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Young man with developmental disability stands alone staring thoughtfully.

Victim or Offender? People with I/DD Accused of Sex Offending Behaviors

People with I/DD face the criminal justice system from both sides — far more likely to be victimized than their peers, and overrepresented among suspects and inmates. The reasons trace back to unaddressed trauma, exploitation by others, and a persistent lack of sexuality and relationship education. Comprehensive, accessible education is part of the fix. Read more about: Victim or Offender? People with I/DD Accused of Sex Offending Behaviors

Photo of young woman leading a class on values.

Can You Be a Vegetarian and Work at McDonald’s? Managing Values and Attitudes as Professionals

Professionals supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) often face situations where their personal values conflict with their professional role. This article explores how to manage personal beliefs about sexuality while providing respectful, person-centered support. Read more about: Can You Be a Vegetarian and Work at McDonald’s? Managing Values and Attitudes as Professionals

Listening to Self-Advocates Voices

Being accepted for who you are and being in relationships has many benefits. Yet, people with developmental disabilities face barriers in achieving acceptance and building friendships and romantic sexual relationships that they desire because of restrictions, lack of control, and shameful, negative messages. The article, Restrictions, Power, Companionship, and Intimacy: A Metasynthesis of People with Intellectual Disability Speaking About Sex and Relationships, by Rhonda S. Black and Rebecca R. Kammes, explores the voices of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). 

Combining the results of 16 qualitative studies, 271 participants with intellectual disability were interviewed individually or in focus groups about their feelings and experiences regarding intimate relationships. From these studies, two competing themes emerged: control and desire. People with I/DD have desires, and family, caretakers, and organizations tend to want control of those desires either because they don’t believe these desires exist or they want to protect individuals. These competing themes are what put people with I/DD at risk. Read more about: Listening to Self-Advocates Voices

Disability Awareness

Katherine McLaughlin here … I spent many years as a non-disabled person, and people interacted with me as such. They saw me as an independent, regular person and interacted with me as a peer, with respect, and as a very capable person.

Then, at age 26, I acquired a disability, and everything changed. I was the exact same person, but all of a sudden, my interactions with others were different; people had new beliefs about me based only on the disability they saw. These beliefs came from stereotypes we have about people with disabilities. Now, people run to help me and tell me I am so inspiring, which is kind and positive, but there’s also an often-realized, not-so-positive impact of this. Read more about: Disability Awareness

What the “Sex Talk” Looks Like Now

With summer starting to wind down, many people are getting into the back-to-school mindset. Think back to your health/sex ed class days. What was it like? What messages did you receive? Over the decades, there have been some big shifts in the way we approach sexuality.

I love this clip from Comedy Central’s Alternatino (Youtube). While I do not believe talking with your child about sexuality is just one conversation, this clip is a great example of the generational differences that can pop up when we have conversations about this topic. We have a lot to learn from each other. However, the main message is that we are all sexual beings and have the right to comprehensive, medically accurate, and age-appropriate sexuality education. Read more about: What the “Sex Talk” Looks Like Now

Self-Advocates Speak Up About Sex

Members of Green Mountain Self-Advocates in Vermont held a discussion group about sexuality to share their thoughts and experiences. Here are their candid responses to a number of questions about the messages they received about sexuality over the years and why they think sexuality education is important. 

This is a record of the conversation as it occurred. In some places, they respond to one another, as well as to the questions. Their real names have not been used at their request. Read more about: Self-Advocates Speak Up About Sex

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