The sexuality of women with disabilities is an area that continues to receive a considerable amount of attention. While much of the writing in this area continues to reflect on the struggles of women with disabilities to be seen as sexual beings, there are also newer writings about sex education and therapies, specific problems women with disabilities have faced in terms of their sexuality, and a large amount of sources now published concerning lesbians and bisexual women with disabilities.
——————————————————————————–
Abdel-Nasser, A., & Ali, E. I. (2006, November). Determinants of sexual disability and dissatisfaction in female patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Clinical Rheumatology, 25(6), 822-830.
Previous research has identified two main problems of sexuality in female rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients: difficulties in sexual performance and diminution of sexual desire and satisfaction. This study attempts to determine the clinical and psychological factors significantly contributing to sexual disability and dissatisfaction in female RA patients. Ninety consecutive female RA outpatients were assessed by a gynecologist. After excluding patients who were not sexually active and those with genital tract abnormalities, 52 patients were examined and investigated rheumatologically and given questionnaires assessing sexual performance, desire, and satisfaction, as well as demographic variables, pain, disability, anxiety, and depression. Following a correlation analysis, the contributions of demographic, disease, and psychological variables to sexual disability and dissatisfaction were explored by hierarchical and stepwise regression. Thirty-two patients (62%) had difficulties in sexual performance including nine patients (17%) who were totally unable to engage in sexual intercourse because of arthritis. Sexual desire or satisfaction were diminished in 24 patients (46%) and completely lost in 24 patients (46%). Sexual disability was not significantly correlated with any psychodemographic variables, but with parameters of disease activity (p<0.001), Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ)-disability (p<0.001), hip (p<0.001) but not knee joint disease, seropositivity (p<0.05), and diminished desire (p<0.05). However, HAQ-disability and hip joint disease were the only independent and significant determinants of sexual disability in the regression model after controlling for the effects of age and disease duration. These variables together explained 64% of the variance of sexual disability. On the other hand, pain (p<0.001), age (p<0.05), and depression (p<0.05) were the significant determinants in the regression model for sexual dissatisfaction, all together contributing 36% of its variance. More than 60% of female RA patients experience variable degrees of sexual disability and diminished sexual desire and satisfaction. Difficulties in sexual performance are related more to overall disability and hip involvement, while diminished desire and satisfaction are influenced more by perceived pain, age, and depression.
——————————————————————————–
America Undercover: The Execution of Wanda Jean [Film]. (2003). New York: HBO Documentaries.
This documentary about the execution of an African-American lesbian who killed her lover explores the humanity of both the death penalty and the label of mental retardation. The claim by Wanda Jean’s lawyers that she is mentally retarded and therefore unfit to be executed raises all aspects of this ongoing discussion. This personal look at Death Row, the power of labels, and the finality of the death penalty is unforgettable.
——————————————————————————–
Areskoug-Josefsson, K., & Öberg, U. (2009, September). A literature review of the sexual health of women with rheumatoid arthritis. Musculoskeletal Care, 7(4), 219-226.
Sexual health problems are common for women with Rheumatoid Arthritis, RA. Sexual health is covered in the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) by two different fields: sexual function and intimate relationships, which are included in the ICF core sets for RA. Most patients with RA are female, and there are differences concerning sexual health between women and men with RA.
The aim of this study was to explore the literature concerning the effects of RA on the sexual health of female patients, and also recommend solutions to improve the sexual health of women with RA.
Sexual health problems can occur before, during and after sexual activities, and can affect women’s sexual health in different perspectives. The investigated areas concerning female RA-patients and sexual are general sexual problems, sexual satisfaction, sexual desire, sexual performance, and sexual functioning. RA affects sexual health as a result of pain, reduced joint mobility, fatigue, depression and body image alterations. The investigated material provides few solutions to sexual health problems of female RA-patients. The most commonly mentioned solution is increased information and communication between health professionals and patients. Some of the studies recommend physiotherapy. Further research is needed to understand which types of intervention can help women with RA to improve their sexual health.
——————————————————————————–
Atkins, C. G. K. (2008). The choice of two mothers: Disability, gender, sexuality, and prenatal testing. Cultural Studies <=> Critical Methodologies, 8(1), 106-129.
This article employs an autoethnographic method in describing and analyzing the moral dilemmas faced by two lesbian mothers when they contemplated prenatal, genetic testing options during two pregnancies. It focuses on the inconsistencies in their decision-making processes-that is, that these same parents opt to do amniocentesis for one pregnancy but choose not for another one fewer than 2 years later. The discussion highlights the influence that contextual factors have on the discrepancy in their reasoning and behavior. By critiquing both the mothers’ rationales and clinicians’ approaches to these procedures, the article seeks to show that the weakness of employing ethical and counseling paradigms and discussions in highly contextual, real-life situations.
——————————————————————————–
Atkins, D., & Marston, C. (1999, January). Creating accessible queer community: Intersections and fractures with dis/ability praxis. In D. Atkins & C. Martston (Eds.), Queer and Dis/Abled [Special issue]. International Journal of Sexuality and Gender Studies, 4(1), 3-21.
This article explores the intersections and fractures that disability theory and activism present to queer community. The authors begin by drawing upon a multiple axis approach from feminist theory, then discuss the problem of defining “disability” and “queer.” They then explore the intersections and fractures of these identities and theories, hoping to raise awareness among queer activists and scholars and introduce them to conceptual and practical tools. In particular, disability studies offers a way to reconceptualize and ground theory and practice in the “messiness” of real bodies and to make visible the mythic “normate” against which cultural Others are defined.
