<http://schema.org/articleBody>
" Disability and sex are two words that, for some reason in our society, do not go together. Most people assume that if you&amp;#039;re disabled, sex is not part of your life. Many find it hard to believe that disabled people date, have relationships or even like to have one-night stands.   I&amp;#039;m a comedian who has muscular dystrophy. I&amp;#039;m nearly 40 and, while dating can be difficult for everyone, if you&amp;#039;re disabled, it makes it even harder \u2013 trust me. I haven&amp;#039;t been disabled all my life though. Ten years ago I was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy, a progressive muscle wasting condition.   My sex life before my diagnosis was good. I always seemed to have boyfriends on the go or be having fun with men. I&amp;#039;m not the most beautiful girl, but I know how to seduce a guy, which helps when you are not exactly a Victoria Secret type.  Before I became a full-time wheelchair user, I used to go out on crutches and it was still possible for me to hide the condition and get lucky. But all of a sudden, about three years ago, my condition got worse and I couldn&amp;#039;t walk anymore. Everything changed. Since I have been using a wheelchair, my dating experiences have become a lot less frequent.     Guys ask me all manner of questions \u2013 some I don&amp;#039;t mind, but others can take it a step too far. They all want to know... &amp;quot;Can you have sex?&amp;quot; This is a common misconception. Most people only think about sex in terms of penetration. How wrong they are. There are so many other ways to reach that goal by exploring each other&amp;#039;s bodies \u2013 the pleasure can be so much more. However, the answer is yes, I can and do have sex! &amp;quot;Can you feel anything?&amp;quot; Yes, I can! I understand that most people believe the equation: wheelchair user = paralysed = cannot feel anything. But this assumption is wrong, for at least two reasons. One is, if you see someone in a wheelchair, it does not necessarily mean that person is paralysed. Second, there are many bases to explore when having sex. It&amp;#039;s not only about penetration! And toys can also help.  Then we have the strange requests... &amp;quot;Will you bring your wheelchair?&amp;quot; No, I just use it for fun and because I&amp;#039;m lazy! Some time ago, I used a profile picture of me sitting sideways on my wheelchair for an online dating website. Aside from not having much luck, one guy asked me if the wheelchair was a prop. After that, I deleted my account. No point staying on that site anymore. &amp;quot;How long do your batteries last?&amp;quot; Longer than most men in the bedroom! &amp;quot;If we have sex, will I get your disease / impairment?&amp;quot; Well, Muscular Dystrophy is genetic so no you can&amp;#039;t catch it.  It&amp;#039;s time to #EndTheAwkward There&amp;#039;s a lot of misunderstanding about disability out there. I think it&amp;#039;s always best to ask a person about their impairment, as long as you aren&amp;#039;t being offensive. Most disabled people prefer to talk about it rather than let things be awkward. But it can be very hurtful when your dream guy asks you all those questions and then they disappear. I am not your personal Wikipedia/Google, I have feelings. I am part of Scope&amp;#039;s #EndtheAwkward campaign which raises awareness about how awkward the nation is when it comes to disability. Most recently I contributed to the charity&amp;#039;s A to Z of sex and disability . Research by the charity revealed that the majority (67%) of Brits feel awkward around disabled people, and as a result they panic, or worse, they avoid contact altogether. They also discovered that only 5% of people who aren&amp;#039;t disabled have ever asked out, or been on a date with, a disabled person. I really do hope campaigns like this will encourage people to see the person and not their impairment, and will help everyone feel less awkward around disabled people.  It&amp;#039;s frustrating that most people cannot see passed my wheelchair. I have not changed. I am exactly the same person I was before I started using it. I just get tired way more than I did 10 years ago.  In my stand-up shows as a comedienne, I try and change people&amp;#039;s perceptions on sex and disability as much as I can. I&amp;#039;m still waiting for someone in the audience to help me try all the positions in the Kama Sutra but can you believe it \u2013 I haven&amp;#039;t had any takers yet! So I&amp;#039;ve now come up with a plan B \u2013 masturbation and sex toys. If guys don&amp;#039;t want me anymore what can I do? I still need to have sex. For me having sex is the best thing ever. It makes me feel better and more confident. Two years ago, I bought my first toy; a very basic rabbit. After that, I tried several other toys, until I finally found the right one for me. Believe me, so far I can easily survive without men. Better to be alone than with someone who does not appreciate me for who I am! Follow Romina on Twitter to get the latest updates on her stand-up.  "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/healthy-living/sexual-health/a26681/myths-wheelchair-users-and-sex/>