Episode 13: Sexual Rights, Sex Work and Disability with Rachel Wotton

Explicit content warning

03/30/22 • 57 min

Have The Nerve: A Podcast About Disability

That irresistible urge, the attraction, the anticipation and excitement for the slightest touch. Rachel calls it skin hunger.
Rachel Wotton is a Sex Worker living in Inner Sydney, Churchill Fellow and PhD candidate at Western Sydney University. Her PhD is about exploring the experiences of people with disabilities accessing sex workers in Australia.
Susan and Rachel talk about the misconceptions of two marginalised communities, the legacy of her 2011 documentary Scarlet Road, how her work has helped many people with disabilities to find independence and confidence and how she helped get sex work on the NDIS.
We want to make a follow up episode with Rachel with questions by you!
Ask anything here: https://bit.ly/HaveTheNerveRachelWotton. You will remain anonymous.
Information about what we've discussed in the episode:
Rachel Wotton: https://www.rachelwotton.com/
Participate in her survey and read more about Rachel's research: http://www.pasa-research.com.au/
Scarlet Road documentary: https://www.scarletroad.com.au/about/
Winston Churchill Trust Fellow, 2016: https://www.churchilltrust.com.au/fellow/rachel-wotton-nsw-2016/
Touching Base: https://www.touchingbase.org/
NDIS funds used to pay for sex workers, court rules (Guardian article, 2020): https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/may/12/ndis-funds-pay-sex-workers-court-rules
NDIS and Sex Work (Touching Base): https://www.touchingbase.org/ndis-and-sex-work/
Credits
This episode has been written, produced and edited by Susan Wood with assistance by Michelle Kearney and Nathan Mikhael. Logo art by Cobie Ann Moore.
Spinal Cord Injuries Australia is a for-purpose organisation that supports people with a spinal cord injury and other neurological conditions. For more information about our supports and services visit our Resource Hub at https://bit.ly/ResourceHubSCIA.
We want to hear from you!
Whether you're a person with a disability, or an able-bodied ally, fill in our very quick survey and tell us what you thought about this episode!

Spinal Cord Injuries Australia is a for-purpose organisation that supports people with a spinal cord injury and other neurological conditions. For more information about our supports and services, visit our Resource Hub at https://scia.org.au/resources/resource-hub/.

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Previous Episode

Episode 12: So, How Disabled Do You Need To Be For The NDIS?

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Eligibility within the NDIS is a little bit of grey area.
Although under the NDIS Act 2013 there are no specific diagnosis or disabilities listed, actually accessing the NDIS can be fraught with problems.
For the first full episode of Have the Nerve in 2022, Susan talks to SCIA's Senior Support Coordinator Louise Hilton and SCIA's Policy and Advocacy Officer Megan Bingham about about how the selective process of funding has larger systemic consequences and where a gap in disability education has left people behind.
Information about what we have discussed in this episode:
The NDIS Act: https://www.ndis.gov.au/about-us/governance/legislation
National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013 - Federal Register of Legislation: https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2013A00020
Access to the NDIS - The Disability Requirements: https://www.ndis.gov.au/about-us/operational-guidelines/access-ndis-operational-guideline/access-ndis-disability-requirements
SCIA NDIS Support Coordination and Plan Management (Australia wide): https://scia.org.au/ndis/
SCIA Individual, Family and Systemic Advocacy (New South Wales only): https://scia.org.au/advocacy-policy/
Credits
This episode has been written, produced and edited by Susan Wood with assistance by Michelle Kearney and Nathan Mikhael. Logo art by Cobie Ann Moore.
Spinal Cord Injuries Australia is a for-purpose organisation that supports people with a spinal cord injury and other neurological conditions. For more information about our supports and services visit scia.org.au.
We want to hear from you!
Whether you're a person with a disability, or an able-bodied ally, fill in our very quick survey and tell us what you thought about this episode!

Next Episode

Episode 14: Why is standing so important for people who can’t move their legs?

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Maybe some of you may not have thought this was possible. Maybe some of you didn't know that this could and should be something to consider.
We're not talking about miraculously standing up and walking around, Physiotherapist Colbey Van Leeuwen and Exercise Physiologist Alicia Payne talk about the importance of standing in therapy, particularly for people who have had traumatic spinal cord injuries, the technology and what the research says.
Credits
This episode has been written, produced and edited by Susan Wood with assistance by Colbey Van Leeuwen, Michelle Kearney and Nathan Mikhael. Logo art by Cobie Ann Moore.
Spinal Cord Injuries Australia is a for-purpose organisation that supports people with a spinal cord injury and other neurological conditions. For more information about our supports and services visit our Resource Hub at https://bit.ly/ResourceHubSCIA.
Information about what we've discussed in the episode (There are a LOT of citations. Strap yourselves in):
NeuroMoves Exercise Service: https://scia.org.au/neuromoves-exercise/
We want to hear from you!
Whether you're a person with a disability, or an able-bodied ally, fill in our very quick survey and tell us what you thought about this episode!Kwok, S., Harvey, L., Glinsky, J., Bowden, J.L., Coggrave, M. & Tussler, D. 2015. Does regular standing improve bowel function in people with spinal cord injury? A randomised crossover trial. Spinal Cord, 53(1), 36-41.

Walter, J., Sola, P.,
Sacks, J., Lucero, Y., Langbein, E. & Weaver, F. 1999. Indications for a
home standing program for individuals with spinal cord injury. J Spinal Cord
Med, 22(3), 152-158.
Goemare, S. &
Laere, M.Van. 1994. Bone mineral status in paraplegic patients who do or do not
perform standing. Osteoporosis Int., 4, 138-143.
Alekna, V.,
Tamulaitiene, M., Sinevicius, T. & Juocevicius, A. 2008. Effect of
weight-bearing activities on bone mineral density in spinal cord injured
patients during the period of the first two years. Spinal Cord., 46(11), 727-732.
Bohannon, R. 1993.
Tilt table standing for reducing spasticity after spinal cord injury. Arch Phys
Med Rehabil, 74, 1121-1122.

Shields, R.K. &
Dudley-Javoroski, S. 2005. Monitoring standing wheelchair use after spinal cord
injury: a case report. Disabil Rehabil, 27(3), 142-146.

Pollock, A., Gray, C.,
Culham, E., Durward, B.R. and Langhorne, P., 2012. Interventions for improving
sit-to-stand ability following stroke. status and date: Edited (no change to
conclusions), published in, (9).

Veerbeek, J.M., van
Wegen, E., van Peppen, R., van der Wees, P.J., Hendriks, E., Rietberg, M. and
Kwakkel, G., 2014. What is the evidence for physical therapy poststroke? A
systematic review and meta-analysis. PloS one, 9(2), p.e87987.

Stanton, R., Ada, L.,
Dean, C.M. and Preston, E., 2011. Biofeedback improves activities of the lower
limb after stroke: a systematic review. Journal of physiotherapy, 57(3),
pp.145-155

Singer, B., Dunne, J.,
Singer