December 1, 2025 • 12 mins
The industry around sex equipment has been leading the charge in the development of equipment for different bodies and impairments. This mini describes some of the advances and innovations that have developed for various body types and impairments to engage in safe, sexual activities.
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Links:
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/why-we-do-what-we-do--3419521/support.
Support our podcast: www.patreon.com/wwdwwdpodcast
Join our supporters club: www.patreon.com/wwdwwdpodcast
Links:
- https://www.intimaterider.com/
- https://dds.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/dds/publication/attachments/Oct%202018%20-%20Adaptive%20Devices%20for%20Intimacy%20and_or%20Sexual%20Engagement.pdf
- https://abilitymagazine.com/disability-sex-and-adult-toys-by-and-for-people-with-disabilities/
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/why-we-do-what-we-do--3419521/support.
Support our podcast: www.patreon.com/wwdwwdpodcast
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
You're listening to Why we Do what we do. Welcome
to Why we Do what we do Many I'm your
host to Abraham, and I'm your host Shane. We are
a psychology podcast. We talk about the things that humans
(00:24):
and non human animals do. And this is a mini episode,
which means 's short. We get in there, we talk
about something, and then it's short, and then we're done
with it. And that's how it goes. That was my
Rick Sanchez impression.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
Oh, and we are going to get in it.
Speaker 3 (00:41):
This is going to be a buddy episode for the
episode that comes out this week related to sex and disabilities.
This episode is all about the adaptive sex industry. So
we want to give a quick disclaimer before we start,
Like at the very top of the episode, before Abraham
does his preamble and all that, we want to give
a quick sexuality warning. We are going to discuss topics
that may be sensitive some folks. We're not going to
be explicit in our descriptions, but regardless, we want to
(01:03):
share a fair warning.
Speaker 2 (01:04):
Please feel free.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
To skip this episode if topics around sexuality make you
uncomfortable or nervous, or you're listening around children.
Speaker 1 (01:11):
Yeah, specifically for whom you don't want to hear that
sort of thing because some people, their kids are exposed
to that and they just know more stuff and that
happens too. Yeah, anyway, no judgment either way. We hope
that you enjoy what you hear in this one, and
if you would like to support us, you can like
and subscribe, but leave a rating and review, join us
on Patreon, tell a friend, and I'll talk more about
(01:32):
the ways that you can do those things at the
end of this discussion. But as we said, we're talking
about this whole week is sort of on a somewhat
sexual oriented discussion topic, which is to say, in the
space of disability and accessibility, sex is a thing that
people with impairments will experience and want to experience, and
(01:53):
so there is an entire industry that exists around sex
and specifically adapting devices to facilitate engagement in sexual experiences
of some sort. So yes, in our episode on sex
and Disabilities, which comes out this week, we do briefly
mention that there is an industry related to adaptive sex
(02:14):
toys and equipment, and this is going to be the
discussion on that. So we're going to figure we figure
we'll share a bit of that information in our mini Yeah.
Speaker 3 (02:24):
I was having a hard time finding the word to
use because I kept going between like toys and devices
and all that.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
I think I landed on products.
Speaker 3 (02:30):
Oh, so, like, I think that's an easy way to
kind of capture everything, like.
Speaker 2 (02:34):
Because I was doing this thing that was kind of
like what do you say here? But products feels like
it's kind of a catch all.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
Yeah, yeah, okay, cool, got it? Did you get through
all the preamble stuff in order to go?
Speaker 2 (02:45):
I think? So?
Speaker 1 (02:46):
Okay, cool? All right, Well this is mini, so it's short.
So let's dive in inclusive sex products. I guess we'll
call them or disability friendly sex related products. It aligns
with the universal design principles, which we covered in a
recent full length episode, talking about when we're creating any
kind of materials or goods for people, creating them for
(03:07):
the broadest possible audience in most cases, so we make
equipment that can benefit everyone and include as many people
as possible. And that is something that's actually been sort
of tackled and thought about by engineers and developers working
in the space of the products around like sexual and
interaction and experiences. These products absolutely.
