Sexual Health Education for Individuals with Disabilities: A Call to Action

Expressing sexuality is part of the human experience, yet sexual health is often ignored in regard to persons with disabilities. Individuals with disabilities are at risk of sexual abuse and exploitation, unwanted pregnancies, and sexually transmitted diseases. Additionally, many adolescents with disabilities lack the knowledge needed to develop a healthy sexual identity, therefore, increasing their vulnerability (Baladerian, et al., 2013 Baladerian, N. J., Coleman, T. F., &; Stream, J. (2013). Abuse of people with disabilities: Victims and their families speak out: A report on the 2012 national survey on abuse and people with disabilities. Retrieved from http://disability-abuse.com/survey/survey-report.pdf Google Scholar]; Boehning, 2006 Boehning, A. (2006). Sex education for students with disabilities. Law &; Disorder, 1, 56–66. Google Scholar]; Preston, 2013 Preston, M. (2013). ‘Very very risky’: Sexuality education teachers' definition of sexuality and teaching and learning responsibilities. American Journal of Sexuality Education, 8(1-2), 18–35. doi:10.1080/15546128.2013.790223.Taylor &; Francis Online] , Google Scholar]; SEICUS, 2012 SIECUS: Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States. (2012). Bibliography: Sexuality and disabilities. Retrieved from http://www.siecus.org Google Scholar], 2014 SIECUS: Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.siecus.org Google Scholar]). Resources have been developed to improve the sexual health of individuals with disabilities; however, those who need this education may not have access to the resources. The purpose of this literature review is to examine sexual health education for individuals with disabilities; it focuses on risks to people with disabilities, current barriers to education, and available resources.