Touching Base Inc.

ALT JOINT STATEMENT: Ten organisations, including PWDA, Women with Disabilities Australia and Touching Base, have signed a joint statement to strongly condemn recent comments made by NDIS Minister Bill Shorten regarding the exclusion of sex work and sexuality services from the NDIS. The NDIS is designed to improve the quality of life of people with disability in Australia. It provides funding for people with disability to access reasonable and necessary supports, to pursue their goals, live independently, and participate fully in the community.

ALT The exclusion of sexuality and sex work services from the NDIS would undermine the fundamental human rights and the choice, control and access of people with disability to essential supports that enable full participation in all aspects of life, including sexual expression, health, reproduction and relationships. Sexual supports are critical to the well-being of people with disability. They are not mere luxuries but, as the Federal Court recognised in 2020, are reasonable and necessary supports that contribute to our holistic health and quality of life. The NDIS must continue to recognise sex, sexuality, and relationships within the context of disability and ensure access to a range of safe sexual supports and services that meet the diverse needs of NDIS participants.

ALT These supports can be life changing. They foster positive relationships with one’s own body, particularly for those who experience their bodies as medicalised. They build confidence in sex, intimacy, and touch within safe and supportive environments, and provide outlets for self-expression and pleasure [...] People with disability are often denied full autonomy over their own bodies and are subjected to beliefs that they are either asexual or hypersexual. Our right to make informed choices about our bodies, sexual and reproductive health, and intimate relationships must be upheld. Many people with disability require specific supports to enjoy sexual expression and fulfill their sexual needs safely.

ALT People with disability are often denied full autonomy over their own bodies and are subjected to beliefs that they are either asexual or hypersexual. Our right to make informed choices about our bodies, sexual and reproductive health, and intimate relationships must be upheld [...] A clear and co-designed sexuality policy within the NDIS framework would be a positive step towards addressing these barriers. We urge Minister Shorten to reconsider the position on sexuality services and to deliver on their co-design promises by engaging with the disability community in developing a framework for NDIS funded sex work and sexuality services that truly reflects the needs and rights of people with disability.

ALT SERVICES: Information for disabled people and their support staff on how to access the sex industry. Access to the ‘Touching Base Referral List’ via the website. Information and resources on the NDIS and sex work. Training programs for sex workers including workshops tailored to disability service providers.

ALT PDAT TRAINING: Touching Base’s Professional Disability Awareness Training (PDAT) is available for sex workers (with over three months experience in the sex industry) who are interested in creating a more accessible experience for disabled clients. Each PDAT online workshop takes place over two 3 hour live sessions and includes presentations by experienced peer trainers, interactive group discussions and activities. You will receive a Certificate upon completion.

ALT Training covers in-depth topics such as: Disability Awareness Awareness of the sexual rights of people with disability Working with clients with communication and mobility disabilities Accessibility training Booking outcalls and incalls Consent Increased networking and support for sex workers who see disabled clients To receive advanced notice of the next PDAT workshop, head to the ‘waiting list’ link in our bio.

ALT WHAT IS TOUCHING BASE? Not-for-profit organisation Touching Base facilitates connections between disabled people & sex workers.

ALT ase Inc. is a nation wide not-forprofit organisation that assists people with disability and sex workers to connect with each other, supporting the intrinsic right of people with disability to sexual expression and physical intimacy. Touching Base values the professional services that sex workers provide to members of the disabled community, and seeks to diminish the barriers that people with disability experience in accessing the sex industry. The Touching Base vision is a society where disabled people, including older people with disability, can freely choose and easily access the services of sex industry professionals to meet their sexual and physical intimacy needs.

ALT MISSION: Touching Base engages with disabled people, their support staff, family, disability service providers, sex workers and sex worker representative bodies, and legislative decision makers. Touching Base encourages and facilitates: • information sharing • educational programs • training programs • innovative approaches to advocacy

ALT Touching Base aims to: Facilitate links between people with disability, including older people with disability, their support organisations and the sex industry. Encourage information sharing and educational training programs for sex workers, people with disability, including older people with disability, and support staff. Raise the public and professional awareness of the issues surrounding the access and provision of sex industry services for people with disability, including older people with disability.

