The sexual lives of people with disabilities are rarely discussed. It is as if, because someone has a biological or psychological impairment, they do not exist as a sexual being. As such, many people with disabilities feel marginalised and powerless not only in their day-to-day lives, but also in their ability to form sexual relationships. A range of health issues are raised as a result. Illustrated by research drawn from a range of international contexts, Disability and Sexual Health: A Critical Exploration of Key Issues is the first to examine this important but seldom acknowledged issue. Beginning with an understanding of how both disability and sexuality are socially defined phenomena, the book discusses the implications for the sexual health of people with disabilities, from sexual health education and access to information to STDs and possible sexual exploitation. The book concludes with a chapter recommending inclusive practice in line with the aims of the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities. Disability and Sexual Health will be important reading for researchers and students in health psychology, critical psychology and the psychology of sexuality, gender, disability and nursing. It will also be of interest to professionals working with people with disabilities in health care and social work.

Sexual education in the United States is inadequate for all students, but those with disabilities are particularly affected. This authoritative text provides concise information to assist in teaching sexual education basics to disabled students, a group that is frequently left out of conversations about sexual health despite having high rates of sexual abuse. This book provides resources and strategies to help educate disabled students about the concept of consent and how to recognize abusive behaviors. This comprehensive guide will help disabled students protect themselves and their sexual autonomy.

This handbook provides a much-needed holistic overview of disability and sexuality research and scholarship. With authors from a wide range of disciplines and representing a diversity of nationalities, it provides a multi-perspectival view that fully captures the diversity of issues and outlooks. Organised into six parts, the contributors explore long-standing issues such as the psychological, interpersonal, social, political and cultural barriers to sexual access that disabled people face and their struggle for sexual rights and participation. The volume also engages issues that have been on the periphery of the discourse, such as sexual accommodations and support aimed at facilitating disabled people's sexual well-being; the socio-sexual tensions confronting disabled people with intersecting stigmatised identities such as LGBTBI or asexual; and the sexual concerns of disabled people in the Global South. It interrogates disability and sexuality from diverse perspectives, from more traditional psychological and sociological models, to various subversive and post-theoretical perspectives and queer theory. This handbook examines the cutting-edge, and sometimes ethically contentious, concerns that have been repressed in the field. With current, international and comprehensive content, this book is essential reading for students, academics and researchers in the areas of disability, gender and sexuality, as well as applied disciplines such as healthcare practitioners, counsellors, psychology trainees and social workers.

This handbook offers a comprehensive review of intellectual disabilities (ID). It examines historical perspectives and foundational principles in the field. The handbook addresses philosophy of care for individuals with ID, as well as parent and professional issues and organizations, staffing, and working on multidisciplinary teams. Chapters explore issues of client protection, risk factors of ID, basic research issues, and legal concerns. In addition, chapters include information on evidence-based assessments and innovative treatments to address a variety of behaviors associated with ID. The handbook provides an in-depth analysis of comorbid physical disorders, such as cerebral palsy, epilepsy and seizures, and developmental coordination disorders (DCD), in relation to ID. Topics featured in this handbook include: Informed consent and the enablement of persons with ID. The responsible use of restraint and seclusion as a protective measure. Vocational training and job preparation programs that assist individuals with ID. Psychological and educational approaches to the treatment of aggression and tantrums. Emerging technologies that support learning for students with ID. Key sexuality and relationship issues that are faced by individuals with ID. Effective approaches to weight management for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The Handbook of Intellectual Disabilities is an essential reference for researchers, graduate students, clinicians and related therapists and professionals in clinical child and school psychology, pediatrics, social work, developmental psychology, behavioral therapy/rehabilitation, child and adolescent psychiatry, and special education.

