I’m bummed that I didn’t find out about this until today…

Wounded Troops and Partners: Supporting Intimate Relationships

This one-day conference will convene elected officials, public and private agency leaders, health-care professionals, members of the armed services, veterans, and concerned civilians to work toward the following goals:

* Create visibility for the linkage of mental and physical disabilities such as PTSD, traumatic brain injury, and serious burns with failed intimate relationships that contribute to higher suicide rates, divorce and other problems
* Strengthen specific initiatives around intimate relationships for person with combat-related disabilities
* Develop and expand enduring networks of people to serve these populations

This conference is your opportunity to contribute to a national dialogue on how U.S. agencies, health-care providers and communities can help wounded troops and their partners develop and maintain healthy intimate relationships.

You will hear first-person experiences and receive briefings from experts on:

* How healthy intimate relationships contribute to recovery from physical and mental trauma
* How lack of a satisfying intimate relationship contributes to ongoing mental health problems and suicide
* The special challenges and concerns of wounded women warriors
* How intimate relationships help wounded spirits heal
* The specific sexual health concerns of troops with disabilities
* How addressing sexual health concerns strengthens marriages and other committed relationships

When
Wednesday, May 21, 2008 8:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Eastern Time Zone

Where
Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation
Barbara Jordan Conference Center
1330 G Street NW
Washington, DC 20005

Click here to register

For more information, contact Dr. Mitchell Tepper at mtepper@msm.edu or (404) 752-1844.

Here They Come!: the 37th edition of the Disability Blog Carnival

Hosted by CripChick this month:

The words carnival and disability together brings many images to mind. Images of freakshows, disability being manipulated, and all kinds of hard times for disabled people are thought of. Here we are though, in 2008, reclaiming and recycling these words together to mean something new. This disability blog carnival, the 37th one of its kind, focuses on the celebration of disability culture, struggle, people, history and identity. Put your party hats on— we’re ready to get started!

Call Girls at Nursing Home Fuel Debate in Denmark (Update1)

By Christian Wienberg

April 16 (Bloomberg) — When a male resident at Kildegaarden nursing home in Denmark made an indecent sexual proposal to a member of the staff, the home’s director, Inger Marie Kristensen, told a nurse to telephone for a prostitute.

“There was a considerable change in his demeanor after the escort girl had paid him a visit,” Kristensen said in an interview. “We do this for our clients just as we offer them other services that they need as human beings.”

Kildegaarden, located 100 miles (160 kilometers) west of Copenhagen in Skanderborg, has about 100 residents, including victims of Alzheimer’s disease and strokes. Nurses arranged visits by call girls three times in the past three years.

While Welfare Minister Karen Jespersen says Denmark’s 98 municipalities are free to let nurses call prostitutes, some lawmakers are stepping up efforts to pull women out of the profession, which has been legal in the country since 1999.

“I don’t want to contribute to keeping this industry in business,” said Mie Bergmann, an elected official with the Social-Liberal Party in Skanderborg, who led a failed vote to end prostitution at Kildegaarden.

Denmark is doubling spending to 80 million kroner ($17 million) over the next three years to get women out of the sex trade. The government estimates that 6,000 women work in the profession in the Scandinavian country of 5.5 million.

Welcome!

This is a new venture for me but the idea for it has been floating around for a while.

In my work I’ve encountered individuals with conditions ranging from recovering from surgery to varying degrees of diabetes and paralyzing cerebral palsy.

While researching the effects of these conditions on sexuality, I’ve found very limited resources. I will post what I’m able to find here and I welcome you to send me links to resources that you’re aware of.

A lot of what I find is based in countries outside of the US. I hope this will change with time and awareness raising.

I’m saddened by the unnecessary negative effects of social stigma against people living with disabilities. I’ve found that there are many compassionate families, therapists, doctors and in-home care workers who are seeking information and compassionate providers who are able to provide intimate services.

This blog is for people living with disabilities, those who care for them and those who love them to raise awareness and promote compassionate attitudes toward enhancing access to sexual information and services.

I also welcome companions and people living with disabilities who have used the services of companions to send me their stories, questions and concerns to be posted here.

So that’s my vision. I’m excited to see where this project will go!

Australia: Touching Base

One of my dear friends is a co-founder of this project. I’d love to see something like this happening in the US:

Touching Base

Our Principles

The decriminalisation of sex work in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, recognised sex work as a lawful occupation. The Sex Industry has a wealth of practical knowledge in dealing with a wide range of sexual issues and has the right to be respected and consulted as the primary stakeholders in any matters relating to the provision of sexual services in NSW.

As the initiators of the Touching Base Project, sex workers in NSW are actively pursuing this right.

People with a disability have an intrinsic right to sexual expression. This right enables people to develop relationships, have sex, explore and express their sexuality and achieve intimacy without personal or systemic barriers. Furthermore, necessary personal and systemic supports must be provided for the expression of this right.
Our Aims

As part of a commitment to supporting such rights, Touching Base NSW aims to:

* Facilitate the links between people with a disability, their support organisations and the Sex Industry
* Encourage information sharing and educational training programs for sex workers, people with a disability and their carers.
* Raise the public and professional awareness of the issues surrounding the access and provision of Sex Industry services for people with a disability.

Our Committee of Management
The Touching Base Inc Committee of Management includes individual people with disabilities and sex workers.

Doin’ It: Sex, Disability and Videotape

Via Our Bodies, Our Blog