Can A Wheelchair User Be Suspended in Rope?

Recently, Christian Red posted an image of Cutie Crusher (CC) in a shibari suspension, in which CC’s wheelchair can be seen in the background.

Cutie Crusher suspended in a torsion.

This has led to numerous questions about how this was tied, as well as requests for advice regarding tying wheelchair users/disabled folk in general. Christian Red and Cutie Crusher co-wrote this article to give some context and some general advice.

Each section is labelled to show who is speaking.

—Christian—

For context, CC and I have known each other for about 7 years and they've transitioned to using a wheelchair in the last year or so. I asked her to do a shoot because she was doing some banging self suspensions at the Ascension play night (apparently she self suspends most days) and I've been making a rope photo series about vivid dreams that I wanted her to be part of. 



So, I was working on the basis that CC already had a strong knowledge of what her body could take, especially in rope, which isn’t typical.


—Cutie Crusher—

Might be worth noting for context that I'm non-ambulatory and can't tolerate my body weight through my legs for any amount of time (due to a mixture of muscle weakness and pain), and this pain is joint-focused.

—Christian
—

On shoot day, over a tea, we clarified what shapes she wanted to be in/where she was comfortable having pressure. We opted for a TK harness because it suited CC’s arms and it gave her a break from arms out harnesses (which she ties a lot because of self suspending). She asked me for a twisted shape.
The dragon harness required a bit of adaptation to tie because she can't stand up, so she made a plank shape in her chair. The TK was easy, she just had to shuffle to the edge of her seat whilst I tied it. I suspended her straight from the chair into the air, and our assistant moved the chair out of the way - the lighting was intense so having an extra person made the logistics easier. 



If I were approaching someone with a disability and who didn't self suspend/have a lot of knowledge about where pressure could be put onto their body, I'd be a lot more cautious with a first tie then I was with CC. However, as a generalisation, most disabled people know a lot about what their body can do, because they’re dealing with their limitations on a regular basis.
 


If I were to suggest a process:

1. I’d ask what specific disability they have. Disability is quite a broad church - it could be a chronic lack of energy, it could be bones that are more easily broken, it could be damage to their spine, to list just a few (it’s also worth mentioning that this is none of my business until I tie someone).

2. I’d ask what movements I could physically do to them that would cause them harm/unwanted discomfort, so I know what to avoid.

3. I'd ask if there's anywhere on their body they're fairly sure will take more pressure than others.

4. I’d suggest a floor tie with them wherever they feel most comfortable (on a sofa, in their chair, on the floor).

5. I’d tie slowly to give them time to give me feedback, especially if I’m moving their joints.

6. If they’re interested in suspension, I’d build towards it gradually, starting with partials and adding more pressure.

7. As always, I’d make sure that there was a clear route out of the tie in the case of any issues, and have a spotter/spotters at the ready, if appropriate.

   
   

—
Cutie Crusher—

Notes specific to me as a wheelchair user:

1. Floor ties become more complex. Kneeling positions are super common in floor rope for both top & bottom, but a lot of wheelchair users can't tolerate kneeling. Getting used to managing someone's weight that doesn't involve them having to counterbalance with their hips and core is a skill that takes time to develop.

2. I'd never tie in the arms of a wheelchair user until I was certain that I was comfortable deadlifting them, it's very scary not being able to get yourself back into the chair, and other people are notoriously quite poor at moving me without causing pain.

3. Lab a way to get someone from their chair to the floor. A good way for me is to have the wheelchair user lock the chair, the top to take the weight of my legs and just allow me to safely and quickly lower myself to the floor using the front of the wheelchair frame.

4. It's very important to understand precisely why they're in a chair. It's fairly common for it to be either joint issues (which means you need to be aware of the range of motion in knees and hips when tying legs) or muscle weakness (if presented without pain, this might just mean that there's less muscle tissue than you're used to working with, which could mean nerves are less protected, and bent leg ties will not have natural cushioning, which makes it easier to over-exert the knee).

5. If they're able to stand, but struggle to get to the floor unaided. I personally use the method of a trust-fall type approach, which is beneficial because it can be done with arms tied. (The bottom keeps their legs stiff, and lowers their weight back into you).

   
   

Okay there's a ton, there's so much around tying a wheelchair user and I don't have the space to cover everything. But the main answer is to work with the wheelchair user, demo and practise outside of a scene, it'll be a bonding experience and is quite fun to figure out what does work and what doesn't. There'll be no 'one-size fits all', and even my approach and knowledge won't be directly transferable. - Further reading: Better Bondage For Everybody by Evie Vane

—Notes worth noting—

Cutie Crusher teaches a class about rope/disability with Flux Endure.

Christian Red is a rope teacher who produces free educational resources, you can find more at Bondage Tuition (Youtube) or support his ongoing work at patreon.com/bondagetuition

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