Lack of Sex Education

Leaving the Disabled Vulnerable to Abuse

From “Rolling Around In My Head” A Blog by Dave Hingsburger

The lack of sex education and relationship training for people with intellectual disabilities leaves them isolated and vulnerable to abuse.

At the World Down Syndrome Congress in Dublin, Ireland, Dave Hingsburger, who specializes in the area of sexuality and the disabled, said “People with intellectual disabilities are the most sexually victimized group in society.” He highlighted that 80 per cent of women with intellectual disabilities and 60 per cent of men are sexually molested or raped.

“If you thwart somebody’s natural desire for a relationship by not giving them education, then they are so easy to manipulate by people,” he said.

People with intellectual disability are still mistakenly regarded by many as “perpetual children,” therefore the idea of their sexuality can be upsetting. One of the biggest struggles people with intellectual disabilities have is to be seen as adults.

“Sexuality is much more than having sexual intercourse; it’s about being in relationships,” Hingsburger pointed out. “Many, many people with intellectual disability live lives of loneliness, isolation and despair. We need to recognize that these people have the right to the same broad range of relationships as anybody else.”

 “It is a civil liberties issue,” said Mr. Hingsburger, who is director of clinical and educational services at Vita Community Living Services of Toronto, Canada.

Withholding sex education, in a misguided attempt to protect people with intellectual disabilities, not only makes them more likely to be victimized but also makes them open to accusations of being the victimizer, he explained.

If they are not taught social skills, their behavior can be inappropriate.

For the past four or five years, Dave Hingsburger has been maintaining a diary or blog (web-log) on the Internet. In his blog, he shares the events of his daily life from the viewpoint of a disabled man who is engaged in the lives of other people with disabilities. His blog has received the Canadian Blog Awards for “Best Activist Blog,” “Best Disability Blog,” and “Best Blogosphere Citizen.”

~ I read this in the FNRC “IN SITE” Newsletter today. Dave Hingsburger writes a great Blog! He shares the events of his daily life from the viewpoint of a disabled man who is engaged in the lives of other people with disabilities. You should check it out. Thank you FNRC for bringing it to our attention.