Speaker 3 (03:29):
Historically, these types of products have required some level of
like and you're going to see some products in the
space too that require some level of like fluid mobility
and stuff like that. Now, what we found is that
there are so many products because of the advancements of
technology and the advancements in ergonomics and really like the
thought processes behind this to make it so much easier
to engage with.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
So there are few ways that some of these.
Speaker 3 (03:52):
Products have been designed to specifically meet people's needs. And
when it comes to specifically the stimulating toys like we're
going to talk about, like braids and dildos and things
like that, there are a few ways the industry has adapted.
One of them is that they've created hands free or
remote controlled products that don't require extensive mobility for that person.
Some of these products can be controlled with an app,
(04:13):
which is even easier. And when I say like an
app like, you'll find that some of these products they
don't even require you to use your hands. They can
be voice controlled, or they can use you can use
some other type of modality to control the sensations with
the with the device.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
Wow very accessible. There are also sort of gender neutral
toys that can be used for a variety of different
bodies and body setups, so they're kind of already designed
with various shapes, sizes, orientations, et cetera, so you can
pick whichever one sort of works best for you if
(04:48):
you're looking for that kind of thing.
Speaker 3 (04:50):
Yep, there are lightweight options for folks with strength deficits.
So if you have a hard time holding or gripping
something for a long period of time, there are lightweight
options that allow for you to avoid that muscle fatigue
while you're using that product.
Speaker 1 (05:02):
There are some products that do have those buttons so
that you have some that have voice controller apps and whatnot.
But there are ones that have buttons, and to make
those more easily accessible, they've made them with larger buttons
and the button can have less resistance so they're very
easy to push. And again this might be related to
strength or just like ease of use as well.
Speaker 3 (05:23):
Yeah, some of the products have modified grips or grip
surfaces that allow that and actually aid with fine motor
deficits or strength deficits in somebody's hands, so like you
can grip and and like hold the thing or even
some of the products are a little bit longer, so
for people who have a problem with reach, they.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
Can actually reach the parts that you're trying to stimulate.
Speaker 1 (05:42):
And then they have machines that will simulate movement as well,
so that depending on if you struggle with different forms
of movement, this one doesn't require very much effort. You
can sort of get the experience regardless of sort of
your current setup in situation. Yeah, and doesn't require very
much effort totally. It'll do a lot of the moving
for you.
Speaker 3 (06:02):
Absolutely, I have no idea what AD's going to come up,
but I would imagine that this AD that's going to
come up now is probably not going to be thrilled.
Speaker 2 (06:08):
They're going to be in the middle of all.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
I hope it's like Adam and Eve or one of
those like, Yeah, that would be rad I would love that. Yeah,
we'll take a sponsorship. Okay, we are back talking about
the various accessibility adaptive designs that exist in the space
(06:32):
of sexuality and the products that have been designed there.
So there are also things like swings, pillows, wedges. Wedges
are kind of like pillows, but they're more rigid. They
like have it the foam, Yeah, the foam. They set
up particular angles they can They might be used to
help prop you up or hold a person up and
reduce a strain on the body so you can more
readily relax during any kind of sexual activity. And those
(06:55):
are made widely available, so the product itself actually has
no inherent like reference to sex. You could look at
this pillow and have no idea that someone maybe got
it at a supply store that supplies sexual equipment and products,
because it's just designed to help support someone's body position. Yeah,
and it's great that that's something that they're considering in
(07:16):
those spaces as well.
Speaker 3 (07:17):
Yeah, and there's also specialized sexual furniture that can be
specifically designed for someone with mobility issues that would allow
them to move onto those bits of furniture. It's almost
like kind of how you see this in the medical world,
where there's like shower stools and chairs and stuff like that,
or like beach wheelchairs that have bigger tires that allow
people to access that. Like there's a whole industry or
(07:38):
sex furniture that does this type of thing too.
