SEX, RELATIONSHIPS AND ASPERGERS

 ASSISTIVE COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY  Some of you may be familiar with the Naidex exhibition that takes place annually in Birmingham. We like going there to see the latest innovations and equipment available in the marketplace. On one of our visits we happened across the very friendly company, Possum technologies   - they provide a range of assistance and automated products, but the one that caught our eye was the AAC device (think Stephen Hawking’s robot voice mini-computer thingy).. Mike and I were fascinated to get up close and personal with this piece of kit, and had a bit of a play under the supervision of a possum person (we’ll call him Mr P). As we like exploring disability devices that could help with sex and intimacy, we took the opportunity to ask a few questions. From the images displayed on the device screen (at the time) it was clear to see that asking for a drink, needing the toilet, or managing a door entry system, were all easily achievable. What we couldn’t spot was a

We are pleased to announce an exciting collaboration with the brilliant @dotspotcartoons. Starting with some cartoon art showing some of the sticky situations faced by people with disabilities. All done with a light touch of humour and showing lots of resourcefulness. Hope you enjoy! https://www.dotspot.co.uk/

                                                                                                                                Illustration: Dotti Colvin"  "copyright SWAD Recently government guidance banned close contact indoors between two or more people from different households, due to Coronavirus. Some interesting headlines followed, along the lines of “British Bonking Ban” and “UK Sex Ban”. The general population were outraged at this interference in their private sexual lives, and didn’t like being told “no” regarding this pleasurable adult activity. It got me thinking about how different life can be if you have a long-term health condition or disability, particularly with regard to sex. At SWAD, we’ve had experience of the limitations placed on intimate relationships by narrow thinking on the part of health professionals; some of it from personal experience, and some of it from other disabled people’s experience. It is a “tax” on sex and intimacy that is virtua

Blog for Autism Awareness Month - April 2020 It never fails to amaze me that every individual’s presentation of an autism spectrum condition (ASC) is different from one another - yet some of the challenges they face are very much a common experience. As an example, take myself and my partner Mike, both Aspies. As teenagers, I was quite the flirt and in receipt of multiple presents and cards on Valentine’s Days. It was a different story for Mike however, he didn’t (and often still doesn’t) spot the signs that somebody fancies him.   Having an ASC and being able to talk about sex in a pragmatic and straightforward way without embarrassment, normalises those conversations for the people we meet at events and in everyday life. It is almost as though, by us talking openly about disability and sex - it makes it okay for them to talk about it too. Fast forward to the 2015 Naidex exhibition in the NEC Birmingham, the largest disability-related exhibition there is in the UK. We had