Session proposal 

A number of research studies have demonstrated disabled people's struggles to be acknowledged as sexual beings in a culture where dominant ideals of sexuality often exclude non-normative bodies and minds. According to a global report from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNPF) the sexual and reproductive health and rights of disabled people are often disregarded. One reason for these struggles and lack of attention towards sexual issues concerning disabled people has to do with the general taboo surrounding the theme; with consequences such as insufficient competence for relevant professionals, and lack of representation, or rather misrepresentation, in social policy, media and culture. Sexuality is a broad subject, covering issues such as sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), sexual identities and orientations, and sexual engagament. An important related issue concerns the potential professional support needed for disabled people to be able to express their sexualities as desired or to achieve ad adequate sexual health and well-being. This session includes presentations with different focus on sexuality issues from different contexts and concerning different disabilities, in order to present the broadness and complexity of sexuality as a social phenomenon. All presentations discuss sexuality as a measure for health, well-being and human rights – in other words: as a measure for citizenship and inclusion in any society striving to be inclusive and accessible to people of all abilities and sexualities.

Presentations:

- Julia Bahner, doctoral student, Dept. of social work, University of Gothenburg, Sweden. Sexuality: a risk or a right? Conceptualisations of sexual expression by personnel in disability services

- Jack Lukkerz, lic. phil., Malmö University, Sweden. An empty arena – on attitudes to and experiences of sexuality education among special school and habilitation service staff in Sweden

- Dr. Claire Lucille Azzopardi Lane, Dept. of Disability Studies, University of Malta. A minority within a minority: Being transgender and having an intellectual disability