Lodge Programs Serving Family Functions for People with Psychiatric Disabilities*

People affiliated with lodges, a community program for people with psychiatric disabilities, were interviewed through small group face‐to‐face and telephone interviews about their perceptions of promising practices. Responses from the interviews appeared to fit the theme of the lodge serving many of the functions of a family. Relevant excerpts from the interviews were used to supplement this broad theme and implications for practice are discussed in terms of competency‐based outcomes.     

Gynecologic Care and Sexuality Issues for Women with Disabilities

Approximately ten percent of the world's population has a disability. In the United States, it is estimated that there are 43 million disabled people and roughly 30% of them are women. There is often limited physical and structural access to health care for disabled women. As young girls, women with disabilities are often told that marriage is not a possibility, which can lead to feelings of asexuality. Barriers to contraception for women with disabilities may be twofold; attitudinal as well as knowledge based. Sexually transmitted disease detection and prompt management interventions may be hampered by a number of factors. Women with disabilities that become pregnant have identical issues in many ways as compared with nondisabled women. Fertility and sexuality are closely intertwined. As a woman with a disability undergoes an infertility evaluation, her sexuality as well as identity as a woman may be threatened. Disabled women are living longer and are reaching the age of menopause while remaining active and involved in their family life, social life, and in the workforce.     

Sex and Relationship Facilitation Project for People with Disabilities

This paper formed a Multimedia PowerPoint Poster Presentation at the conference. The author launches the details for a radical and innovative new project to address the self, sexual, and body esteem deficits of people with disabilities which seeks to address the sexual needs, knowledge, and dating skills required for disabled people to participate more equally in society. The author encourages international collaboration on addressing the lacunae in service provision for people with disabilities to explore sex in an affirming non-problematisedway. Some aspects of the project are critiqued in the author's panel presentationat the Conference: Sharing our Stories, Empowering our Lives: Don't Dis Me!     

The Development of a Regional Association to Address the Sexuality Needs of Individuals with Disabilities

This article describes the development of a regional Association to address the needs for sexuality related staff training, and consumer and family education. The Association completed several initial steps including generating a philosophy statement and a statement of basic rights; conducting a needs identification and offering training for professionals and families. Further steps followed from the concerns of providers regarding the availability of appropriate educational resources. The Association collected information about available resources and developed and piloted a tool to evaluate these curricula. This article will also discuss the Associations's recommendations for future expansion of networking activities.     

Sexuality and Quality of Life Among People with Physical Disability

This study was designed to evaluate the association between the sexuality and quality of life of people with congenital physical disability. Sixty people with congenital physical disability (33 males, 27 females, mean age = 28.64 years) who were living in the community participated in the study. Each respondent completed the Sexual Knowledge, Experience and Needs Scale which assesses levels of knowledge, experience, feelings and needs in 12 different areas of sexuality. Respondents also completed the Comprehensive Quality of Life Scale which assesses both subjective and objective dimensions of quality of life in seven broad domains. Surprisingly, there were few associations between sexuality and the quality of life domains. The strongest associations were between sexual intimacy and importance of quality of life. The implication of these findings for the lives of people with physical disabilities are discussed.     

Unique Issues in Assessing Work Function Among Individuals with Psychiatric Disabilities

With the admission of people who experience psychiatric disabilities in the state–federal vocational rehabilitation system and the Social Security disability rolls in the 1960s, assessment of their capacity to work has been a major concern. Given the rising rates of claims for psychiatric disability in both the public and the private sectors, and the disappointing employment outcomes of people with psychiatric disabilities compared to those with other disabilities, there have been numerous initiatives to accurately assess their employment potential. Historically, such assessment within the Social Security Administration has relied upon evaluation of a person's medical impairment, but numerous studies suggest a weak relationship between measures of psychiatric diagnosis or symptoms and work outcome. Efforts have been undertaken to identify valid and reliable methods of assessing the ability of people with psychiatric disabilities to work. The authors review (a) methods of assessing work function for this population, and (b) the literature on predictors of work functioning and the nature of psychiatric disability, and suggest implications for disability determination policies and for future research.     

Laypeople's Attitudes Towards the Sexuality of People with Learning Disabilities in Greece

The present study examines the attitudes of the Greek public towards the sexuality of people with learning disabilities (LD). Participants of three Greek towns completed a copy of the GSAQ-LD. Results indicated that age and level of education had a consistent effect on attitudes whereas other variables such as gender, social class, marital status, and contact with a person with LD did not consistently influence participants' attitudes. Furthermore, attitudes towards the sexuality of people without LD were more contemporary than were attitudes towards different aspects of the sexuality of the LD.     

