Learn what effective consent training for intellectual disabilities really looks like: core principles, communication adaptations, and tools that equip DSPs with confidence. Read more about: Consent Training for People with IDD: What Actually Works
This article is part of Elevatus Training’s Sexual Rights series. Download the full Sexual Rights Toolkit to explore all 10 rights with activities for self-advocates and supporters. Read more about: Sexual Rights for People With I/DD: Are They Honored or Taken Away?
People with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) have the right to speak up when they are hurt, abused, or their rights are violated. In this article, you will learn what the sexual right to speak up and out means, as wel as three ways you can support self-advocates in speaking up and reporting. Read more about: Sexual Rights: Speak Up and Out – For People With Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities
Believing in someone’s right to choose is only half of it; respecting the actual choices they make is what completes it. For people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD), that respect is too often withheld. In this article, you will learn what the sexual right to respect means and where these rights come from. We also discuss three ways you can show real respect for the choices self-advocates make. Read more about: Sexual Rights: Respect for People With Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities
The ability to make your own choices is the cornerstone of an empowered life. That holds true for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD), in general and in their sexuality. In this article, you will learn what the sexual right to choice means, where these rights come from, and why self-advocates have the right to make their own choice around important life decisions. We also discuss three ways you can support this right. Read more about: Sexual Rights: Choice for People With Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities
Knowing the correct medical terms for sexual body parts supports bodily autonomy, safety, clear communication, and protection from harm. This article provides accessible guidance for self-advocates, families, and supporters on sexual anatomy, using respectful language and resources tailored for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Read more about: Inside and Out: Understanding Your Body – Sexual Anatomy and Medical Terms for People with I/DD
By the end of this article, you will understand why family acceptance matters for LGBTQ+ people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, what to do when families struggle to provide that acceptance, and how to help build a supportive chosen family. Read more about: The Power of Acceptance and Chosen Family for LGBTQ+ People with I/DD
This guide walks you through the three types of relationships — healthy, unhealthy, and unsafe — and provides a practical, step-by-step tool for honestly examining the connections in your own life. Whether you are a person with I/DD working through this on your own or a supporter helping someone you care about, the steps below will help you see clearly and decide what comes next. Read more about: Healthy, Unhealthy, or Unsafe? A Relationship Check-In Guide for People with I/DD
By the end of this article, you will understand why self-confidence is important for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and learn practical ways to help build it. Read more about: Building Self-Confidence: Why It Matters for People with I/DD (Worksheet included)
Healthy relationships and sexuality education continuously evolve. As such, we regularly update our products and materials based on feedback from our students and community. In this article, we offer an example and guidance on why it is crucial that educators/trainers continuously upgrade their content and teaching tools. Read more about: Finding the Right Fit in Sexuality Education and Healthy Relationships Training
By the end of this article, you will have simple, practical tools to help people with intellectual and developmental disabilities start, continue, and end conversations with greater confidence. Read more about: Let’s Talk: Simple Conversation Tips for People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
Tina Fitzgerald is a disability rights self-advocate who works to promote understanding of sexuality, healthy relationships, and safety for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. She is also an Elevatus Training Adjuct Trainer. Drawing on her personal and professional experience, she emphasizes the importance of open education, informed choice, and challenging stigma around disability and sexuality. Read the full interview below to learn more about her perspective and work. Read more about: Self-Advocate Perspective: Tina Fitzgerald on Disability, Sexuality, and Safe Relationships
Teaching healthy relationships and sexuality can be deeply rewarding — and unexpectedly messy. A room goes quiet, a participant says something surprising, a parent feels uneasy or a lesson lands harder than planned. This guide offers practical, compassionate strategies for educators and trainers who want to stay grounded when teaching about sexuality, disability, consent and self-determination gets real. Read more about: Managing Curveballs in Teaching Healthy Relationships and Sexuality
Written in clear, easy-to-understand language with helpful illustrations, this resource empowers individuals with I/DD to develop healthy hygiene habits and feel more confident in their bodies. Read more about: Free Handout: 3 Tips for Hygiene and Health
People with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) have the right to sexual health education. We know that knowledge is power and ignorance is NOT bliss — yet people with I/DD are often given the message that this information is not for them. We all have the right to learn and become informed, and when we are not, we may suffer. Read more about: Sexual Rights: Knowledge — Empower Self-Advocates to Make Healthy Choices
Autistic people want love and partnership like anyone else, but communication differences can make dating feel like speaking a different language. Written from an autistic educator’s perspective, this article explains how literal interpretation, sensory and touch needs, and conflict styles play out in relationships, the real strengths autistic partners bring (honesty, reliability, loyalty), and how partners and sexuality educators can meet autistic people in the middle. Read more about: Do Autistic People Speak a Different Language?
By the end of this article, you will understand the difference between equity and equality and why an equity approach is essential for effective sexuality/healthy relationships education for people with I/DD. Read more about: Sexual Rights: Equity Versus Equality: There is a Big Difference
Everyone deserves to feel accepted for who they are. For people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) who are also LGBTQ+, acceptance can be harder to come by. This article explains the sexual right of acceptance, along with three practical ways to build understanding — plus free handouts and a Rainbow Support Group resource. Read more about: Sexual Rights: Acceptance for People With Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities
Pleasure — including sexual pleasure — is a normal, healthy part of life that everyone can enjoy, including people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). This article reframes pleasure as something to embrace rather than feel guilty about, sets a learning objective for self-advocates and the people who support them, and offers three ways to explore general pleasure, sexual pleasure, and sexual feelings. Read more about: Sexual Rights: Pleasure for People With Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities
People with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) deserve the knowledge and skills to help keep themselves safe. Learning about consent, boundaries, healthy relationships, and personal safety can help people recognize risks, communicate their needs, make informed choices, and advocate for themselves. This article explores why sexual safety education matters and shares practical ways to support self-advocacy, confidence, and safe relationships. Read more about: Sexual Rights: Safety, Empowering Self-Advocates to Keep Themselves Safe