——————————————————————————–
Axtell, S. (1999). Disability and chronic illness identity: Interviews with lesbians and bisexual women and their partners. In D. Atkins & C. Marston (Eds.), Queer & Dis/Abled [Feature issue]. Journal of Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Identity, 4(1), 53-72. Retrieved February 8, 2005 from http://www.glma.org/programs/
lhf/reports/AxtellS_Disability.pdf.
Disability rights activists and cultural workers are articulating disability identity and culture. Through interviews with lesbians and bisexual women with disabilities or chronic illnesses and their partners, the present study examined disability/chronic illness identity on the level of individual; couple, and community. Participants shared differing perspectives about how disability/chronic illness identity relates to other aspects of identity, and about whether disability/chronic illness identity is fluid or constant. They described several challenges they have encountered in developing disability/chronic illness identity. Couples talked about developing boundaries and balance in their relationships, and about how disability or chronic illness has strengthened their relationships. A number of participants spoke about identity as intimately linked with community. Implications for community building are discussed.
——————————————————————————–
Basson, R. (2010, May). Sexual function of women with chronic illness and cancer. Women’s Health, 6(3), 407-429.
Addressing the sexual sequelae of chronic disease and its treatment is now accepted as a fundamental part of healthcare. Most of the sexual effects of chronic disease are negative, and ongoing illness continues to modulate a woman’s sexual self-image, energy and interest in sexual activity, as well as her ability to respond to sexual stimuli with pleasurable sensations, excitement, orgasm and freedom from pain with genital stimulation or intercourse. Nevertheless, for many women with chronic illness, sexuality remains extremely important despite the commonly associated fatigue and acquired sexual dysfunctions; sexual resilience can be substantial. Following recovery from cancer surgery, chemotherapy and radiation, prognosis can be excellent and a return to full health can often be expected, and yet, there may have been devastating changes to sexual function owing to the cancer treatment. Women with metastatic disease may still treasure sexual intimacy. Assessment and management of sexual dysfunction is therefore necessary in all women with chronic illness or past or present cancer.
——————————————————————————–
Beckett, C. (2004, May). Crossing the border: Locating heterosexuality as a boundary for lesbian and disabled women. In S. Jackson (Ed.), Special Issue: Feminist Challenges: Crossing Boundaries. Journal of International Women’s Studies, 5(3), 44-52. Retrieved January 3, 2005 from http://www.bridgew.edu/SoAS/jiws/May04/Beckett.pdf.
This article draws on the author’s personal experience, and on the separate experiences of “leaving heterosexuality” and of “being disabled.” She has attempted to find common ground for action between these two groups by interrogating the experience of being sexual. She argues that heterosexuality functions as a social matrix, with exclusionary practices that operate in similar ways towards both groups. Mechanisms may be different, but the experience of exclusion is similar, and is based on similar practices. This article focuses on specific points in the exclusionary process, and illustrates similarities.
——————————————————————————–
Block, P. (2000, November). Sexuality, fertility, and danger: Twentieth-century images of women with cognitive disabilities. In R. Shuttleworth, L. Mona, & D. Kasnitz (Eds.), Disability, sexuality, and culture: Societal and experiential perspectives on multiple identities, Part II [Special Issue]. Sexuality and Disability, 18(4), 239-254.
Article examining attitudes toward the sexuality of women with mental retardation, based on an analysis of five 20th century cases (four actual and one fictional): the sterilization of Carrie Buck (1927); the institutionalization of “Deborah Kallikak” (starting in the late 19th century); the Glen Ridge sexual assault case (1989); the sterilization of Cindy Wasiek (1994); and the movie “The Other Sister” (1998). The author finds in the four real-life stories a history of segregation, forced sterilization, rape, and control by others. The fictional movie, by treating its character with mental retardation as a Cinderella figure, presents an illusory process of symbolic healing in which the lived experiences of real women are justified, trivialized, and forgotten.
——————————————————————————–
Bradford, J., Emanuel, K., & Rogers, T. L. (2002). Sexual minorities seeking services: A retrospective study of the mental health concerns of lesbian and bisexual women. Journal of Lesbian Studies, 7(1), 127-146.
Understanding the mental health needs of lesbian and bisexual (sexual minority) women is an integral part of designing and providing appropriate mental health services and treatment for them. In an effort to understand the mental health needs of sexual minority women who seek community treatment, a chart review was conducted of the 223 lesbian and bisexual women who presented for services between July 1, 1997 and December 31, 2000 at Fenway Community Health in Boston, MA. Data are based on clients’ self-reports and clinician assessments of clients’ presenting problem, relevant developmental history, prior mental health and substance abuse treatment, current reports of emotional/ psychological symptoms, and areas of impaired functioning. Although substance abuse and suicidal ideation were commonly reported problems, other concerns were more frequently reported. High percentages of lesbians and bisexual women reported relationship concerns and lack of adequate social networks; rates of depression and anxiety based on clinicians’ assessments were also high. Overall, lesbians and bisexual women did not differ in the issues they brought to treatment or level or types of impairment. Compared with previous community survey samples, however, study participants appeared to be healthier than general, non-clinical samples of self-identified lesbians, possibly reflecting the special characteristics of sexual minority women who seek treatment in specialized community sites such as the Fenway. Although patients who come to these sites may not represent the more general population of sexual minority women, community health centers known to serve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals may be fruitful access points for studying the mental health status and treatment needs of sexual minority women.