Speaker 1 (07:41):
They have wheelchairs that have removable armrests to aid in
transfers and so that you have just less barriers around
you if you're engaging with somebody else or by yourself,
you know, whatever your activity are engaged in, that just
gives you more freedom of movement. And again those transfers
are helpful yep.
Speaker 3 (07:59):
And then acts to a transfer hoist can aid in
transitions to a better other furniture that you might prefer
to use. So some folks will be able to access
that type of equipment that will help them move into
those different types of apparatuses apparatus i, apparati apparati.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
Other tactics include varied positioning that can reduce strain on
the person. So you might actually find books and guides
that will provide illustrations and instruction for various positions that
might be more accommodating depending on your situation or impairment,
and may include laying on your side, adaptive missionary, et cetera.
And that can aid with like comfort and ease of
engagement in the activity.
Speaker 3 (08:35):
Yeah, and in the main episode that is really this week,
we dispel the myth indicating the people with disabilities are
not sexual people. This is one that comes up so often,
and we want to return to this because we also
want to point out that folks with disabilities do participate
in the sex industry, including purchasing items and objects and
equipment and furniture and all that stuff. In the industry itself.
The sex product industry generates about forty two billion dollars
(08:58):
in annual global revenue per year, so it's a pretty
involved industry. The adaptive sex toy industry or a product
industry also has these universal design principles and it worked
at its finest and at its sexiest, so.
Speaker 2 (09:12):
It's really cool to see how it works.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
Yeah, No, that's fantastic. I really love that. Like, this
is one of those industries where, yeah, the universal design
and considerations around accessibility were baked right into a lot
of what they were doing, and they were very open
to the idea that, like, as they create and design
various implements, that they're considering a wide range of different
(09:36):
users who are trying to navigate those those products. And
so just said, really proud of the group of people
who have that in mind as their designing products because
and there are a lot of them, Like it's not
just the sex industry, but it's cool that that's a
space where they acknowledge the need for that kind of
support for different body types and different people with different situations. Yeah,
so good on them, really, just kudos. Absolutely, yes, all right,
(10:01):
very good. Well, I think that's what we have to
say about the adaptive sex products industry. If you'd like
to tell us your thoughts on that, you can email
us directly at info at wwdwwdpodcast dot com. You can
also reach us on the social media platforms. Thank you
so much for listening. Thank you to my team of
people without whom I could not do this podcast. Thank
you Shane for your notes, and you're recording with me today.
Speaker 2 (10:22):
Absolutely thanks for hanging out.
Speaker 1 (10:23):
Yeah. Emma Wilson is our social media coordinator and our
audio engineer producer person is Justin, who is makes everything
that we say sound like a podcast instead of a
series of grumbles and grunts.
Speaker 2 (10:33):
And I'm so glad you gets to listen to this. Thanks.
I can't wait for his feedback.
Speaker 1 (10:38):
He provides often very insightful commentary post episode that I
shouldn't include more in future discussions. I have remembered sometimes
but I forget. Sometimes We'll call it Justin's corner. Justin's corner.
I like it. If you'd like to support us, you
can join us on Patreon. There you'll get ad free episodes,
early episodes, bonus content, and I'll read your name and
the list of people who support us over there at
(10:59):
the end of our full length discussions. That's where I
do the name listing part. Yes, but for the minis,
I'll just say thank you so much to our patron
supporters for helping us continue to be a podcast.
Speaker 2 (11:09):
Absolutely, we love you.
Speaker 1 (11:10):
You can also leave a rating and a review wherever
you listen to podcasts. Go tell a friend and spread
the goodness around. That is our wisdom about topics that
we mostly learn week by week, although a lot of
times we bring in our trained and professional experience with us.
And yeah, so that's what we do and how you
can help us. And I think that's everything. Is there
(11:31):
a thing that I missed or that you'd like to
add before we wrap up?
Speaker 2 (11:33):
No? All right, enjoy yourself.
