The CACTI Blog: Sexually Active or Not? Providers Assumptions About Women with IDD
By Jessica Osmena, 2024 Interdisciplinary Approach to Disability in Professional Practice Intern
One of many misconceptions about sexuality and sexual activity that women with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) face is the idea that women with intellectual disability do not have sexual desires. According to the American Association on Intellectual Disabilities, “people with IDD have been thought to be asexual, having no need for loving and fulfilling relationships with others. Individual rights to sexuality, which is essential to human health and well-being, have been denied.”(1) Sexuality is the way a person describes their sexual, emotional, and physical attraction towards another individual. Moreover, sexuality plays a complex role in an individual’s life that can influence their quality of life. Because of their disability, their sexuality is stigmatized and seen as childlike, or not capable of experiencing these feelings.
According to research, “people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are interested in and capable of sexual and romantic relationships”(2). Due to this misconception, women with disabilities are experiencing a lack of reproductive health resources, which puts them at risk for consequences when it comes to their health.
Sexual education is one of the resources that isn’t given to people with IDD, and the lack of sex education can lead to many risks, such as contracting sexually transmitted infections, unplanned pregnancy, and sexual abuse. In addition, women with IDD lack proper reproductive health care because of the lack of medical training and knowledge among providers about women with IDD due to an assumption that they don’t participate or engage in any sexual activities. This leaves women with IDD the feeling of being ignored or that their health concerns are dismissed by their providers, which leads to the lack of understanding on how contraceptives can interfere with their disability or other medications.
During my internship at the Sonoran Center for Excellence in Disabilities, I had a great opportunity to work with Celina Urquidez and be a part of their Pregnancy and Parenting Project. The project truly opened my eyes about women with IDD who are facing misconceptions regarding reproductive health and sexual activity. As part of the project, I created a resource product that can be used by the community.
During this process, I communicated with Celina nearly every day to ask for feedback and recommendations about my project in order to create a final product that would be beneficial for the lives of women with IDD. In addition, it would also be a helpful resource for OB/GYN providers to understand the importance of extended training and knowledge about the reproductive health of women with IDD. With training, they will be able to provide women with IDD the proper reproductive health care they need to have a healthy pregnancy and engage in a safe sexual interaction with another individual.
For my product, I created a fact sheet brochure about Eliminating Pregnancy Barriers for Women with Disabilities which covers important information about the problems of women with IDD regarding pregnancy and sexual activity. I think it is not talked about often, and I feel like it is such an important topic to share because many women with IDD are facing health consequences and complications because of these barriers. The barriers include financial struggle due to unemployment because many people with IDD are seen as less capable in a work environment, misconceptions about their sexual life, and discrimination. Lastly, the lack of knowledge and medical training among providers results in the lack of proper care for women with IDD regarding pregnancy and sexual health.
This project encouraged me to amplify the voices of women with IDD and let their sexuality be known and respected. Just like any other human being, they deserve to have safe sexual relationships with another individual, safe pregnancy, and create their own family.
Works cited:
- AAIDD. (2013). Sexuality. AAIDD_CMS. https://www.aaidd.org/news-policy/policy/position-statements/sexuality
- Posted on July 26, 2022. (2024, June 12). Sexuality and parenting supports for people with IDD. The Council on Quality and Leadership. https://www.c-q-l.org/resources/articles/sexuality-and-parenting-supports-for-people-with-idd/
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