Aims: Sexuality and sexual needs/desires of people with disability have historically been overlooked amongst the general public. Long standing social attitudes and stereotypes have fundamentally dictated that people with disabilities cannot and should not express their sexual agency. In particular, when people with disability have sought to express their sexual needs via the services of a sex worker, this has tended to provoke much social and political ire. This research is an exploratory study about sex workers who provide services to clients with disability. The aim of this research is to identify the nature and extent of such activities to produce empirical data to support anecdotal evidence and recent emerging research in this field. Method: This exploratory online survey asked sex workers who worked in New South Wales (NSW) to share their experiences of providing services to clients with disability. This included the frequency, type and range of services provided, location of service delivery and how clients made contact. Questions were asked regarding third party assistance and the identification of any barriers or challenges faced by sex workers. The survey also encouraged sex workers to share personal reflections on what they thought were the most positive aspects of their work. Results: The findings, from 65 respondents, indicate that sex workers in NSW have provided a wide range of sexual services to clients with disability across the state. The sex workers’ ages ranged from 21 to 61 years, identifying as either female, male or transgender. Services were provided in varied locations including brothels, massage parlours, private homes, hotels, nursing homes, the client’s hospital room or their client’s group home/ supported accommodation. Their clients’ disabilities were quite expansive, spanned both physical and cognitive disabilities and acquired and congenital disabilities. A number of issues and barriers were identified that concerned the client, carers, support staff and / or family and friends of the client. Forty seven sex workers shared their personal perspectives of what they considered the most positive aspects in providing services to clients with disability. Conclusions: The respondents’ narratives revealed their professional enthusiasm with interacting with clients with disability. This includes a desire to have further training and support to alleviate barriers and challenging situations that impede clear communication and supportive pathways between themselves and their clients. These results also contribute to an awareness of how decriminalisation can provide a supportive environment for this to occur. This study builds upon an expanding body of work that can be used to educate and influence the future development of training and awareness workshops for sex workers, disability services provider, clients with a disability, academics, policy makers and the general public
