This time last year we published an article on Enhance the UK’s campaign Undressing Disability, which aimed to change perceptions of disablity and sex. Enhance the UK works empower disabled people to love their bodies and enjoy relationships and sex as anyone else would. One year on we’ve caught up with Enhance the UK to see what’s happened…
Enhance the UK exists to change the perceptions of people with disabilities, and one of the biggest areas we believe disabled people are seen as different or separate is with sex and relationships. Having a disability doesn’t make someone unsexy, or any less interested in sex. That’s why we launched our campaign Undressing Disability.
Last year the campaign saw our calendar of disabled models in their underwear sell out. So this year we wanted the campaign to be even bigger and bolder.
We’ve conducted a whole new series of photo shoots (still as scantily clad as ever) featuring even more amazing models, including the vivacious Mary Russell from The Undateables. Take a look at some of the highlights…
We’ve also produced a second short film to raise awareness of our campaign. It features the very moving story of Sophie, one of our users who wouldn’t accept that her love life was over just because she became disabled…
We’ve also put together a book that chronicles the stories of 19 of our disabled user experiences with sex, love and disability. We’ve heard so many highs, lows and straight up hilarious stories that we just couldn’t wait to share them with you. The Undressing Disability book is available to buy in paperback or ebook format from the Enhance the UK website. All proceeds go back into the charity to help create our online sex and relationships education resources for physically disabled and sensory impaired young people.
Currently no such program exists in the UK. Inclusive and accessible sex and relationship education in mainstream schools is not compulsory and, where it does exist, it often lumps learning and physical disabilities in the same category. The reality is that they both deserve and require very different specialised attention. Our resources offer this for free on our website.
This year also saw us collaborate with Scope to put together an exhibition of our new photos, premier our films and release our book at an event at the Gherkin in October, which was a truly incredible evening. Our thanks go out to Scope and our clients The National Gallery for helping us out by donating some easels to us for the event.
We are very grateful for such a successful year and can’t wait to see what next year will bring.
By Enhance the UK
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Well written and the story by/of Sophie is a powerful message. Why is this still taboo in 2016? We’re people just like anyone else, and have the same desires and needs.