About a month ago I met a woman named Eva, via Instagram. Eva Sweeny who has cerebral palsy is a sex educator, who teaches workshops all over the country about sex and disability through her organization Cripping Up Sex With Eva.
Tell my readers about yourself and your passion for working with people with disabilities and sex?
My name is Eva, I am 36 and have been a sex educator for over 15 years, focusing on sex and disability. I started this work because as a queer teen with Cerebral Palsy, I could not find any information on disability and sex. So I just decided to make the information myself. I wrote a book called “Queers on Wheels” and started doing workshops about sex and disability. now, I run “Cripping Up Sex with Eva”, and I continue to give workshops both online and in-person.
In what ways do you find that people who have physical disabilities are stigmatized against or prevented from enjoying a healthy sexual lifestyle?
The main obstacle PwDs face is just that people think we don’t or should not have sex. also the sex education for people with disabilities is practically non-existent.
Physically, what kinds of barriers do couples with physical disabilities face in their sexual life that those who don’t have disabilities might not be aware of? What do you do to overcome those barriers?
Well everyone is different, and there are obstacles in every individual relationship that will require communication and creativity, regardless of whether they are disabled or not. just having open communication about sex is a good place to start.
Do you think there are adequate resources for information on sexuality and disability?
No, but it is slowly getting better, especially with the internet. There are a few cool people talking about sex and disability besides myself, but there's still room for so much more.
What do you think is the biggest misconception about sex and disability?
That it is so hard for people with disabilities to have sex. it might look different (or not) but it is definitely not impossible for people with disabilities to have satisfying and fulfilling sex lives.
What advice would you give a disabled person who believes they may never find sexual fulfilment because of their condition?
You definitely can! it might take some trial and error and creativity, but anyone is capable of finding sexual fulfilment regardless of their condition.
You can following Eva on IG @crippingupsex