——————————————————————————–
Brownworth, V. A., & Raffo, S. (1999). Restricted access: Lesbians on disability. Seattle: Seal Press.
In looking at the intersection of sexuality and disability, this nonfiction anthology challenges readers to confront how America deals with difference. Writers represent a broad range of disabilities (chronic fatigue syndrome, manic depression, and cerebral palsy) as well as a variety of racial, ethnic, and class backgrounds.
——————————————————————————–
Cahn, S. (2003, Spring). Come out, come out whatever you’ve got! Or, still crazy after all these years. Feminist Studies, 29(1), 7-18.
Cahn relates her experience in living as a lesbian and describes how she struggled to cope with her chronic fatigue syndrome. Many people see homosexuals as disgusting, sinful, tolerable, abominable, and crazy. Although their is no proof that homosexuality and mental disorder is correlated, many psychiatrists still believe that several mental diseases are caused by homosexuality, and are finding reparative therapies and reconversion programs to treat homosexuals.
——————————————————————————–
Cammaert, L. P. (1984). New sex therapies: Policy and practice. In L. E. Walker (Ed.), Women and mental health policy [Sage Yearbooks In Women’s Policy Studies] (pp. 247 266). Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications.
This chapter addresses issues of female sexuality and describes the dramatic changes in attitudes and norms around female sexuality and sexual behavior which have occurred during this century. The author reviews the literature on female sexuality, female “sexual dysfunctioning,” and effectiveness of sex therapy for women. Although researchers and sex therapists have begun to accept that women’s sexual needs and desires are just as important as men’s, there is still a danger for inappropriate treatment, based on stereotypical and outdated ideas of women’s sexuality. The author therefore advises women, who seek sex therapy, to be careful when they select a sex therapist. The chapter concludes with a call for more research on female sexuality and claims that the little that is known is mostly based on samples of white, well-educated, middle-class, heterosexual American women. Our understanding of female sexualit y must be based on the experiences of all women: women of color, single women, lesbian women, poor women, celibate women, and women with a variety of educational levels, as well as women of all ages.
——————————————————————————–
Carpenter, L. M. (2010, Summer). Gendered sexuality over the life course: A conceptual framework. Sociological Perspectives, 53(2), 155–177.
Despite increasing interest in gendered sexuality over the life course, a comprehensive conceptual model, applicable to all aspects of sexual life and incorporating recent developments in life course sociology, feminist theory, and sexuality studies, has yet to be elaborated. The model presented here posits that sexual beliefs and behaviors result from individuals’ lifelong accumulation of advantageous and disadvantageous experiences, and adoption/rejection of sexual scripts, within socio-historical contexts. Women and men follow distinctive sexual trajectories insofar as they accrue gender-specific experiences and scripts and as their sexuality and gender trajectories intertwine. Empirical examples include virginity loss and involuntary celibacy, (de)coupling, and chronic illness/disability. The proposed framework helps explain the coexistence of differences and similarities among individuals and cohorts and holds particular promise for studying lifelong aspects of sexuality like agency and interest. It also suggests improvements on interactionist theory, conventional life course models, and the sexual scripting approach.
——————————————————————————–
Christian, L., Stinson, J., & Dotson, L. A. (2001). Staff values regarding the sexual expression of women with developmental disabilities. Sexuality and Disability, 19(4), 283-291.
Women with developmental disabilities face a myriad of barriers that prevent sexual expression. These include, but are not limited to, inadequate access to health care, limited choices regarding reproductive issues, and lack of sex education. The values and beliefs of support staff also represent potential barriers. A survey was conducted to determine the attitudes and knowledge of support staff at an agency serving individuals with developmental disabilities. Findings indicated that a majority of staff felt comfortable supporting women in expressing their sexuality, but few were trained to do so. Results also suggested that staff were guided more by their personal views than by agency policy.
——————————————————————————–
Christopherson, J. M., Moore, K., Foley, F. W., & Warren, K. G. (2006, June). A comparison of written materials vs. materials and counselling for women with sexual dysfunction and multiple sclerosis. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 15(6), 742-750.
Aim. Evaluate whether symptoms of vaginal dryness, low libido, less intense or delayed orgasm could be improved in women with multiple sclerosis who took part in an education or education plus counselling programme.
Background. Sexual dysfunction, a prevalent symptom in women with multiple sclerosis, can negatively affect quality-of-life.
Methods. Women attending a large multiple sclerosis clinic were invited and 62 were randomized into one of two groups. Group 1 received written materials on primary, secondary and tertiary sexual dysfunction in multiple sclerosis as well as additional resources (books, websites, list of local psychologists specializing in sexual counselling). Group 2 received the same written materials as well as three counselling sessions from the clinic nurse, the latter two by telephone. The primary outcome measures were the expanded disability status scale and the multiple sclerosis intimacy and sexuality questionnaire-19. Repeated-measures analysis of variance was used to evaluate sexual dysfunction score over time and to compare two groups.
Results. At baseline, total expanded disability status scale scores were not correlated with primary, secondary or tertiary sexual dysfunction. Total multiple sclerosis intimacy and sexuality questionnaire-19 score was correlated with use of anti-cholinergic medications [r (54) = 0•28, P < 0•05], but no other medications, alcohol or tobacco use. Both groups had equivalent and significant reductions in primary sexual dysfunction [F (1) = 14•79, P < 0•001] postintervention. There was a trend towards an interaction effect for tertiary sexual dysfunction [F (1) = 2•88, P = 0•096], in the direction of group 2 (education and counselling). Subjectively, women welcomed the opportunity to discuss sexual concerns and noted that the written information allowed a framework for initiating discussion with their spouses.
