All Articles Archives | Page 4 of 6

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

Adults, including a man with Down syndrome, watch a television scene featuring a young man with Down syndrome in a romantic relationship.

How to Teach Relationship Skills to People with I/DD Using TV and Film

TV and film increasingly show people with I/DD in real relationships — even though actors with disabilities are rarely cast in these roles. This lesson turns four scenes from Atypical, Glee, and Everything’s Gonna Be Okay into a discussion-based teaching tool for relationship and communication skills. Read more about: How to Teach Relationship Skills to People with I/DD Using TV and Film

Mother and adult son with Down syndrome have an open conversation at the kitchen table about sexuality and relationships.

17 Tips for Talking About Sexuality — For Parents of Children with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Many parents need support discussing sexuality with their child who has intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). This article provides practical, age-appropriate tips to help initiate conversations, answer questions, and build open communication. Read more about: 17 Tips for Talking About Sexuality — For Parents of Children with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Self-advocate with Down syndrome leads a peer sexuality education class for adults with and without I/DD.

Benefits of Self-Advocates as Peer Sexuality Educators

People with I/DD have the right to sexuality education, and it works best when self-advocates help teach it. Peer-led classes feel more trusted and more real, and the self-advocates who teach them grow into experts in their own lives. Here is why the model works, with several free resources to help you bring it into your own classes. Read more about: Benefits of Self-Advocates as Peer Sexuality Educators

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

A Black woman and Latino man with Down syndrome sharing a friendly high-five.

Healthy Boundaries Lesson for People with I/DD

This is a free lesson for teaching healthy boundaries to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). It covers four types of relationships and how we touch and talk in each one. Educators, support professionals, parents, and self-advocates can use it in everyday teaching. A free printable handout is included. Read more about: Healthy Boundaries Lesson for People with I/DD

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

Nothing About Us Without Us

I remember the day Karen Topper, Executive Director of Green Mountain Self Advocates, asked, “Can we create a sexuality education curriculum where people with developmental disabilities are teachers and are actively involved in creating this educational tool?” This startling statement pushed my thinking. My usual thoughts were that I and other professionals would create a curriculum, and we would be the teachers, not people with disabilities. And then, I started to imagine, and now, I ask you to imagine… Read more about: Nothing About Us Without Us

All Articles

Filter posts by category