Speaker 1 (11:35):
Enjoy yourself. Thank you for listening. This is Abraham and
Missus Shane Why we do what we do Mini is out.
Speaker 2 (11:41):
Bye.
Speaker 1 (11:42):
You've been listening to Why We Do what We Do.
Speaker 3 (11:45):
You can learn more about this and other episodes by
going to WWDWWD podcast dot com. Thanks for listening, and
we hope you have an awesome day.
You're listening to Why we Do what we do. Welcome
to Why we Do what we do Many I'm your
host to Abraham, and I'm your host Shane. We are
a psychology podcast. We talk about the things that humans
(00:24):
and non human animals do. And this is a mini episode,
which means 's short. We get in there, we talk
about something, and then it's short, and then we're done
with it. And that's how it goes. That was my
Rick Sanchez impression.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
Oh, and we are going to get in it.
Speaker 3 (00:41):
This is going to be a buddy episode for the
episode that comes out this week related to sex and disabilities.
This episode is all about the adaptive sex industry. So
we want to give a quick disclaimer before we start,
Like at the very top of the episode, before Abraham
does his preamble and all that, we want to give
a quick sexuality warning. We are going to discuss topics
that may be sensitive some folks. We're not going to
be explicit in our descriptions, but regardless, we want to
(01:03):
share a fair warning.
Speaker 2 (01:04):
Please feel free.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
To skip this episode if topics around sexuality make you
uncomfortable or nervous, or you're listening around children.
Speaker 1 (01:11):
Yeah, specifically for whom you don't want to hear that
sort of thing because some people, their kids are exposed
to that and they just know more stuff and that
happens too. Yeah, anyway, no judgment either way. We hope
that you enjoy what you hear in this one, and
if you would like to support us, you can like
and subscribe, but leave a rating and review, join us
on Patreon, tell a friend, and I'll talk more about
(01:32):
the ways that you can do those things at the
end of this discussion. But as we said, we're talking
about this whole week is sort of on a somewhat
sexual oriented discussion topic, which is to say, in the
space of disability and accessibility, sex is a thing that
people with impairments will experience and want to experience, and
(01:53):
so there is an entire industry that exists around sex
and specifically adapting devices to facilitate engagement in sexual experiences
of some sort. So yes, in our episode on sex
and Disabilities, which comes out this week, we do briefly
mention that there is an industry related to adaptive sex
(02:14):
toys and equipment, and this is going to be the
discussion on that. So we're going to figure we figure
we'll share a bit of that information in our mini Yeah.
Speaker 3 (02:24):
I was having a hard time finding the word to
use because I kept going between like toys and devices
and all that.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
I think I landed on products.
Speaker 3 (02:30):
Oh, so, like, I think that's an easy way to
kind of capture everything, like.
Speaker 2 (02:34):
Because I was doing this thing that was kind of
like what do you say here? But products feels like
it's kind of a catch all.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
Yeah, yeah, okay, cool, got it? Did you get through
all the preamble stuff in order to go?
Speaker 2 (02:45):
I think? So?
Speaker 1 (02:46):
Okay, cool? All right, Well this is mini, so it's short.
So let's dive in inclusive sex products. I guess we'll
call them or disability friendly sex related products. It aligns
with the universal design principles, which we covered in a
recent full length episode, talking about when we're creating any
kind of materials or goods for people, creating them for
(03:07):
the broadest possible audience in most cases, so we make
equipment that can benefit everyone and include as many people
as possible. And that is something that's actually been sort
of tackled and thought about by engineers and developers working
in the space of the products around like sexual and
interaction and experiences. These products absolutely.
Speaker 3 (03:29):
Historically, these types of products have required some level of
like and you're going to see some products in the
space too that require some level of like fluid mobility
and stuff like that. Now, what we found is that
there are so many products because of the advancements of
technology and the advancements in ergonomics and really like the
thought processes behind this to make it so much easier
to engage with.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
So there are few ways that some of these.