Conclusion. Relatively straightforward interventions provided by a clinic nurse may help women cope with the symptoms of sexual dysfunction associated with multiple sclerosis. Women who do not benefit from basic interventions could then be referred to an expert sexual dysfunction practitioner. Relevance to clinical practice. Women with multiple sclerosis experience many disease-related physical and emotional challenges of which sexuality is only one. Sensitivity to sexual dysfunction and being willing to approach the topic is appreciated by women with multiple sclerosis. Nurses do not require in-depth expertise to offer some basic suggestions which may significantly improve life quality and assist the woman with multiple sclerosis to talk about or cope with sexuality issues.
——————————————————————————–
Clare, E. (1999). Exile & pride: Disability, queerness, and liberation. Cambridge, MA: South End Press.
“Gender reaches into disability; disability wraps around class; class strains against abuse; abuse snarls into sexuality; sexuality folds on top of race…everything finally piling into a single human body. To write about any aspect of identity, any aspect of the body, means writing about this entire maze. This I know, and yet the question remains: where to start?” (p. 123)
Eli Clare investigates disability, class, queerness, child sexual abuse, and conflicting political and environmental awarenesses, using the metaphors of landscape and her own experience. She recalls and brings to life images of the mountains and forests, rivers and oceans of her childhood in rural Oregon, her body, and her many homes, in these musings on home, exile, politics and experience.
——————————————————————————–
Clare, E. (2001). Stolen bodies, reclaimed bodies: Disability and queerness. Public Culture, 13(3), 359-365.
“I want to write about the body, not as a metaphor, symbol, or representation, but simply as the body. To write about my body, our bodies, in all their messy, complicated realities. I want words shaped by my slurring tongue, shaky hands, almost steady breath; words shaped by the fact that I am a walkie–someone for whom a flight of stairs without an accompanying elevator poses no problem–and by the reality that many of the people I encounter in my daily life assume I am “mentally retarded.” Words shaped by how my body–and I certainly mean to include the mind as part of the body–moves through the world.”
——————————————————————————–
Clements, J., Clare, I., & Ezelle L.A. (1995, December). Real men, real women, real lives? Gender issues in learning disabilities and challenging behaviour. Disability & Society, 10(4), 425-436.
This article seeks to define gender issues and explores the significance of these issues for challenging behaviour in the field of learning disability. It is argued that lack of awareness about these issues contributes to the development of challenging behaviour and to difficulties in identifying the needs expressed through these behaviours, whatever their origin. Specific areas examined include models of residential provision for adults, prioritisation of service activities, attribution processes (needs identification), and the sexuality of people with learning disabilities. In each area issues are raised and the implications for service practice defined.
——————————————————————————–
Coley, L., & Marler, R. (1987). Responding to the sexuality of people with mental handicap. In G. Horobin (Ed.), Sex, gender and care work [Research Highlights in Social Work, Vol. 15] (pp. 66-81). New York: St. Martin’s Press.
This chapter states that the sexuality of people with mental handicap has been largely ignored and in the few instances where it has been considered, the response has been restrictive and over-protective. (The book is British and uses the word mental handicap for mental retardation). The authors trace some of the restrictive attitudes to the way human services are operated. For example, many group homes are run by Christian groups who insist that residents live up to what is see as “Christian principles of high morals and values.”
The authors state clearly that people with mental retardation have the same rights and needs to enjoy their sexuality as anyone else, and should have the same right to marry or cohabit as anyone else.
Although the chapter does not direct much attention to issues of specific concern to women with disabilities it raises issues of great concern to them, such as forced sterilization and forced abortion.
——————————————————————————–
Coon, D. W. (2007). Exploring interventions for LGBT caregivers. Journal of Gay & Lesbian Social Services, 18(3), 109-128.
LGBT caregiving for midlife and older adults facing chronic illness or disability as well as the development and evaluation of interventions targeting LGBT caregivers remains fundamentally unexplored. Caregivers regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity often juggle multiple roles and responsibilities leading to increased stress and distress. However, largely due to discrimination and discriminatory policies, many LGBT caregivers face barriers at multiple levels of service provision that can exacerbate stress and negatively impact caregiver and care recipient quality of life. This article highlights many of these obstacles and provides examples of intervention strategies designed to assist LGBT caregivers ranging from interventions aimed at the individual and interpersonal levels of service provision to changes needed at the social policy level. As an example of an individual or interpersonal level of intervention designed to assist LGBT caregivers, the SURE 2 framework is presented and more thoroughly discussed. Given the diversity of the LGBT community, the article ends with ways to extend or adapt SURE 2 as well as suggesting that the time has come to develop and test a variety of interventions for LGBT caregivers.
——————————————————————————–
Corbett, C. J. (2002, Fall). Sex, disability and motherhood: Access to sexuality for disabled mothers. Disability Studies Quarterly, 22(4), 81-101. Retrieved March 2, 2005 from http://www.dsq-sds.org/_articles_pdf/2002/Fall/dsq_2002_Fall_08.pdf.
There is limited research into the sexual lives of mothers, particularly mothers with disabilities. This article examines the barriers to sexuality facing mothers with disabilities. These barriers include: stereotypes that disabled mothers are not sexual, lack of resources for essential aspects of parenting, and difficulty in creating time for personal and private adult activities. Recommendations are presented based on the experiences of disabled mothers.
——————————————————————————–
Corbett, K. (1987, Summer). The role of sexuality and sex equity in the education of disabled women. Peabody Journal of Education, 64(4), 198-212.