ALT “The old saying “don’t talk to strangers” can’t be more true for some people with disability. While single able-bodied people have the option to seek out companionship through online hook-ups or public encounters in licensed venues like night clubs, these places can expose people with disability to additional risks ... Taking an unknown person home poses an even bigger risk for me. I can’t defend myself like others can, and so inviting people into my home is a massive decision. I may well be exposing myself to theft, abuse, or far worse. Accessing sex through a sex worker is safer on so many levels – they won’t steal from me or abuse me, and they will leave and not come back unless invited.” - Johnathan Bredin, client with disability, via Touching Base

ALT PDAT TRAINING: To learn more about seeing clients with disability, we recommend Touching Base’s Professional Disability Awareness Training (PDAT). This course is available for sex workers (with over three months experience in the sex industry) who are interested in creating a more accessible experience for disabled clients. Each PDAT online workshop takes place over two 3 hour live sessions and includes presentations by experienced peer trainers, interactive group discussions and activities, and a Certificate upon completion.

ALT Training covers more in-depth topics such as: Disability Awareness Awareness of the sexual rights of people with disability Working with clients with communication and mobility disabilities Accessibility training Booking outcalls and incalls Consent Increased networking and support for sex workers who see disabled clients To receive advanced notice of the next PDAT workshop, head to the ‘waiting list’ link in our bio.

ALT FAQ FRIDAY: What should I keep in mind when booking in clients with disability?

ALT There’s a common misconception that disability and sexuality are mutually exclusive, and people with disabilities are often treated as though they have no sexuality. This stigma is compounded for some disabled people who are physically unable to experience intimacy, self-pleasure and sex without support. Sex workers are able to provide disabled people with a safe space to explore their sexual needs and desires. If not for sex workers, some people with disability would never be able to enjoy all the benefits of a respectful sexual experience. This post is only a short introduction to booking processing for disabled clients. We recommend Touching Base’s Professional Disability Awareness Training Program (PDAT) to all sex workers.

ALT “If I was asked what would be the first thing I would say to sex workers interested in working with disabled men, I would say that the sexual experiences that they have are not going to be like the sex they have with non-disabled men. In some cases this may be the first sexual experience the disabled man has had ... It is likely to be a special occasion.” - Clifford*, 60 year old man with Spina Bifida, via Touching Base “Being a woman in a wheelchair, I have always had the dream to slow dance with a man. Because of Holden that dream came true. One night Holden lifted me up in my hoist, put on my favourite song Tennessee Whisky and he slow danced with me for the entire song. It was magical and a moment I will cherish forever.” - Stephanie*, 38-year-old woman with CP and a full time wheelchair user. “Holden” is her male escort, via Touching Base *names have been changed

ALT SEXUAL EXPRESSION IS A HUMAN RIGHT: Our response to Bill Shorten confirming that he will seek to exclude access to sex work services under the NDIS.

ALT On Sunday 7th July 2024, NDIS Minister Bill Shorten announced his plan to prohibit the inclusion of sex work services through the National Disability Insurance Scheme. Since 2020, access to specialised sex services have been confirmed as available through the NDIS following a Federal Court ruling, which determined that the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) should approve such services when they are considered reasonable and necessary in an NDIS participant’s personal circumstances. Scarlet Alliance and Touching Base unequivocally reject Minister Bill Shorten’s public declaration to exclude access to sex work services under the NDIS.

ALT We are currently engaging with allied peer and peak disability organisations, policy makers and media and are lobbying to challenge Minister Shorten’s desire to deny an already neglected aspect of the lives of people with disability. Disabled people often face significant stigma and discrimination when trying to form intimate relationships or engage in sexual self pleasure. Recognising that ‘sexual services’ are a legitimate need for some people with disability is an important step in creating equal access to the human right for intimacy and pleasure. To deny disabled people who need support to express this right is a human rights violation.