Physically disabled women and sexual identity: a PhotoVoice study

‘Don’t Stare at Me….’ Exploring the Lived Experiences of Adults With Disability

“…Persons with disabilities denied and challenged the prevalent myth of asexuality as found in the research (McKenzie 2013; Payne et al 2016;Peta et al 2016;Wheeler 2007). In relation to this myth of asexuality, men with learning disabilities affirmed that learning disability in no way marks them as asexual or labels them with no sexual urges; as one participant expressed:…”

“……if I"m totally upfront with a partner, which I am now with a romantic partner, I think my sexual satisfaction increases, not only because they understand me, and my body, and what my limits are, and that they can change, but also just that confidence to be able to talk about my body in a really honest and direct way has led to increased sexual satisfaction. (Kattari 2014, 506) The urge to be recognized beyond the impairment and to divert the attention of onlooker from their bodies as they employed certain tactics is reported in the study by Payne et al 2016; as the woman stated that by wearing bright red shoes she was able to divert the attention of viewer from her disability and the process began with complimentary note as she said:…”

“…"The conversation begins with something complimentary -not what"s wrong with you, but something that"s nice about yourather than understanding the problem before the person." (Payne et al 2016(Payne et al , 1036 The barriers in terms of sexuality due to changes in body image post injury, difficulty in finding a prospective partner and maintaining fulfilling intimate relationships, limited sexual knowledge or lack of sexual counseling, negative perceptions of a non-disabled and lack of spontaneity in sexual activity is documented in the study by Parker and Yau 2012. To prepare oneself for sexual activity and to manage the arrangements prior to sexual activity is shared by a woman with spinal cord injury:…”

“…(Papadimitriou 2008, 699-700) Research has found that people with disabilities encounter experiences of unfriendly, hostile gaze that invade their minds and give them the sense of negative perception about them and make them feel as a non-existent entity (Baffoe 2013;Gibson et al 2007;Islam 2008;Sheldon, Renwick, and Yoshida 2011). Disabled people lamented the fact that it is their impairment which is observed first rather than their identity as a person on basis of their abilities (Norlyk et al 2013;Payne et al 2016;Kattari 2014;Papadimitriou 2008;Wedgwood 2011).…”

“Disabled People Are Sexual Citizens Too”: Supporting Sexual Identity, Well-being, and Safety for Disabled Young People

“…Parents, educationalists, and health professionals often feel uncomfortable or unprepared to discuss issues around sexuality with disabled young people (East and Orchard, 2014). As discussed above, this could be attributed to the exclusion of disabled people from normative definitions of sexuality coupled with the pervasive societal devaluation of disability and the cultural scripts that portray disabled people as asexual beings (Payne et al, 2016). For instance, D. H. Lawrence's publication, Lady Chatterley's Lover, does not condemn the act of an extramarital affair of a woman married to a disabled man, fueling a widespread assumption that disabled people are incapable of sexual relations (Battye, 1966;Shah et al, 2015).…”