This article tackles the broad issue of the intersection of sexuality, disability, and sex education. Myths and stereotypes about the nonsexual disabled woman are examined, as are issues of identity, dating and other loving relationships, sexual abuse, sex education, sexuality related services, and inclusion of disabled students in curriculum and classroom.
——————————————————————————–
Courvant, D. (1999, January). Coming out disabled: A transsexual woman considers queer contributions to living with disability. In D. Atkins & C. Marston (Eds.), Queer and Dis/Abled [Special issue]. International Journal of Sexuality and Gender Studies, 4(1), 97-105.
The author provides an autobiographical illustration of the similarities in coming out lesbian, transsexual, bisexual, or gay and taking visible steps to address a previously invisible disability. The essay begins with a comparison of personal experiences of transsexuality and invisible disability, and addresses the advantages of applying the “coming out” model to the author’s disability. The author concludes that coming out is a process model that disabled individuals can use to aid a transition to caring for a new or worsening personal disability.
——————————————————————————–
Crawford, D., & Ostrove, J. M. (2003, March). Representations of disability and the interpersonal relationships of women with disabilities. In M. E. Banks, & E. Kaschak (Eds.), Women with visible and invisible disabilities: multiple intersections, multiple issues, multiple therapies, Part II [Special issue]. Women & Therapy, 26(3/4), 179-194.
This paper explores the relation between societal representations of disability and the intimate relationships of women with disabilities. The study confirmed that views of people with disabilities as incompetent and helpless, intellectually challenged, super-capable and asexual, continue to influence the lives of women with disabilities. Most of these stereotypes were encountered by women with different types of disabilities, suggesting that these categories are fairly universally applied. With respect to intimate relationships, the women had had a wide variety of both positive and negative experiences. A common disability experience seemed to have an important positive influence on sustaining close intimate relationships. Relatedly, the lack of this similarity was, in many cases, perceived as a major impediment to relationships with the able-bodied.
——————————————————————————–
Damsky, L. (Ed.). (2000). Sex & single girls: Straight and queer women on sexuality [Live Girls]. Seattle: Seal Press.
“Although they’ve grown up in a culture saturated with sex, women in their twenties and thirties have no sex book of their own. Sex and Single Girls fills this void with personal accounts of pleasure, fear, desire, risk, survival, heartbreak, and intimacy–everything that comes with exploring one’s sexuality. Well-known writers and feminists treat topics ranging from online sex to abortion, from bisexuality to interracial relationships, creating a complex portrait of women’s sexual experiences, activities, and preferences…. Through their wise, humorous, and personally empowering writings, this collection explores women’s sexual lives in all their passion and authenticity.”
Of interest is a chapter by Diana Courvant, co-founder of The Transfeminism Anthology Project & The Survivor Project, about the social conception of disability and sexuality.
——————————————————————————–
DeHaan, C. B., & Wallander, J. L. (1988, April). Self-concept, sexual knowledge and attitudes, and parental support in the sexual adjustment of women with early- and late-onset physical disability. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 17(2), 145-161.
Three groups of college women were compared on the following dimensions: sexual experiences, sexual satisfaction, self-concept, sexual attitudes and knowledge, and parental support for sexual development. Groups were composed of women with late-onset physical disability, early-onset physical disability, and no disability. Measures utilized included an extension of the Sexual Interaction Inventory, the Tennessee Self-Concept Inventory, the Sexual Knowledge and Attitude Test, and questionnaires developed for this study. The early-onset group reported fewer current sexual experiences than did the nondisabled group. The early-onset group was dissatisfied with the frequency of sexual behavior to a greater degree than the nondisabled group. Also, both disabled groups believed that they could enjoy sexual experiences more than they did at present in contrast to the nondisabled group. There were no group differences for self-concept, though several aspects of self-concept contributed significantly to sexual adjustment for the disabled groups. No group differences were found for sexual knowledge and attitudes or parental support for sexual development, nor did these variables relate to sexual adjustment. Group differences in sexual adjustment are discussed in terms of functional, emotional, and social implications. Recommendations for further research include following the social development of women with lateonset conditions, comparing the social skills and cognitions of the two disabled groups, and assessing men who have established intimate relationships with disabled women.
——————————————————————————–
Dotson, L. A., Stinson, J., & Christian, L. (2003). “People tell me I can’t have sex”: Women with disabilities share their personal perspectives on health care, sexuality, and reproductive rights. In M. E. Banks & E. Kaschak (Eds.), Women with visible and invisible disabilities: Multiple intersections, multiple issues, multiple therapies, Part II [Special issue]. Women & Therapy, 26(3/4), 195-209.
Much of the information “known” about the personal beliefs and experiences of women with developmental disabilities, their needs, desires, and sexual practices, have been gleaned from second-hand accounts and speculation. Utilizing direct interviews, this study was designed to assess women’s level of knowledge, their access to resources and their feelings of control over choices concerning their bodies. Further, this study sought to examine the impact that disability has on sexuality from the women who experience it. Implications for future research are discussed.
Eerikäinen, H. (2001). Love your prosthesis like yourself: “Sex”, text and the body in cyber discourse. In A. Koivunen & S. Paasonen (Eds.), Conference proceedings for Affective encounters: Rethinking embodiment in feminist media studies. University of Turku, School of Art, Literature and Music, Media Studies. Retrieved June 6, 2005 from http://www.hum.utu.fi/mediatutkimus/affective/eerikainen.pdf.
