This edition of the Touching Base newsletter highlights upcoming events, including new vox pop filming at the Melbourne SXhibition expo and an “On the Couch” webinar on disability and intimacy with the Caddyshack Project. We report major progress on our JFM Fund – sponsored video series, with five of six stories shot across Australia by Ironbark Films. We recaps some of Dr. Rachel Wotton’s recent webinar on disabled clients’ motivations for accessing sex work. Finally, we calls for community volunteers, specifically seeking a pro bono graphic design artist to create campaign illustrations without AI, alongside a second volunteer social media manager.
Campaign update: Filming Vox Pops at Melbourne SXhibition
As part of our Campaign, dedicated Touching Base volunteers Sean and Kai will be filming vox pops at the SXhibition expo in Melbourne on the afternoon of Saturday 19th and Sunday 20th September.
They will invite people attending the expo to provide comments on a range of issues related to sex and intimacy that we will collate and share on our social media channels. Many thanks to event manager Belinda Gavin who has allowed us to obtain free media passes and our campaign supporters at Smooth Cactus for providing the inspiration for these vox pops and interview tips.
If you’re in Melbourne that weekend and at a loose end we encourage you to go along and add your voice to our campaign.
Upcoming webinar
On the 24th September Maddy and Winnie from the Caddyshack Project are going to interview Touching Base members Saul Isbister and Katia Schwartz as they dive into intimacy, wellness, inclusion and human rights for people living with disability.
Register now & get your free ticket to be part of the live online audience as they record an On The Couch episode 2pm – 3pm on 24th September.
Video project progress
We are thrilled to announce the Steering Committee worked cohesively to select five individuals and a couple to provide video testimonies for our project – generously funded by the JFM Fund. The videos series will reflect a diverse representation of stories, disabilities, locations, ages and range of life and sexual experiences.
Production is well underway and as of August 31st, 2026, we have now shot 5 of our 6 videos in the series. The Ironbark Films team has travelled to Perth, Melbourne, Brisbane and Bathurst to shoot these videos and say they have all gone incredibly well. There have been no major issues and our Video Project Manager Angela Blake reported participants said they finished the day feeling joyful and grateful for the opportunity to share their stories in such a calm and safe space.
We are very thankful for the amazing contributions of everyone involved and look forward to sharing further news as we head towards a launch of the video series next year.
Dr Rachel Wotton’s online webinar
Members of our team really enjoyed attending Dr Rachel Wotton’s online webinar where she outlined some results of her unique PhD research: Exploring the experiences of people with disability who access sex workers services, in Australia.
Among the results that Dr Wotton presented were the following list of motivations to seek the services of sex workers. This range of motivations were identified by disabled people who participated in the research:
- Sexual enjoyment
- A desire for sexual variety
- Combating loneliness and feelings of isolation
- Seeking genuine intimacy and connectivity
- Lack of other sexual outlets
- To increase sexual literacy
- Therapeutic healing
- Recovery and rehabilitation.
The personal stories on our Clients’ webpage and the latest case study about Ben featured in our new Campaign, mention many of the same meaningful motivations.
You can follow this link to view Dr Wotton’s podcast or transcript of the webinar in full, presented as a CDRP/CDS Disability Studies Seminar on the 16th July 2026. You’ll find it full of interesting research findings and recommendations and it even includes a few questions and answers at the end. The recording is around an hour long – so make a cuppa, kick back and have a listen.
Call out for graphic design artists
As recently posted on our socials, in light of feedback from community members on Instagram and Facebook around our use of AI in image creation we are calling for expressions of interest (EOI) from graphic design artists willing to do pro bono work.
We are seeking designers/artists with excellent free-hand drawing skills who would be able to characterise our real case studies of people with disability in their experiences of intimacy and sexual expression – without using AI.
This is an opportunity to contribute to advocating for the sexual rights of disabled people through showcasing your graphic design/art skills as a part of our campaign: Physical Intimacy is a Human Right – not an ‘Extra’ .
If you are interested, please email our Operations Manager Saul – via operations@touchingbase.org – outlining your availability to provide artwork within the next month and include some examples of your work to demonstrate your skills, artistic style and expertise.
We thank you in advance for your interest and the generous gift of your time and skills. We are so looking forward to continuing with our existing campaign work without the use of AI (given our limited resources) and your contribution will hopefully make this possible.
Is social media your passion?
Touching Base is looking for a second volunteer social media manager willing to join our wonderful team and contribute at least 8 hours a month (two hours a week).
Touching Base Social Media channels act as a community platform to link stakeholders, and reach the broader community to destigmatise sexuality and people with disability, and sex work.
Read more about the position and how to apply
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That’s all for now.
All the best from the Touching Base team