In search of equal opportunities in sexual expression: Sex & Disability

**Nathalie L** · February 26, 2013

Anan Maria interviews Dave Symington, Kirsty Liddiard, Cory Silverberg in this amazing segment on sex work and disability.

We started this segment with a scene from the Oscar-nominated movie The Sessions. It's based on the true story of Mark O'Brien, a man confined to an iron lung who seeks the help of a sexual surrogate to help him lose his virginity at the age of 38. The movie addresses challenges many people with disabilities face when it comes to sexual expression.

In Vancouver, a disability rights group called EASE is tackling those same challenges head-on. EASE stands for Equitable and Accessible Sexual Expression. The group is in the initial stages of putting together a partnership with an escort agency which has a roster of sex workers trained to work with people with disabilities.

Freelance producer Pamela Post was invited to sit in on a meeting of EASE. And she spoke with a couple of its members about why this project is important to them. We aired a clip. ---- And we should warn you, there's going to be some frank talk about sex coming up -- nothing graphic though. ----

Dave Symington is a disability rights activist and the co-founder of the group Equitable and Accessible Sexual Expression.

Kirsty Liddiard is a post-doctoral fellow at the School of Disability Studies at Ryerson University.

And Cory Silverberg is a sex educator and the co-author of The Ultimate Guide to Sex and Disability.

This segment was produced by The Current's Josh Bloch.

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