“Why from an artificial limb trying to substitute for a bodily loss has become a technological extension of the body allegedly augmenting and enhancing not only the range of abilities of the subject, but most of all, post-corporeal pleasures of the “postmodern body,” a body enveloped by computer screens and networks all calling for immediate interfacing and interaction and promising an enjoyable experience of indulging oneself in a total immersion…? How is it that a bitter necessity has turned into an object of utopian dreams, even a vehicle of libidinal fantasies? Why is the prosthesis seductive? Why is the prosthetic body “sexy”?
——————————————————————————–
Fiduccia, B. F. W. (1999). Sexual imagery of physically disabled women: Erotic? Perverse? Sexist? In S. Welner (Ed.), Women’s health and gynecological care [Special issue]. Sexuality and Disability, 17(3), 277-282.
This brief think piece focuses on still photographs of physically disabled women who have involved themselves in erotica and pornography as sex workers, entrepreneurs, and relationship seekers. For future research, it offers preliminary questions from a disabled feminist pro-sex analysis of what some define as erotic, but others term fetishistic, perverse, sexist, and even exploitative.
Fine, M. (1988). Sexuality, schooling, and adolescent females: The missing discourse of desire. Harvard Educational Review, 58(1), 29 53.
This article examines diverse perspectives on adolescent sexuality as well as current sex-education practices. The article is based on a thorough review of the literature, as well as the author’s research on sex-education in public schools, and is informed by a study of numerous current sex-education curricula. The author identifies the three prevalent discourses of female sexuality inside public schools as being, (1) sexuality as violence, (2) sexuality as victimization, and (3) sexuality as individual morality. As a result, young women are educated primarily as the potential victim of male sexuality, they are not seen as sexual agents, and young women continue to be taught to fear and defend in isolation from exploring desires. The naming of desire, pleasure, or sexual entitlement, particularly for females, barely exists in the formal agenda of public schooling on sexuality. As an alternative to the prevailing discourses of female sexuality, the author presents a case for the discourse of desire, which would acknowledge female sexual desire and pleasure. Although this article does not mention women with disabilities, it is very informing for anyone interested in female sexuality and sex-education, and provides an excellent framework to think about female sexuality and sex-education for all women, including women with disabilities.
Finger, A. (1992, July). Forbidden fruit. New Internationalist, Issue #233. Retrieved March 25, 2005 from http://www.newint.org/issue233/fruit.htm.
Why shouldn’t disabled people have sex or become parents? Anne Finger examines one of the deepest and most damaging prejudices. She also writes from her experiences as a disabled woman.
——————————————————————————–
Foote, J. E. (2003). Sex, sexuality, and fertility for women with spinal cord injury. Topics in Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation, 8(3), 20-25.
Article reviews literature regarding the changes in sex, sexuality, and fertility in women with spinal cord injury (SCI). Concerns specific to SCI and treatment options are discussed.
——————————————————————————–
Gillespie-Sells, K., Hill, M., & Robbins, B. (1998). She dances to different drums: Research into disabled women’s sexuality. London: King’s Fund.
“Disabled women are asexual and have no interest in forging sexual and personal relationships”–this myth is dispelled by the compelling stories of black, lesbian and heterosexual women collected by disabled women researchers in the first major piece of research on disabled women’s sexuality undertaken in the UK. The book attempts to break down the barriers of misunderstanding and prejudice that so often surround this controversial subject, and highlights key recommendations to take the research forward and improve the lives of disabled women everywhere.”
——————————————————————————–
Goodman, J. (2005, March). Pedagogy and sex: Mary Dendy (1855-1933), feeble-minded girls and the Sandlebridge schools, 1902-33. History of Education, 34(2), 171-187.
Mary Dendy has received attention from historians because she was the first paid commissioner under the Board of Control (the administrative body that regulated the 1913 Mental Deficiency Act), was at the forefront in disseminating views regarding the sexual proclivities of feeble-minded women and because she advocated permanent segregated care for the feeble-minded. This article takes a gendered approach to examine two dimensions of her work. First, it explores some of the ways in which the segregated education that developed at Sandlebridge in the context of permanent care was an encoding of Dendy’s highly sexualized and eugenic view of “feeble-minded”. Second, it explores the relationship between Dendy’s notions of permanent care for the feeble-minded and her advocacy of aspects of progressive pedagogy. Progressivism included the notion of learning by doing, instruction based on experience and the education of the whole child, ideas that grew from the work of Rousseau, Pestalozzi, Froebel and Herbart. The last section of the article draws together aspects of the two dimensions of her work to analyse ways in which the physical, intellectual and moral education, promoted by Dendy and practised at the Sandlebridge Schools, constituted a control of the female body of the feeble-minded.
——————————————————————————–
Gurevich, M., Mathieson, C. M., Bower, J., & Dhayanandhan, B. (2007). Disciplining bodies, desires and subjectivities: Sexuality and HIV-positive women. Feminism & Psychology, 17(1), 9-38.
