Promoting Crucial Conversations around Disability & Sexuality Supports
Critical disability scholar Alice Wong recently reflected on her experiences Google searching the terms ‘disability’ and ‘intimacy.’ What she found reflected public attitudes around disability, which were often stereotyped and erased the nuance of diverse experiences. Her anthology, Disability Intimacy, was created to open dialogues around experiences of intimacy, sexuality, and disability; conversations which are often overlooked.
However, stereotypes around disability, intimacy and sexuality still exist, which begs the question: How might we engage with such dialogues in practice?
Critically engaged and community-driven scholarship is vital to leveraging the expertise of equity- and justice-seeking communities. In 2023, Dr. Adam Davies, t6talk, and the Sexual Health Options, Resources, and Education (SHORE) Centre, were interested in exploring how individuals with disabilities are supported in their sexuality. Dr. Davies, an Associate Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies and queer feminist educator at the University of Guelph, approached CESI with this research question, who put together a team of staff and graduate students to support the original team’s desire for equity-driven community-led research.
Lindsey Thomson, Manager of the Community Engaged Learning at CESI, noted that “we are experts in critical community engaged scholarship and research.” As such, CESI was able to “help contribute to this work by providing that research leadership” which acknowledged and leveraged diverse community and researcher expertise.
The goal of the Sexuality and Access Project 2023 was to honor and centre the lived experiences of individuals with disabilities (attendant users) and their associated service providers (attendants) to support conversations and mutual understandings around the intersections of sexuality and disability.
This project consists of two phases. In the first phase, researchers administered a survey to learn more about individuals’ experiences navigating conversations about attendant user sexuality. Following the survey, six attendant users participated in semi-structured interviews focused on their experiences.
Thomson reported that the majority of participants believed “that sexual support is excluded from service agreements and formal training and education.” Despite there being no standardized methods around speaking about sexuality, according to Thomson, both attendant users and attendants noted that “informal discussions on the topic still occur within attendant care.”
Conversations around sexuality, according to the research, were happening whether or not organizations prepared their staff for them. Thomson noted that “topics around sexuality and disability continue to be taboo,” which often made these conversations difficult to navigate without organizational guidelines or support. Additionally, the project team identified a significant gap in research around the intersections of sexuality and disability. Lack of organizational support and evidence-based practices likely increased confusion around how to initiate successful discussions around sexuality and wellbeing.
The project is currently in Phase Two, which includes knowledge mobilization such as community programming curriculum. The second phase is being led by the community partners. Shared Thomson:
“I am really looking forward to seeing what is next for implementation and evaluation of programs informed by the research we all did together.”
Importantly, one outcome of this research collaboration was to expand community connections to the university beyond and across departments. Thomson noted that “the community partners were not aware that there were people at the University that can support critically engaged research grounded in community priorities.”
To learn more about and to view the 2023 report, visit the Sexuality and Access Project page on the CESI website.
References
Wong, A. (Ed.). (2024). Disability intimacy: essays on love, care, and desire. Vintage Books.