Sex education in schools for students with disabilities: a qualitative study

This study addresses the paucity of research in the area of sexuality and disability, especially women with disabilities, and even more so research on women with significant intellectual disabilities. Indeed, the small body of research that has been done previously has relied on the perspectives, opinions, and stories from the caregiver and/or teachers. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to explore the ways in which young women with intellectual disabilities tell stories about sex education and its impact on their desired adult outcomes. To explore these unique narratives a qualitative single case design with embedded units was utilized. Individual interviews and focus group interviews were conducted with six young women with intellectual disabilities ranging in age from 19 to 21 years and from varied racial backgrounds. The participants were students in a campus-based transition program that taught sex education as part of their transition skills instruction. The overarching findings in this study were that sex education (a) allowed them to construct empowering narratives of themselves, (b) was a normalizing experience where they were able to engage in “girl talk” with each other and with the teacher, and (c) was a context to reflect on the influences and impact of the course on their lives. The implications for research and praxis are discussed in light of the importance of sex education for youth with intellectual disabilities.