Very little is known about the sexuality of women who are living with HIV, outside the context of risk prevention and education. Available research in the first-world context shows that, although most women continue to be sexually active following diagnosis, decreased sexual functioning is very common and more prevalent than among HIV-positive men. The present multi-site Canadian study is concerned with the ways in which women’s sexuality is transformed by the experience of living with HIV. Semi-structured interviews with 20 women were analysed using thematic decomposition, an analytic technique that combines discursive approaches with thematic analysis. The women in this study construct HIV as inhibiting in relation to sexuality. A predominant discourse of disciplining bodies, desires and subjectivities emerges, which centers on the restrictions imposed by an HIV-positive diagnosis. The following discursive constructions, in particular, emerge from the women’s accounts: diminished spontaneity, foreclosed (provisional) sexual freedom, foreclosed power, foreclosed flirtation, inciting violence, (un)natural sex, responsibility imperatives, muted/mutated sexuality, and diminished intimacy. The women’s predominant positioning within AIDS discourses as conduits of transmission, the relative neglect of women’s psychological and sexual health concerns in both research and public health agendas, and women’s relatively anomalous standing in AIDS communities imposes limits on bodies, lives, and subjectivities. These are reflected in these women’s accounts, wherein a focus on protecting others frequently impedes access to fulfilling (and safe) sexual and emotional relationships.
——————————————————————————–
Hall, K. Q. (2005, Winter). Queerness, disability, and The Vagina Monologues. Hypatia, 20(1), 99-119.
This paper questions the connection between vaginas and feminist embodiment in The Vagina Monologues and considers how the text both challenges and reinscribes (albeit unintentionally) systems of patriarchy, compulsory heterosexuality, and ableism. I use the Intersex Society of North America’s critique as a point of departure and argue that the text offers theorists and activists in feminist, queer, and disability communities an opportunity to understand how power operates in both dominant discourses that degrade vaginas and strategies of feminist resistance that seek to reclaim and celebrate them.
——————————————————————————–
Hammar, L. (1999, June). To be young, female, and “normal”: The health risks of absent sexual citizenship. In L. Hammar (Ed.), Feature issue: Re-embodying Subjects in the Medical Humanities. Journal of Medical Humanities, 20(2), 135-154.
“…I want to… address the “normal,” everyday processes that occur in, on, and around female bodies, genitalia in particular, that elevate their health risks. These risks are implicated by their absence in stories we tell one another all the time about “risk,” our “risk narratives” that sometimes endanger us, that sometimes even impede our fight against sexually transmitted misery. In public health, epidemiology, psychology, and anthropology, risk narratives tell stories about, for instance, how and why “girls are, from birth, at inordinate risk of AIDS or some other dreadful destiny” (Farmer, 1996, pp. 22-23). Most psychological models locate risk in an individual person’s cognitive webs that are seen to be deficient in “self-esteem,” that lack “motivation” to change. In public health and epidemiology, risk narratives often take a different form, but still, too many simply count what Heise (1995), Clatts (1994), and others call “disembodied acts,” or in other words, “unprotected” sexual encounters per unit of time in which “actors” are alleged to engage individually. Too many anthropologists, too, have been duped into providing the “culturally sensitive” portion of health education materials, and in the process have forgotten how easy it is to reify culture, forget about poverty and racism in the process, and again highlight the seeming individuality of risks. We need to challenge all such narratives that assume individual persons, particularly female, who stand apart from or outside of the larger systems of politics, economics, and meaning that structure their sexual activities and life chances. Without giving up on our search for and enabling of individual agency (see, for a good example, Renaud, 1997), we cannot afford to lose sight of the social structures within which this agency has meaning and potential” (pp. 136-137).
——————————————————————————–
Hershey, L. (2000). Women with disabilities: Health, reproduction, and sexuality. Retrieved March 25, 2005 from http://www.cripcommentary.com/women.html.
“Women with disabilities share the same health, reproductive, and sexual needs and concerns as other women. In addition, disabled women face additional problems and raise particular issues related to health, reproduction and sexuality. Around the world, women with disabilities are raising their expectations for self-determination and quality of life. More and more, disabled women are demanding the right to live independently, integrated into their communities, setting their own goals and making their own choices. In so doing, they challenge their societies to be more accessible, supportive, and inclusive.”
This article has been published in the International Encyclopedia of Women: Global Women’s Issues and Knowledge published by Routledge Press.
——————————————————————————–
Hunt, B., Matthews, C., Milsom, A., & Lammel, J. A. (2006, Spring). Lesbians with physical disabilities: A qualitative study of their experiences with counseling. Journal of Counseling & Development, 84(2), 163-173.
The authors interviewed 25 lesbians with physical disabilities about their counseling experiences. Using a phenomenological qualitative approach, the authors identified 9 themes. Five themes addressed participants’ perceptions of their counselors: general satisfaction or dissatisfaction, counselors’ general effectiveness, counselors’ awareness and education regarding sexual orientation and/or disability, discrimination and bias, and counselor identity. Three themes related to the participants’ attempts to negotiate the counseling process: coming out or self-disclosure, self-advocacy, and accessibility/accommodations. The final theme related to depression.
——————————————————————————–
Hunt, B., Milsom, A., & Matthews, C. (2009, April). Partner-related rehabilitation experiences of lesbians with physical disabilities; A qualitative study. Rehabilitation Counseling Bulletin, 52(3), 167-178.
The authors interviewed 25 lesbians with physical disabilities about their perspectives on their partner-related experiences. Using phenomenological inquiry, they identified two themes: one, how the disability affected the partnership and, two, treatment as a lesbian couple by rehabilitation professionals. The themes and subthemes are described in detail, and implications for rehabilitation counselors are presented.
——————————————————————————–
Kafer, A. (2003, Autumn). Compulsory bodies: Reflections on heterosexuality and able-bodiedness. Journal of Women’s History, 15(3), 77-89.
“I raise the issue of identity and its attendant problems because the kinds of questions it sparks—Who identifies as disabled? As nondisabled? How and why do they do so? Who is excluded from such an identification?—help illuminate the compulsory nature of able-bodiedness…. How do the meanings of able-bodiedness, and of disability, both create and result from a system of compulsion? In what ways can we understand able-bodiedness as compulsory?”
