In this op-ed, Shatika Turner, MSW, member of Planned Parenthood of Greater New York Advisory Council on Accessible Sex Education, argues for comprehensive sex education for people with disabilities.
On July 26 of 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law, which expanded discrimination protections to anyone with a disability. Every July since, we’ve been celebrating the passage of this law, together with the lives and rights of people with disabilities. But the passage of the ADA was just the beginning — the work that needs to be done for the disabled community is far from over. As a person with Cerebral Palsy and proud member of the Planned Parenthood of Greater New York Advisory Council on Accessible Sex Education, I know what my community needs when it comes to sex education for us, by us.
The most harmful misconceptions when it comes to people with disabilities are that we don’t have sexual lives, our disabilities define our identities, or that we don’t experience a spectrum of sexual orientations or gender identities. Even though systems and greater guidance have allowed certain sexual and reproductive health services to be readily available — widespread testing, conversations about consent, prevention and treatment of STIs — this type of availability doesn’t equate to accessibility for everyone, especially for people with disabilities. An already shallow approach to sex education across the board coupled with the misconceptions we impose on people with disabilities could have life-altering consequences for those of us in the margins, already left behind by the sex education programs that do exist.
As with most communities who are systematically marginalized, people with disabilities struggle to access equitable education in general. The lack of comprehensive sex-ed is only the tip of the disability-rights-movement iceberg. According to the World Health Organization, about 16% of the world's population has some form of disability. And, LGBTQ adults are more likely to report having a disability according to the Human Rights Campaign. Yet there is a long history of denying these groups of people sexual autonomy, agency over our bodies, and reproductive freedoms.
According to a survey done by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) about 2 in 5 female victims of rape had a disability when they were attacked, and nearly 1 in 4 male victims who experienced sexual violence other than rape had a disability. Because some people with disabilities must rely on a parent, a family member, or professional care attendants for support on day-to-day tasks, the boundaries between what is acceptable when it comes to our bodies could be easily overlooked.
Because of this, it’s critical that everyone who works or cares for those with disabilities has proper guidance and education on disability and bodily autonomy. Too often, people with a visible disability (not all disabilities are visible) are offered help when we never ask for it. An obvious example of this is when a person in a wheelchair is pushed or moved without our consent. This breach of consent is tied to the perpetual infantilization that others associate with us, which is then tied to the desexualization of our bodies and the violation of our privacy and freedom.
This infantilization extends even to our decision to have children. People with disabilities are often told they can’t become parents simply because of the constitution of our bodies. Instead, by listening to young people about what we want our lives to look like, medical professionals can help us plan accordingly for a future in which having children is possible. After all, physically having babies, becoming a parent, dating, and sexual relationships in general are all part of the movement for sexual and reproductive freedom, and there is no right or wrong way to make personal choices about our own lives and bodies.
While people with disabilities deserve comprehensive sex education simply because we should be extended the same agency over our sexuality as a non-disabled person, inclusion can also benefit everyone. Learning about the many ways and tools people with disabilities use to have sex is also a great way to inform an expanded view of sexuality for everybody. The added communication that is required of some people with disabilities when it comes to sex can help us not only consider the needs of people with disabilities, but is an invitation to think creatively and critically about how we all approach a healthier sex life. By doing something as simple as diversifying the tools we use to have and communicate about sex – cue cards, videos, apps, books, new technology, wedges, or any tools aside from the stereotypical ones – we all benefit from a better and more communicative sex life.
Along with providing sex education informed by a disability justice lens with input from the Council and the establishment of Project SHINE, a network of organizations creating educational tools for youth with disabilities in New York, PPGNY recently received an accessibility grant to make its health centers more inclusive and to identify barriers to care for people with disabilities. Like many institutions, the sexual and reproductive health field has a long way to go when it comes to true accessibility for all – but I’m proud to be part of these critical next steps.
For this Disability Pride Month, it is imperative that able-bodied people listen to and support the demands of people with disabilities, so we can all have the fullest range of equitable sexual and reproductive health information and care we deserve. We ask able-bodied educators and advocates to ensure sexual education curriculums are inclusive, affirming, and safe for our community. Meaning, we don’t want you to make assumptions about what we can and can’t do, we don’t want you to judge us when we express our wants and needs, and we don’t want you to exclude us from conversations that are vital for our sexual lives and futures.
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