1. Just like everyone else, people with developmental disabilities
are sexual beings
2. Not all people with or without developmental disabilities express
themselves sexually. Some do. Some do not.
3. Sometimes simply
having “someone special” in one’s
life is enough. Relationships may or may not be sexual in nature.
4. It is not all about being sexual with others. People with and without
developmental disabilities sometimes seek to explore their own bodies.
5. When it comes to romance, people with and without developmental
disabilities are capable of making good or poor choices.
6. It is too often assumed that people with developmental disabilities
cannot parent well, due to their disability. Some have trouble parenting,
even with support. Others make excellent parents.
7. The service system has ways of denying people with disabilities
their sexuality. Many service providers unnecessarily impose rules
on people to curb their sexuality or reduce opportunity for them to
develop meaningful, even intimate, romantic relationships.
8. People with developmental
disabilities are vulnerable to sexual abuse and too often fall
victim to such abuse. Sometimes people do not report abuse because
they are afraid that the privileges they have will be taken away “for
their own safety.”
9. People with developmental disabilities can be sexually abusive
of themselves or others. Some may act inappropriately simply because
they do not know how to act.
10. Parents, staff, and other disability advocates often feel awkward
talking about sex and intimacy. So they often shy away from providing
the mentoring and supports people with developmental disabilities need
to grow into strong men and women capable of having healthy intimate
relationships. ![]()
John M. Agosta, Ph.
D. is a vice president at the Human Services Research Institute
www.hsri.org. He helped found
The Riot!, a national e-newsletter for self-advocates www.theriotrocks.org,
and is involved with several pro-jects to explore application issues
related to self-directed supports. Reprinted with permission from
Oregon Perspectives, Winter 2008, Issue 3.
