Learn how to use communication boards and cards to support consent, participation, and sexuality education for people with I/DD and limited speech. Read more about: How to Use Communication Supports in Sexuality Education for 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
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
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
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
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
Individuals with developmental disabilities are sexually assaulted at seven times the rate of people without disabilities. As always, our team at Elevatus Training believes that education is the first line of defense in preventing sexual abuse. With this in mind, we aim to support all your training needs, and that’s why we have created a toolkit filled with educational articles and resources to support you. Together, let’s raise awareness and educate people about this issue! Read more about: Free Toolkit: Sexual Assault Awareness for People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