Speaker 3 (03:52):
Products have been designed to specifically meet people's needs. And
when it comes to specifically the stimulating toys like we're
going to talk about, like braids and dildos and things
like that, there are a few ways the industry has adapted.
One of them is that they've created hands free or
remote controlled products that don't require extensive mobility for that person.
Some of these products can be controlled with an app,
(04:13):
which is even easier. And when I say like an
app like, you'll find that some of these products they
don't even require you to use your hands. They can
be voice controlled, or they can use you can use
some other type of modality to control the sensations with
the with the device.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
Wow very accessible. There are also sort of gender neutral
toys that can be used for a variety of different
bodies and body setups, so they're kind of already designed
with various shapes, sizes, orientations, et cetera, so you can
pick whichever one sort of works best for you if
(04:48):
you're looking for that kind of thing.
Speaker 3 (04:50):
Yep, there are lightweight options for folks with strength deficits.
So if you have a hard time holding or gripping
something for a long period of time, there are lightweight
options that allow for you to avoid that muscle fatigue
while you're using that product.
Speaker 1 (05:02):
There are some products that do have those buttons so
that you have some that have voice controller apps and whatnot.
But there are ones that have buttons, and to make
those more easily accessible, they've made them with larger buttons
and the button can have less resistance so they're very
easy to push. And again this might be related to
strength or just like ease of use as well.
Speaker 3 (05:23):
Yeah, some of the products have modified grips or grip
surfaces that allow that and actually aid with fine motor
deficits or strength deficits in somebody's hands, so like you
can grip and and like hold the thing or even
some of the products are a little bit longer, so
for people who have a problem with reach, they.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
Can actually reach the parts that you're trying to stimulate.
Speaker 1 (05:42):
And then they have machines that will simulate movement as well,
so that depending on if you struggle with different forms
of movement, this one doesn't require very much effort. You
can sort of get the experience regardless of sort of
your current setup in situation. Yeah, and doesn't require very
much effort totally. It'll do a lot of the moving
for you.
Speaker 3 (06:02):
Absolutely, I have no idea what AD's going to come up,
but I would imagine that this AD that's going to
come up now is probably not going to be thrilled.
Speaker 2 (06:08):
They're going to be in the middle of all.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
I hope it's like Adam and Eve or one of
those like, Yeah, that would be rad I would love that. Yeah,
we'll take a sponsorship. Okay, we are back talking about
the various accessibility adaptive designs that exist in the space
(06:32):
of sexuality and the products that have been designed there.
So there are also things like swings, pillows, wedges. Wedges
are kind of like pillows, but they're more rigid. They
like have it the foam, Yeah, the foam. They set
up particular angles they can They might be used to
help prop you up or hold a person up and
reduce a strain on the body so you can more
readily relax during any kind of sexual activity. And those
(06:55):
are made widely available, so the product itself actually has
no inherent like reference to sex. You could look at
this pillow and have no idea that someone maybe got
it at a supply store that supplies sexual equipment and products,
because it's just designed to help support someone's body position. Yeah,
and it's great that that's something that they're considering in
(07:16):
those spaces as well.
Speaker 3 (07:17):
Yeah, and there's also specialized sexual furniture that can be
specifically designed for someone with mobility issues that would allow
them to move onto those bits of furniture. It's almost
like kind of how you see this in the medical world,
where there's like shower stools and chairs and stuff like that,
or like beach wheelchairs that have bigger tires that allow
people to access that. Like there's a whole industry or
(07:38):
sex furniture that does this type of thing too.
Speaker 1 (07:41):
They have wheelchairs that have removable armrests to aid in
transfers and so that you have just less barriers around
you if you're engaging with somebody else or by yourself,
you know, whatever your activity are engaged in, that just
gives you more freedom of movement. And again those transfers
are helpful yep.