What does ‘sexual citizenship’ mean in practice for people with mobility impairments who may need professional support to engage in sexual activity? The book explores this subject through empirical investigation based on case studies conducted in four countries – Sweden, England, Australia and the Netherlands – and develops the abstract notion of ‘sexual citizenship’ to make it practically relevant to disabled people, professionals in disability services and policy-makers. Through a cross-national approach, it demonstrates the variability of how sexual rights are understood and their culturally specific nature. It also shows how the personal is indeed political: states’ different policy approaches change the outcomes for disabled people in terms of support to explore and express their sexualities. By proposing a model of sexual facilitation that can be used in policy development, to better cater to disabled service users’ needs as well as furthering the theoretical understanding of sexual rights and sexual citizenship, this book will be of interest to professionals in disability services and policy-makers as well as academics and students working in the following subject areas: Disability Studies, Sociology, Social Policy, Sexuality Studies/Sexology, Social Work, Nursing, Occupational Therapy and Public Health.

This book introduces experiential knowledge of the intersectionality of disability, sexuality, and gender equality issues. Scholars and disabled persons’ organizations in different Asian countries such as China, Vietnam, Myanmar, Nepal, and Japan have contributed to the book. It is a preliminary introduction of the frontline practice of Asian disability activism and the experience of women and LGBTIQ people with disabilities. It presents the direct participation of disability advocates in mapping how both women with disabilities and LGBTIQ individuals with disabilities realize their rights such as identity, work rights, personal safety, and sexual rights. Studies presented here explore the experience of empowering diverse disability groups and advocating for equality and non-discrimination. It explains how to use the leverage of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) for further human rights campaigns in a broader context for disadvantaged groups. This collection is the product of a participatory research project, which aims to increase the capabilities of local disabled persons’ organizations and NGOs in utilizing human rights laws and encourage dialogue and collaboration between academia, people with disabilities, and human rights advocates. It will be essential reading for academics, researchers, policy-makers, and campaign groups.

The Routledge International Handbook of Women’s Sexual and Reproductive Health is the authoritative reference work on important, leading-edge developments in the domains of women’s sexual and reproductive health. The handbook adopts a life-cycle approach to examine key milestones and events in women’s sexual and reproductive health. Contributors drawn from a range of disciplines, including psychology, medicine, nursing and midwifery, sociology, public health, women’s studies, and indigenous studies, explore issues through three main lenses: the biopsychosocial model feminist perspectives international, multidisciplinary perspectives that acknowledge the intersection of identities in women’s lives. The handbook presents an authoritative review of the field, with a focus on state-of-the-art work, encouraging future research and policy development in women’s sexual and reproductive health. Finally, the handbook will inform health care providers about the latest research and clinical developments, including women’s experiences of both normal and abnormal sexual and reproductive functions. Drawing upon international expertise from leading academics and clinicians in the field, this is essential reading for scholars and students interested in women’s reproductive health.

Promoting Youth Sexual Health, written for preventionists and interventionists who work with children and adolescents across home, school, or community settings, offers guidance on how to promote sexual health among youth. The reader is first introduced to the state of the field, including sexual behaviors in which youth engage, sexual risk and protective factors, standards and professional guidelines for promoting sexual health of youth, developmental and cultural considerations, and considerations in supporting LGBTQ youth. Evidence-based strategies to support child and adolescent sexual health in homes, schools, and communities are then presented. The book concludes with a proposed model for integrating supports across settings to comprehensively promote youth sexual health.

This textbook provides a state of the art of the knowledge on the prevalence, risk and etiological factors, clinical features, assessment procedures and tools, diagnostic criteria, treatment, and prognosis of the psychiatric disorders encountered in people with intellectual disability (ID) and low-functioning autism spectrum disorder (ASD). ID and ASD represent two meta-syndromic groups of several different conditions, each with particular cognitive and communication features. People with ID/ASD display an increased prevalence of a variety of psychiatric disorders, including psychotic disorders, mood disorders, anxiety and stress-related disorders, somatoform disorders, and obsessive-compulsive disorder, as well behavioral syndromes, personality disorders, and disorders due to psychoactive substance use. This book will enable readers to understand the specificities of psychiatric disorders in the context of ID/ASD. It explains clearly how diagnostic criteria and assessment procedures for psychiatric disorders that were created for the general population have to be modified for use with ID/ASD. Above all, it will enable clinicians to overcome difficulties in diagnosis and to deliver more effective care that meets the particular needs of patients with ID/ASD.