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Sexability Trainings: A Solution for Change from the Youth Perspective

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Clinical psychology doctoral candidate specializing in child/adolescent ... people with disabilities while dispelling myths about sexuality and disability. ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: Sexability Trainings: A Solution for Change from the Youth Perspective


1
Sexability Trainings A Solution for Change from
the Youth Perspective
  • Kara Sheridan
  • karasheridan_at_bellsouth.net
  • www.karasheridan.com

2
Who am I?
  • Clinical psychology doctoral candidate
    specializing in child/adolescent populations and
    people with disabilities.
  • Researcher, writer, activist
  • Active member of the youth movement.
  • Member of the reproductive justice movement
    building bridges between our community and other
    advocates fighting for the rights of oppressed
    populations.

3
Lets talk about sex
  • Taboo for many of us-whether or not we have a
    disability.
  • Sex is presented as
  • A sacred act
  • A form of recreation
  • Something dirty
  • Reproductive necessity
  • An act of intimate expression
  • A biological drive
  • Or a primitive, mysterious force.

4
The meaning of sex in the lives of people with
disabilities
  • It can get complicated when you qualify for more
    than one minority identity.
  • Coming out to others about your disability is,
    in part, about holding onto your right to take
    care of your own body and maintain a close
    connection to it.
  • I get the feeling people think that because I am
    in a chair there is just a blank space down
    there.
  • It has made me creative and adaptable. Many
    nondisabled people have very boring sex lives.
    Mine is a long ways from boring. Also,
    communications in general are better because of
    having to communicate about my disability.
  • Love and work are the cornerstones of
    humanness.
  • Sigmund Freud

5
Myths about disability and sexuality (Kaufman,
Silverberg, Odette, 2003)
  • People living with disabilities and chronic
    illnesses are not sexual.
  • People with disabilities are not desirable.
  • Sex must be spontaneous.
  • People with disabilities cant have real sex.
  • People with disabilities are pathetic choices for
    partners.

6
More myths
  • 6. People with disabilities have more important
    things than sex to worry about.
  • 7. People with disabilities are not sexually
    adventurous.
  • 8. People with disabilities that have sex are
    perverts.
  • 9. We all get what we deserve and we can always
    do more to help ourselves.
  • 10. People living in institutions shouldnt have
    sex.

7
Still more myths
  • 11. Sex is private.
  • 12. People with disabilities dont get sexually
    assaulted.
  • 13. People with disabilities dont need sex
    education.

8
How prevalent are these myths?
Of the 98 special education teachers and
administrators, the following percentages of
those surveyed believed it was appropriate for.
9
The effect of personal values
  • Majority felt that people with disabilities
    should not be allowed to have children and
    sterilization should be encouraged.
  • These professionals were the teachers and
    administrators responsible for administering
    sexual education to students with disabilities.

10
Theoretically speaking
  • Erving Goffmans stigma or labeling theory
  • Any attribute or condition held by a group of
    people that bars them from full social
    acceptance.
  • Kohlbergs theories on child development explain
    that most children learn I am a girl or I am a
    boy before learning to see themselves as sexual
    people. Children with disabilities often realize
    very early that their primary identity is I am
    disabled.

11
What hinders positive body image and sexual self
esteem?
  • Use of braces, crutches, wheelchairs, and other
    mobility devices.
  • Bladder and bowel management programs
  • Physical differences from peers
  • Overprotection from families
  • Limited sensation
  • Communication problems
  • Difficulty learning
  • Mistrust of ones own body
  • Diminished gender-role expectations from ones
    own society

12
Sexability Trainings
  • A good sex education program generates
    confidence by developing self-understanding,
    thereby promoting a better self image.
  • (Tepper, 2001)
  • These consciousness-raising groups can be used as
    a teaching method and as a tool to combat the
    oppressive forces challenging the quality of life
    for people with disabilities. Participants will
    examine the relationship between their personal
    experiences and larger social institutions.

13
Getting down to business
  • How to advertise
  • Small non-confrontational groups
  • Ideal group size is 6-10 participants, but this
    can vary.
  • The most talkative member of the group tends to
    make between 40-60 of the comments and the
    second most talkative member makes between
    25-30.
  • Present group with the goal to change social
    norms. This will bring up taboo topics, even
    within the topic of sexuality. Your groups will
    serve to educate, support, promote self-help, and
    empower people with disabilities.
  • Self disclosure has been linked to higher
    learning rates.