Speaker 3 (07:59):
And then acts to a transfer hoist can aid in
transitions to a better other furniture that you might prefer
to use. So some folks will be able to access
that type of equipment that will help them move into
those different types of apparatuses apparatus i, apparati apparati.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
Other tactics include varied positioning that can reduce strain on
the person. So you might actually find books and guides
that will provide illustrations and instruction for various positions that
might be more accommodating depending on your situation or impairment,
and may include laying on your side, adaptive missionary, et cetera.
And that can aid with like comfort and ease of
engagement in the activity.
Speaker 3 (08:35):
Yeah, and in the main episode that is really this week,
we dispel the myth indicating the people with disabilities are
not sexual people. This is one that comes up so often,
and we want to return to this because we also
want to point out that folks with disabilities do participate
in the sex industry, including purchasing items and objects and
equipment and furniture and all that stuff. In the industry itself.
The sex product industry generates about forty two billion dollars
(08:58):
in annual global revenue per year, so it's a pretty
involved industry. The adaptive sex toy industry or a product
industry also has these universal design principles and it worked
at its finest and at its sexiest, so.
Speaker 2 (09:12):
It's really cool to see how it works.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
Yeah, No, that's fantastic. I really love that. Like, this
is one of those industries where, yeah, the universal design
and considerations around accessibility were baked right into a lot
of what they were doing, and they were very open
to the idea that, like, as they create and design
various implements, that they're considering a wide range of different
(09:36):
users who are trying to navigate those those products. And
so just said, really proud of the group of people
who have that in mind as their designing products because
and there are a lot of them, Like it's not
just the sex industry, but it's cool that that's a
space where they acknowledge the need for that kind of
support for different body types and different people with different situations. Yeah,
so good on them, really, just kudos. Absolutely, yes, all right,
(10:01):
very good. Well, I think that's what we have to
say about the adaptive sex products industry. If you'd like
to tell us your thoughts on that, you can email
us directly at info at wwdwwdpodcast dot com. You can
also reach us on the social media platforms. Thank you
so much for listening. Thank you to my team of
people without whom I could not do this podcast. Thank
you Shane for your notes, and you're recording with me today.
Speaker 2 (10:22):
Absolutely thanks for hanging out.
Speaker 1 (10:23):
Yeah. Emma Wilson is our social media coordinator and our
audio engineer producer person is Justin, who is makes everything
that we say sound like a podcast instead of a
series of grumbles and grunts.
Speaker 2 (10:33):
And I'm so glad you gets to listen to this. Thanks.
I can't wait for his feedback.
Speaker 1 (10:38):
He provides often very insightful commentary post episode that I
shouldn't include more in future discussions. I have remembered sometimes
but I forget. Sometimes We'll call it Justin's corner. Justin's corner.
I like it. If you'd like to support us, you
can join us on Patreon. There you'll get ad free episodes,
early episodes, bonus content, and I'll read your name and
the list of people who support us over there at
(10:59):
the end of our full length discussions. That's where I
do the name listing part. Yes, but for the minis,
I'll just say thank you so much to our patron
supporters for helping us continue to be a podcast.
Speaker 2 (11:09):
Absolutely, we love you.
Speaker 1 (11:10):
You can also leave a rating and a review wherever
you listen to podcasts. Go tell a friend and spread
the goodness around. That is our wisdom about topics that
we mostly learn week by week, although a lot of
times we bring in our trained and professional experience with us.
And yeah, so that's what we do and how you
can help us. And I think that's everything. Is there
(11:31):
a thing that I missed or that you'd like to
add before we wrap up?
Speaker 2 (11:33):
No? All right, enjoy yourself.
Speaker 1 (11:35):
Enjoy yourself. Thank you for listening. This is Abraham and
Missus Shane Why we do what we do Mini is out.
Speaker 2 (11:41):
Bye.
Speaker 1 (11:42):
You've been listening to Why We Do what We Do.
Speaker 3 (11:45):
You can learn more about this and other episodes by
going to WWDWWD podcast dot com. Thanks for listening, and
we hope you have an awesome day.
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