‘My great hope in life is to have a house, a family and a daughter’: relationships and sexuality in intellectually disabled people

Abstract

Accessible summary Relationships and sexuality are important for disabled people. Through the voices of 16 intellectually disabled adults, this paper shows what they consider to be important in areas such as education or personal relationships. Most of the people interviewed would like to have a partner and live together as a couple. Intellectually disabled people encounter many barriers to obtain certain basic rights. Summary This study starts from the premise that we are sexual beings, and therefore, sexuality is part of our lives and defines us as human beings. This is also true with regard to intellectually disabled people. Within the framework of broader qualitative research carried out in Spain, some partial results of an ongoing study aimed at finding out what a group of adults see as important in different areas of their lives are presented here. Through the personal narratives of 16 intellectually disabled people, this paper explores some of their ideas and demands about sexuality and their sexual lives. Most of the people interviewed expressed their desire to have a partner and to live as a couple. There is no doubt that many intellectually disabled people have greater control over their lives and the decisions that affect them, but as they tell us, the presence of old ideas can hinder them from securing their fundamental rights.

Evidences of an Implemented Training Program in Consensual and Responsible Sexual Relations for People with Intellectual Disabilities

“…An additional element that aggravates the issue is that there are no clear agreements or guidelines on sexual relations for this population [ 31 ], nor are there preventive or intervention programs that cover topics beyond biological and medical perspectives. Common contents in these programs are the names of female and male genitalia, the use of condoms and contraceptive methods, and information on sexually transmitted diseases [ 11 , 34 ]. While these programs are necessary, they are not enough.…”

‘We need “culture-bridges”: professionals’ experiences of sex education for pupils with intellectual disabilities in a multicultural society

“…Gougeon 2009;Löfgren-Mårtenson 2012). However, research also reveals a gap, while young people with intellectual disability instead focus on the risks connected to the limited options for living a life with a partner and a family (Löfgren-Mårtenson 2012;Rojas, Haya, and Lazaro-Visa 2016). How can these issues be addressed in a context where marriage and coupling are part of a cultural system that may also include oppression and violence?…”

Facial attraction: an exploratory study of the judgements made by people with intellectual disabilities

“…2015; Rojas et al . 2016). Those without ID were recruited from a range of college courses, including police services, politics, history and social sciences.…”