Silenced No More: A Review of Supporting Disabled People with Their Sexual Lives

Abstract

Supporting Disabled People with Their Sexual Lives: A Clear Guide for Health and Social Care Professionals focuses on educating healthcare providers about the needs and barriers to sexuality for disabled people. This comprehensive volume encourages providers to openly address issues of sexuality with disabled clients. The author takes a positive approach toward disability and a clearly sexually affirmative perspective. The author includes a section on difficulties that providers may encounter in conducting sexual advocacy and promotion of sexual health. The volume includes analysis of the sexual health needs of individuals with disability, specific techniques and approaches to sexual expression, dating and partnership, the role of sexual services, and sexual diversity. Her chapter on sexuality and sex education with disabled youth is one of the most controversial areas of the many provocative topics covered. A co-author wrote a chapter on sex, disability, and human rights exploring the sexual rights of disabled people. The text is written in a very accessible, open narrative that varies from extremely detailed to quite concise. There is no serious or comprehensive discussion about concerns related to sexual abuse. Many statements presented are supported primarily by anecdotal data; while there is clearly a paucity of available empirical research on these topics, readers may question the evidence-base for many strategies presented. This book is a countercultural response to decades of overly conservative practices that have attempted to restrict and silence disabled sexuality. This is a helpful and useful tool for those seriously interested in enabling disabled people full participation in this important realm of life.