Hot Octopuss are an inclusive sex toy brand that are normalising sex aids for disabled people. They have recently launched their Personal Budget Awareness Campaign to highlight the importance of enabling disabled people to spend their personal health budget on sex aids if they choose to do so.
As a brand focused on inclusivity, they are always looking at ways to work with the disabled community to demystify and normalise sex and disability and remove the barriers that society presents when it comes to access to sex aids, sexual health services and even sex in general.
More specifically, Hot Octopuss want to help disabled future customers who are currently being denied sex aids as part of their personal budget. A personal budget is a statement of the amount of money needed to meet eligible social care needs. It assists disabled people to take control of their care packages and live more independently.
Sex is a vital part of wellbeing, but imagine the challenges that disabled people face when trying to include a sex aid in their personal health budget. Not only is it exposing, it also may require help – and what if they don’t feel comfortable to ask a carer or family member for this private purchase? It’s also got a huge risk of embarrassment if the local council refuses to refund it as a valid purchase for disability. And is this likely? Hot Octopuss’ research suggests yes – and it’s not only sexually that disabled people are disregarded.
The UK’s big issue
Disabled people in the UK are used to being denied self-expression. Even in 2021, there still seems to be a huge wall between “us” and “them” – whether it’s what clothes they wear, if they wear makeup or if they shave their body hair, these things which non-disabled people can freely choose are often overlooked by carers or councils as unimportant for disabled people. And when it comes to sex, just have a think – when was the last time disabled sex was represented in the media? It appears that sex is still the last taboo when it comes to disabled people. Influencer, Becky Dann, explains:
‘I will never forget the day I heard kids at school assessing who they thought had sex and who hadn’t. When they got to me, they said “oh she can’t, she’s disabled” it upset me because it was the first time, I realised people didn’t see disability and sex going hand in hand. As I got older, I knew I wanted sex but I had never been spoken to about it, educated on it at all. I had to do my own research which let me tell you as a disabled teenager is so hard to find! Now I talk publicly about it because there is still so much stigma around it and too many people still see disabled people as non-sexual beings!”
Hot Octopuss are determined that sexual pleasure should be, and can be, for the masses, and that includes their expanding disabled community. Don’t forget, the so-called “purple pound” represents a market share of £250 billion and deserves every retailer’s attention.
This month Hot Octopuss are going to be talking about disabled sex all month as part of their Personal Budget Awareness Campaign. The campaign is currently live and features amazing disabled influencers talking about their own sexual journeys. You can find everything you need to know about the campaign here.
Reimbursement Promise
If any disabled customer orders a toy from Hot Octopuss and is rejected for reimbursement by the local council. Hot Octopuss will completely refund the product and gift it instead. The Hot Octopuss team are also available to answer any questions relating to sex, self-love, relationships and intimacy and to recommend the best toy if needed, as advised by their disability and sex consultant Kelly Gordon.
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