Letting Go of Restrictive Notions of Manhood: Male Sexuality,Disability and Chronic Illness

In this article I share my personal story and professional perspectives on the impact of disability on male sexuality. Because disability is experienced in the context of gender, I have integrated literature on concepts of male socialization and learning about sex. I explore how acquiring a disability may affect sexuality and create treatment concerns. Finally, I make treatment suggestions for working with men with disability or chronic illness.     

Self-Claiming Sexuality: Mobility Impaired People and American Culture

This paper reports on a small piece of the research I recently conducted on how people with mobility impairments self-interpret and self-claim their sexuality in light of cultural assumptions which largely desexualize them. I will first offer a quick overview of the larger project. Then, I will discuss the manner by which dominant cultural notions of sexuality and disability are—at times—simultaneously challenged and reinforced by participants as they self-claim their respective sexualities.     

Cross-Cultural Views of Disability and Sexuality: Experiences of a Group of Ethno-Racial Women with Physical Disabilities

The field of sexuality research as it pertains to women with physical disabilities from different ethno-cultural communities is limited. This may be due to the lack of understanding among health care providers and researchers regarding the issues related to sexuality for women with disabilities. The impact of cultural beliefs and values related to sex and sexuality can further hinder women with disabilities from expressing themselves as 'sexual beings.' The purpose of this paper is: 1) identify issues and barriers experienced by women with disabilities from different ethno-cultural communities within an urban setting and 2) identify commonalities in experience of women with disabilities along the lines of cultural values about disability and gender.     

Understanding of Sexuality and Reproductive Health Among Women With and Without Physical Disabilities

This study compares differences in how women with disabilities and women without disabilities learned about their sexuality and reproductive functioning. A written questionnaire was sent to a national sample of women with disabilities and their non-disabled woman friends recruited through independent living centers and announcements in the media. Responses were received from 504 women with disabilities and 442 women without disabilities. Participants were asked how old they were when they first learned about the physical aspects of sexual intercourse. Women with disabilities learned about the physical aspects of sexual intercourse at about the same age (M = 13.16) as women without disabilities (M = 12.93). The most commonly reported sources for learning about sexuality and sexual functioning for both groups were books and other printed material, having sex, partners, friends, and teachers in primary school. More women with disabilities received information from a woman with a disability and a rehabilitation counselor. Women in both groups indicated that sex was never or seldom the subject of general family conversation. On average the women with physical disabilities had their first date at age 16.6, which is later than women without physical disabilities (M = 14.91). Women with physical disabilities who reported having acquired sexuality information at a later age reported having sexual intercourse at an older age (M = 20.37) than women without physical disabilities (M = 17.75). Age at acquiring sexuality information was neither associated with frequency of intimate touch nor frequency of sexual intercourse. The results of this study can be used to generate recommendations for health care professionals concerning ways to respond more effectively to the special needs for sexuality information of physically disabled women.     

Sexuality and Disabled Parents with Disabled Children

This is not your typical academic article. Although it provides references and research information, the perspective is a little different. We intend to share stories from a lifetime of participant observation on disabled adoptive parents. The stories are part of the empirical evidence that makes up our collective lives. But they are not stories well represented in the literature—either qualitative or quantitative. We know we are not average. We are more than one standard deviation from the norm and we celebrate this. This article provides a radical reconceptualization of the sexuality experiences of disabled parents. Think of it as a participatory ethnography. Placed in the context of the growing literature base around families, adoption, and sexuality, our stories reflect the lived experience of the parents who have shared their lives with us.     

Sexuality in Adolescents with Intellectual Disabilities

Purpose This study aims to characterize adolescent development and knowledge, opinions, and attitudes toward sexuality in adolescents with intellectual disabilities. Methods Sixty students in occupational school with mild to moderate intellectual disabilities, aged between 15 and 20 years, formed this study’s sample from Turkey. The data taken from questionnaires was evaluated with the SPSS 13.0 package program. Results These results demonstrate that 51.7% of adolescents have not been educated professionally with regard to sexuality. In addition, 46.7% of them have never talked about sex with their parents. The level of knowledge among adolescents of both sexes is quite low. Most adolescents do not know the male and female differences in reproductive organs. While more than half of adolescents describe sex as kissing and intimate touching, about half of them think only married couples have sex. Conclusion Adolescents with intellectual disabilities in this study have very low levels of correct information about sex and the characteristics of the adolescent stages of development.     