14
Objectives of Sexability groups
  • All members will realize they are sexual beings
    regardless of their ability to have intercourse.
  • All members will develop language skills to
    discuss sexuality issues with peers, partners,
    and health care providers.
  • Participants and facilitators can assess their
    own attitudes about people with disabilities
    while dispelling myths about sexuality and
    disability.
  • Group members will have the opportunity to
    practice interpersonal and communication skills.

15
Rules for Sexability Groups
  • Everyone is as open and honest as they feel
    comfortable.
  • Confidentiality is strictly observed.
  • No one is permitted to challenge the validity of
    anothers opinion or experience.
  • All members are equal. There is no hierarchy
    based on disability or level of experience.
  • Each person has an equal opportunity to speak and
    time to share their thoughts.

16
4-I Model(Tepper, 2001)
  • Participants will first learn about themselves
    then about how they relate to others.
  • INITIATION Help the group learn the difference
    between sex and sexuality.
  • Example activities
  • Make a list of all things you could say after the
    words I am. For those not directly related to
    sexuality, think about whether they have an
    impact on who you are as a sexual being.
  • Make a list of things that are important to your
    sex life. Share one that you are comfortable
    sharing.

17
Interaction
  • The chance to become more involved and learn
    about other people with disabilities
    perspectives.
  • Example activities
  • Divide in pairs and have partners introduce each
    other to the group.
  • Give true and false questionnaire surveying
    individuals beliefs about controversial issues
    within disability sexuality.

18
Investigation
  • Large component of the education component.
    Explore myths/history of sexuality among people
    with disabilities. Learn TOGETHER about the
    realities of our world and this rarely talked
    about topic.
  • Customize the topics of investigation for your
    group. Possibilities include Ashley X, forced
    sterilization, genetic selection or elimination
    of embryos with disabilities, devotees, paying
    for sex, and other issues that members will
    likely differ in their opinions.

19
Internalization
  • Can be done in a wrap-up session at the end of
    the meeting where the facilitator encourages
    participants to think about societal issues and
    apply them to their own lives.
  • Some participants may be interested in more
    information. Suggest books, websites,
    conferences, and encourage advocacy efforts.

20
Potential pitfalls
  • The tendency to NOT talk about sex even in a
    sexuality discussion group!
  • Conflicts of personal value systems.
  • Breaks in confidentiality
  • What other pitfalls do you foresee among your
    participants?

21
In the end
  • Sexability group members should be able to
  • Express a basic understanding of sexuality,
    anatomy, and physiology, and the possible effects
    of specific disabilities on sexuality.
  • Critically examine messages received from the
    media and other sources about body image and
    gender roles.
  • Affirm themselves as sexual beings worthy of
    love, relationships, and self-protection.
  • Negotiate privacy, make dates, and establish
    relationships.
  • Understand their sexual rights and how to
    minimize physical and emotional risks of sexual
    expression.

22
Works Cited
  • Baker, D. Snodgrass, J. (1979). Team teaching a
    sociology of sex roles seminar Using
    consciousness-raising methods. Teaching
    Sociology, 6(3), 259-266.
  • Kaufman, M., Silverberg, C., Odette, F. (2003).
    The Ultimate Guide to Sex and Disability. Cleis
    Press San Francisco.
  • Shuttleworth, R.P. (2007). Disability and
    sexuality Toward a constructionist focus on
    access and the inclusion of disabled people in
    the sexual rights movement In N. Teunis G.
    Herdt (Eds.) Sexual Inequalities and Social
    Justice. University of California Press
    Berkeley.
  • Tepper, M.S. (2001). Becoming sexually able
    Education to help youth with disabilities.
    Siecus Report, 29(3), 5-14.

23
Works cited (cont.)
  • Thomson, R.G. (1997). Extraordinary Bodies
    Figuring physical disability in American culture
    and literature. Columbia University Press New
    York.
  • Troiden, R.R. (1987). Walking the line The
    personal and professional risks of sex education
    and research. Teaching Sociology, 15(3),
    241-249.
  • Wolfe, P.S. (1997). The influence of personal
    values on issues of sexuality and disability
    Research summary. The Canadian Journal of
    Human Sexuality, 6(4), 333.
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