A person with an amputation is still a person with all the needs, interests and desires that drive everyone else. They still need connection, excitement and exploration in their lives. Society often sees such people as no longer having those drives; but they do! Let’s do better!

It is true that many ties are symmetrical and assume that the person being tied has two wrists, ankles, arms, legs, etc. But many of the same modification skills discussed throughout this article can be employed here just as well!

Ways to mitigate:

As with anything, if you do not understand it, make the effort on your own time to educate yourself on the topic and learn the social etiquette of interacting with individuals with amputations. If a situation comes up and you do not yet know the specific etiquette, start with being respectful, and acknowledge that you may make a mistake. It’s okay to be nervous about saying or doing something obtuse. Take a few deep breaths and remember that they are a human being with all of the needs, desires, and interests that drive everyone else. Follow their lead and if you aren’t sure what to do or say, ask!

Talk with your partner openly and honestly. Help them feel comfortable sharing their desires with you, and share yours with them! Negotiate with them just as you would any other person. Then work together to come up with creative solutions that satisfy both of you.

Here are a few examples that may help spur creativity:

Example 1 - A person with their right arm amputated at the elbow wants to be tied. They want to feel a box tie. They do not wish to wear a prosthesis during the scene.

• This case barely needs any modification at all!
• When it comes to tying, you could use virtually any box tie (e.g. Gote Shibari / TK, Bolero Box Tie). The only difference is that you would do the initial Single Column around only one wrist. You need to make sure that the straps pining the upper arms to the body are supported so they cannot slide down over the elbow, but this is a standard feature of both ties.
• If you go with a Gote Shibari in this case, any of the kabuki or 3rd-rope options would work, but the Mt Fuji variant might work particularly well.

Example 2 - A person with their leg amputated at the knee wants to feel what it is like to have their legs tied. They do not wish to wear a prosthesis during the scene.

Depending on what they want, there are several ties that could work and require no modification, others will work just fine with just a little additional support to prevent a rope strap from being able to move down over the knee.

Here are a few options you could propose:

• You could use a Fisherman’s Hobbleskirt.
• You could tie one leg like a Frog Tie, then tie the other leg to the first leg with a series of Simple Straps.
• You could do any number of variations of Chair Tie or the Sleep Sack.
• You could start with a waist harness, then single columns on each thigh, connected to the waist harness. The person now has a sort of thigh cuffs / garters kind of look. Add a Load-baring Double Column above the knees to tie the legs together, then run the tail from that up through both of their thigh cuffs and back. This then ties their knees together, in such a way that the DC cannot slide down.