week I had the privilege of being on a panel about stigma, sexuality, and disability with Andrew Gurza and the cohosts of The Pulse. We managed to squish a lively discussion of flirting, dating, stigma, self-disclosure, and loads more juicy stuff into a 35-minute radio segment. The best part is that the show was…
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Disabled People, harassment, and Public Spaces
(Originally published on another blog in 2014. My writing voice has changed a lot since then, but I still agree with everything I said here! I have a lot more to say on disability and harassment, and am reposting this older piece here to get the conversation started.) *** Every time I leave my house…
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Learning About Interpersonal Violence in the Deaf Community: Breaking Silences Day 2
Peer Advocate’s Experience of Deaf Women’s Disclosure of Sexual Assault Noelle Opsahl, Master of Education of the Deaf (M.E.D.) Gallaudet University First, a cool thing. Noelle, the presenter,told us that this was the first time she’d given this presentation in English, though she’s presented it in ASL (American Sign Language) several times. Noelle is hearing,…
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Ready, Sexy, Able October Round-Up
Sexuality, Relationships, and Disability A Love Letter to My Neurotypical Husband, From Your Autistic Wife People often say marriage (or any long-term romantic relationship) is about compromise. I think it’s about understanding, showing that understanding, growing with a partner. This woman and her husband don’t – can’t – just go through the motions of a…
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How do disabled people have sex, anyway?
Can we all agree that asking random people on the street (or in the mall, or anywhere, really) about their sex life is just plain creepy? People with disabilities are asked, much more often than you’d think, how, or if, we have sex. No, really, this happens all the time. If it’s not about sex…
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Sexual Expression Is a Meaningful Activity, Too
I wrote the following post in March 2014, after attending Mara Levy‘s talk, Problem-Solving Sex with Disability at the Catalyst Conference. Mara Levy is an Occupational Therapist (OT) in Washington DC. Occupational therapists help people who’ve experienced injury or illness to return to activities that are meaningful to them—activities like walking, driving, working, crafting, and…