Becoming a Sexuality Educator

Nothing about us without us.

Self-advocates as sexuality educators?

One way to help people with developmental disabilities lead sexually healthy lives is to provide sexuality education classes through your agency or school. We believe the most effective way of doing this is by including self-advocates in the teaching. We’re proud to offer this unique and forward-thinking model, which trains teams of self-advocates and staff to teach classes together.

Here are Some Benefits of this Approach:

• Peer education has been proven to be a very effective model for teaching.
• Supports the self-advocate philosophy, “Nothing about us without us.”

For Class Participants:

• Participants feel open to the teacher because this person understands them and their struggles.
• When participants see someone like themselves as the teacher, it makes so much more seem possible.
• Participants see the teachers and themselves as part of the solution.

For Self-Advocates as Teachers:

• They feel empowered and proud because they are part of the solution.
• Helps self-advocates learn the content by being the teacher. You retain more information when you say and do something with the content.

Developmental Disabilities and Sexuality: Becoming a Sexuality Educator

This 2-day training is for teams of self-advocates and staff members who want to learn how to lead sexuality education classes for people with developmental disabilities. We will discuss what makes a good sexuality educator and learn skills and tools for leading sexuality education classes. Teams utilize our 22-lesson sexuality education curriculum titled Sexuality Education for People with Developmental Disabilities, which includes teaching tools and handouts. This training along with the curriculum will give you everything you need to get started teaching classes.

Following the training, you will have the skills and a curriculum to lead sexuality education classes for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

The cost of the training consists of the training fee, cost of curriculum, and travel expenses.

Goals:

• Define what sexuality and sexual self-advocacy means
• Explore messages we got growing up about sexuality
• Examine what it means to be a good sexuality educator
• Explore the difference between being a friend and a sexuality educator
• Practice skills for being an effective sexuality educator
• Discuss sexuality content for teaching the topic
• Review manual/curriculum
• Explore challenges to teaching sexuality and how to overcome the challenges
• Discuss working as a team and practice
• Practice teaching from the curriculum

Words of Praise from Past Participants

“I have shared topics from the curriculum with people with disabilities and others without disabilities. The message is universal to all because too often people have not had the opportunity for proper Sexuality Education regardless of disability.”
Bonnie Gonzalez, Muskegon Team Educator

“It is so empowering to be able to reach out to your own community and inform.”
Frank Vaca, Self-Advocate Central Team Sexuality Educator

This in-service can also be offered for staff only, without using self-advocates, although we encourage you to consider the team model.

For inquiries about scheduling an in-service training, please contact us via our Contact form here.