Sexuality and people with intellectual disabilities: A historical perspective

Until the 1960s, the sexuality of people with mental retardation was handled by denial and suppression. The eugenics movement of 1880–1940 led to forced mass sterilization and the segregation of these members of our society. The civil rights movement and the sexual revolution were among the catalysts for change as was the move toward normalization and deinstitutionalization of people with mental retardation. In the last 25 years, parents and professionals have begun to work together to find ways to help mentally handicapped individuals to understand their sexuality and to engage in appropriate self-affirming sexual behaviors. We have established goals, guidelines, and curricula for sexuality education. We have trained parents and staff and developed policies for handling sensitive issues, such as sterilization and problematic sexual expression. The AIDS epidemic has provided new impetus for improving education and training in this emerging field.A.C.S.W.Private practice (as a consultant, lecturer, and trainer in sexuality and mental retardation).     

Sexuality and Intimacy in Alzheimer's Patients and Their Partners

Geriatric Sexuality remains one of the more sensitive and controversial issues to be confronted in today's clinical setting. Research indicates that older adults continue to be sexually active well into later life. Older adults with dementing illnesses experience deleterious changes in sexual functioning that can affect their quality of life. However, few health care professionals ask older adults about their sexual functioning. This paper addresses means of fostering acceptance by professionals and families and creating an environment that nurtures sexuality in couples coping with dementia.     

Stigma,trauma and sexuality: the experiences of women hospitalised with serious mental illness

Women with serious mental illness (SMI) occupy a social position in which their experiences are simultaneously influenced by stigmatisation, institutionalisation and gendered dimensions of trauma and power. Women with SMI are stigmatised in society, pushed to the margins and left vulnerable to victimisation and rejection, particularly if hospitalised in psychiatric institutions. Using modified labelling theory, I investigate how women hospitalised with SMI, especially those who have histories of sexual abuse and trauma, experience sexuality and perceive men and masculinity. I extend modified labelling theory by empirically analysing the role of social status and power in the labelling process. Specifically, I focus on gender, and analyse interviews with 55 women in US psychiatric hospitals, focusing on gendered experiences of trauma, stigma and attitudes about sexuality. I show how trauma increases the salience of stigma and potential for retraumatisation, both of which are amplified by the institutional setting. I find meaningful differences in the narratives of women who have experienced trauma and those who have not. Modified labelling theory helps explain how labelling can perpetuate self-stigma, which threatens women's self-esteem, safety and trust in others. The intersection of these experiences extends modified labelling theory and may have profound implications for recovery.     

Inventory of Sexual Experiences and Response in Disability (IEReSDi): Construction and Validation of the Scale of the Sexual Response in People with Disabilities

Mexico has approximately 2300000 people who live with some severe disability. Disability is a health problem that has increased progressively and as such, has serious consequences for the person who experiences it, as well as for the family. The impact of the disability on sexuality is an undeniable aspect that frequently is reported in scientific literature; there is also a general consensus among clinical investigators of diverse countries with respect to the effects as much at the physiological as at the psychological level of sexuality. How these changes affect the Mexican population is unknown, due to the scant amount of research. The intent of the investigation was to construct and validate an inventory that made it possible to know what sexual experiences and response is of disabled men and women in the Mexican Republic. This study was aimed at validating the properties of three scales which specifically identify the experiences that comprise part of the study subjects human sexual response; altogether 609 subjects, 464 women (76.2) and 145 men (23.8) between the ages of 14 and 87 (x = 37), 245 unmarried and 364 living as a couple, the frequency of motor disability taking first place (308 subjects = 50.6), followed by mental disability (113 subjects = 18.6) and visual deficits (68 subjects = 11.2). This inventory consists of three areas: (1) sexual satisfaction in disability, (2) sexual response in disability, and (3) factors that interfere with sexuality in disability; the area of sexual response includes scales of desire, arousal and orgasm. The inventory was applied individually and the results were processed through statistical package SPSS, doing analysis of frequencies, t tests, variance, and chi-square test, as well as reliability tests. The results show in all cases, a greater tendency by men with some type of disability to search for and be involved in experiences of an affective and sexual type, which makes one suppose that gender roles have a big influence on sex following disability.     

Sexuality and Disability: The Missing Discourse of Pleasure

In the realm of sexuality and disability there is public discourse on deviance and inappropriate behavior, abuse and victimization, asexuality, gender and orientation with regard to women, and reproductive issues in women and men. However, there seems to be a missing discourse of pleasure. The purpose of this talk is to shed some cultural and historical insight into why this may be so, to argue why sexual pleasure is important to quality of life, to point out a few of the consequences of not including a discourse of pleasure, to share some of my research on sexual pleasure in people with spinal cord injury (SCI), and to make a plea for inclusion of sexual pleasure in the disability studies agenda.