The Sexual Needs and Rights of People with Impairments

In order to investigate some of the myths surrounding disability, especially mental handicap, we need to examine some of the historical context of sexuality and disability. According to Clarke, Society’s present reluctance to “accept the rights of the mentally handicapped to enjoy a full sexual life are partly historical, attitudinal and ethical.” Historically the sexes were often segregated, and there were fears in the general population that if they were not, sexual expression would lead to procreation, the nation’s intelligence would be diluted and degeneracy would be a consequence. There were also some myths about the insatiable sexual appetite of learning disabled people, and fears about what they might get up to if allowed free expression of their sexuality.

One argument in favor of suppressing sexuality continues to be that it requires a degree of maturity and responsibility to pursue an active sex life, and that people with a mental handicap simply do not have this. Society therefore has the right to limit the possibilities of irresponsible sexual behavior and its consequences. Whilst acknowledging that carers often have to take responsibility for the consequences of unsafe sexual activity between their clients, we need to be aware of a certain hypocrisy in this, as this restriction does not apply to the rest of the rest of the population, who are by no means always responsible for the consequences of their sexual activity!

In Sweden, when accommodation for people with mental handicap changed from being segregated to mixed sex, it was found that aggressive behavior lessened and that there was more sexual expression, but sexual acts happened less often than had been expected, and penetrative intercourse was often not attempted. This may lead to the conclusion that it is the ability to accept and reciprocate loving feelings and some sexual expression of this rather than the sex act per se which is important.

It is worth mentioning here in addition, that people with a learning disability who have been injured or abused in childhood may have become intellectually impaired because of the trauma and real physical injury done to them. Any childhood abuse unresolved is likely to have repercussions in adult life, particularly in intimate relationships, whether the person has a learning disability or not. If a client flinches when approached, lashes out when confronted or can only tolerate small amounts of physical touch, the impact on their sexual development will be marked. Myths can also be a set of assumptions we make about people, based on their diagnosis. Sinason who with others has pioneered psychotherapeutic work with learning disabled children and adults, cites several cases where clients made great intellectual strides during the therapy, with improvement in communication, memory and concentration, once they had worked through the source of their trauma. In the case of eight-year-old Ali, Sinason describes how at first he spoke only in two word sentences, had no concentration, and could not recognize his name or write it. Born prematurely to parents with a moderate learning difficulty, Ali became violent and disruptive. He had, however, been the subject of serious sexual assaults by an older boy, and then been circumcised for religious reasons. As therapy progressed he began to speak in full sentences and to show in graphic detail what had been done to him.