Sex online? There’s a wealth of useful information available – at the click of a mouse
Here are some social media and reputable websites, which are good sources of information:
Dating Paraplegics: The Ultimate Guide
(Streetsie.com/dating-paraplegics-guide)
This website is a great read for anyone dating a wheelchair user. Here are two of my favourite quotes from it:
True or False
No sex: Dating a paraplegic wheelchair user means no sex. They can’t feel it so they don’t enjoy sex or make love very often.
False: Sex is not usually one of the things we talk about on a first date. Most men and women dating paraplegics do report a healthy active sex life.
Erections: All wheelchair users have trouble getting and keeping an erection.
False: What you need to know is if their spinal cord injury (SCI) is “complete” or “incomplete.” Most SCIs are incomplete. A male can get an erection by touching or rubbing his penis; a girl can get wet by rubbing her clitoris. Generally it is only men with a complete SCI who find it hard to get and keep an erection.
Dr Mitchell Tepper – Clinical Sexologist
(Drmitchelltepper.com)
You don’t have to break your neck to be a great lover, but you can learn a lot from someone who has!
Sexologist Dr Mitch Tepper brings a lifetime of experience as a person living well with a chronic condition and a disability. He has a master’s degree in public health from Yale University. He is also certified as a sexuality educator, educator supervisor, approved CE provider, sexuality counsellor, and a licensed Pairs instructor.
Sexuality and disability
(Sexualityanddisability.org)
This is definitely the most informative website. I love this quote:
“It surprised me when I realised [after my accident] that I could still get turned on. Since I don’t have any feeling down there, I never noticed that when I’m excited I get this fluttery feeling in my chest. It’s not new, I just never paid attention to it before.”
From The Ultimate Guide to Sex and Disability, ed. Kaufman, Silverberg and Odette, 2003
Elna McIntosh is a sexologist and has for the past 30 years helped couples and individuals to explore their sexuality “outside of the box”. Her greatest claim to fame – surviving breast cancer … twice.
email: disa@icon.co.za