Supporting relationships and intimacy for all

“Up to 50% of people with a physical disability don’t take part in mainstream sex education in school.”
– Amanda Damian, Northcott’s Clinical Lead Counsellor

A brief history

Access to education and resources about sex and relationships is a significant barrier for many people with disability, often limiting their opportunity to enjoy fulfilling and healthy intimacy.

“Up to 50% of people with a physical disability don’t take part in mainstream sex education in school,” explains Amanda Damian, Northcott’s Clinical Lead Counsellor, from our Sexuality and Relationship Education service.

“This lack of access is just the beginning of the inequities faced by people with disability when it comes to learning about sexuality and healthy relationships.”
To address these gaps, Northcott created Feel the Vibe to provide crucial information and a safe space for open discussions on issues around sexuality and relationships.

The first Feel the Vibe expo was held in 2014 to give our customers and other people with disability greater choices and opportunities to learn about and explore their sexuality and relationships. The expo lifted the taboo on disability and sexuality, fostering open dialogue on a wide range of topics. It also focused holistically on the needs of people with disability.

In that year, Feel the Vibe won two awards in the Disability Innovation Awards, and was named a finalist in the National Disability Awards.

With Northcott customers continuing to call for more support in this area, Northcott has continued to deliver Feel the Vibe regularly, adapting to challenges such as COVID-19 restrictions.

Feel the Vibe returns

In November 2023, Feel the Vibe returned as an in-person event, bigger than ever. Held in Kembla Grange, the expo attracted over 200 attendees, including people with disability, support workers and health professionals. The event featured adult product stalls, speakers, interactive displays and entertainment.

For attendee and Northcott customer Ben, who travelled from Coffs Harbour with his support worker, the event was the chance to learn some new skills to support him to achieve his relationship goals.

“I’ve come to Feel the Vibe because I really want a boyfriend and to learn how to be in a relationship. At one of the stalls, someone showed me how to put a condom on a banana. I’ve never had anyone show me how to use a condom before,” Ben shared during the expo.

In addition to providing useful information for people with disability, Feel the Vibe is also valuable for professionals working in the disability sector. Service coordinators and support workers from some of Northcott’s houses went along to gain a better understanding of how they can support their customers in this space, including how to connect them with vetted disability-friendly sex workers.

“We have customers who have been asking some spicy questions that we haven’t known how to answer appropriately. We’ve come to get answers for them and to find out more about training so that we can learn how to offer better support in this area,” said Amanda Dunshea, Northcott Housing Service Coordinator.

A support worker from Northcott’s Merrylands accommodation said, “Mark* has a real interest in this kind of stuff, so we connect him and other residents who are interested with sex workers monthly. It’s just a part of Mark’s routine.”

In 2024, Feel the Vibe will be held in Coffs Harbour, and for the first time ever, attendees are invited to an official after-party!