Disability and Sexuality (SUB ITA) - Tom Shakespeare

(voice-over)
FutureLearn.

[pop-rock music]
UNSW Australia.

Disability and Sexuality.

-So, when it comes
to sexuality and disability,

we often hear that disabled people
are asexual or the rest of it.

That's just nonsense,
I mean, that's just so silly.

If you think about the entirety
of disabled people,

most disabled people are having sex,

having relationships
just like everybody else.

So let's start with that.

Let's just not think there's a problem.

And then we need to think, well,

what are these different groups
of disabled people?

Some folk are born with disability

and sometimes they face barriers,

particularly people
with intellectual disability,

and that's usually to do
with empowerment.

It's usually to do with knowledge,

to do with other people's attitudes, um,

to do with the fact that their carers--

parents, care homes, whatever--

think, "Whoa, they shouldn't have sex."

Um, so they need information,
they need empowerment,

they need some support
and some protection

because they're vulnerable to abuse.

Then you have people
who are born with disability

who don't have intellectual
or cognitive issues,

but they have physical
or communication issues.

Now, a lot of us--
and I'm in that category--

have had relationships,
sex, marriage, children, whatever.

Like everybody else.

But some people
face particular barriers.

I think this is often
when they have a complex disability,

profound disability,
and particularly communication problems.

So it may be difficult
for them

to form relationships.

The third group
is people who become disabled.

Maybe a spinal cord injury,
or something like that.

Now, often they've been having sex,

so the question is,
are they going to continue having sex?

Sometimes their partnerships break up.

Often they have new partnerships
which might even be better.

Um, so the question there
is making sure that rehabilitation

includes information about sex.

That's virtually the first question
people think about

when they come round
after the anesthetic.

"Oh my God,
am I ever going to have sex again?"

So, helping people understand
yes, they can.

They may have to have it differently,
but it can still be good.

That's really important
in rehabilitation.

And then the fourth category
is people who

are disabled through aging,

and we have this idea
that older people don't have sex.

Well, again:
nonsense, of course they do,

and we need to support them.

We need to have sex positive images,

we need to be able to deal
with any physical changes

that happen with aging.

We need to confront this issue
of people with dementia,

and again,
it's questions of capacity and consent.

But we need to have the conversation,

whichever group, whatever age,

we need to have the conversation,

not start from the idea it's a problem,

and of course,
there are various resources we have

to support people with their sex.

Sex education,

sex therapy or surrogacy,

sex work
in jurisdictions which allow that,

sexual facilitation,

which means basically
helping somebody prepare for

or get into the sexual situation,

but not having sex with them.

Um, and then there are various forms
of support and facilitation

for people with physical
and intellectual disability.

So there may-- and of course, counseling

and psychotherapy and so forth.

So, like everybody else,

disabled people may need some input
around the sexual issues.

Not all disabled people,
not all of the time.

But we need to make sure
that we have services that are set up

to meet those needs
as and when they occur,

to enable people to have the same sort
of sexual intimacy,

relationships,
family that other people do.

Because disabled people,
surprise, surprise,

are like everybody else.