ABSTRACT
This chapter concerns disabled people’s experiences of barriers to accessing sexuality. It draws on an analysis of materials produced in ten projects by civil society organisations, including self-advocacy organisations, sexual rights organisations and organisations working on behalf of disabled people. These materials comprise books, handbooks, videos, websites and other online materials, and are based on the lived experiences of people with intellectual disability and mobility impairments. The projects mainly focus on providing information about sexuality and relationships, sexual and gender identity issues, and experiences of disability services in relation to sexuality. The analysis identifies the following types of sexual access barriers: (1) inadequate information, (2) psycho-emotional barriers, (3) relational barriers, (4) support-related barriers, and (5) policy barriers. These barriers to sexual access are often related to general disabling barriers and ableist norms. This intersection of barriers at personal, social, organisational and policy levels greatly impacts on disabled people’s opportunities in their sexual lives specifically, and as equal citizens generally.