——————————————————————————–
Keywood, K. (2001). “I’d rather keep him chaste.” Retelling the story of sterilisation, learning disability and (non)sexed embodiment. Feminist Legal Studies, 9(2), 185-194.
“This note examines two recent judgments of the English Court of Appeal…concerning the sterilisation of a woman and a man with learning disabilities. The cases are significant for health care lawyers in that they effect a reworking of the common law doctrine of necessity, which serves as the legal justification for providing medical treatment to adults lacking capacity to give consent. The cases are also significant for feminist scholars engaged in the project of `sexing’ the subjects of legal discourse… The judgments…consistent with earlier sterilisation cases, fail to offer a conception of learning disabled subjects as `sexed’.”
——————————————————————————–
Klebine, P. (2004, April). Sexuality for women with spinal cord injury [InfoSheet #21]. Birmingham, AL: UAB Medical RRTC on Secondary Conditions of SCI
UAB Spain Rehabilitation Center. Retrieved December 22, 2004 from http://www.spinalcord.uab.edu/show.asp?durki=51288&site=1021&return=21479.
This InfoSheet discusses the changes in sexual function, sexual adjustment, issues with partners, areas of concern, arousal, sexual activity, sexual satisfaction, and other issues of sexuality after injury. This InfoSheet was initially written in June, 2002 and updated in April, 2004.
——————————————————————————–
Kralik, D., Koch, T., & Eastwood, S. (2003). The salience of the body: Transition in sexual self-identity for women living with multiple sclerosis. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 42(1), 11–20. Retrieved August 12, 2005 from http://www.msaustralia.org.au/research/jan_2505.pdf.
Aim. The purpose of this paper is to outline understandings about the construction of sexuality and the impact of a changing body for women living with multiple sclerosis (MS). We suggest that the process of transition towards incorporating the experience of chronic illness into one’s life is influenced by the (re)construction of self-identity.
Design and methods. A participatory action process guided the research. The women joined the authors for five group sessions that totalled 15 hours of contact time. In addition, we offered women the opportunity for one-to-one interviews at home. Nine women volunteered to participate. This allowed us to gain additional in-depth data about individual experiences. The interpretive framework was guided by the self-identity literature. When reading the transcripts we questioned: What is going on here? What does this say about the construction of self? What does this say about the construction of identity? What influence does the body have in the construction of self-identity? Analysis was collaborative (with the women) and the resultant emerging construction of sexuality is shared in this paper. Data generated during one-to-one interviews are privileged and we include two accounts from women who live with MS. The women’s stories focus on sexuality, however, within this sexual context, we observed shifts in self-identity which we contend may shape the illness transition experience.
Findings. The rationale for privileging only two accounts is to expand understanding of Ordinariness and Extraordinariness with particular focus on the salience of the body in the ‘sexual’ lives of the women. Self-identity was shaped by how they felt about themselves as sexual beings, how they experienced their body, how they felt about sexual activities and by the way others reacted to them. Importantly, we view the women’s sense of self, identity and the relationship to the body and find that shifts in self identity shape the woman’s transition towards Ordinariness.
Conclusions. This exploration of illness experiences is a reminder that our bodies are vehicles for our sense of self and identity. Cultural, educational, social, religious and family contexts all impact on women’s capacity to shape the consequences of illness and the choices available to them. Facilitating women towards an awareness of the choices available in order to sustain or reclaim self may in turn expedite transition towards Ordinariness so that illness may become a part of their life.
——————————————————————————–
Kriegsman, K. H., & Celotta, B. (1981, September). Sexuality in creative coping groups for women with physical disabilities. Sexuality and Disability, 4(3), 169-172.
Working with 27 women with physical disabilities in unstructured group sessions over the past two years, the authors observed the relative unimportance of sexuality as a discussion topic. Sexuality did enter into the discussion where it related to self-acceptance, as women went from a “false acceptance” to a “truer acceptance.” There was occasion to see sexuality as more important to the newly disabled as a mechanistic issue. In view of their findings, the authors feel it important that counselors not assume the primacy of sexuality as a concern.
——————————————————————————–
The Lesbians and Breast Cancer Project Team. (2004, Fall). Silent no more: Coming out about lesbians and cancer. Canadian Woman Studies, 24(1), 37-42.
A performance-based script drawn from one-on-one interviews which were conducted with 26 lesbians from across Ontario about their experiences of being diagnosed with breast and/or gynecological cancer.
——————————————————————————–
Lew-Starowicz Z., Jez, W., Irzyniec T., Kabzinska, M, & Bo kowska E. (2003, December). Sexual aspects of women with Turner’s Syndrome. Sexuality and Disability, 21(4), 241-248.
Objective: The Phenotypical characteristics of women with Turner’s Syndrome (TS) are well documented but information on their psychosocial communication is considerably poorer.
Design: The purpose of the present study was to assess the aspects of sexual life in 176 women with TS older than 18 years in Poland and to compare them with Polish women in general as well as with TS women in western European countries.
Setting: Sexual attraction, initiation of sexual activity, age of sexual initiation, sensation of orgasm, reasons for not initiating sexual activity, marital status and marriage stability were analysed.
Methods: Direct questioning method.
Results: 81,8% of TS women feel sexual attraction, 29,5% initiate sexual activity, mean age of sexual initiation is approximately 22,7 + 0,5 years, and 69,2% have orgasms. 18.2% of TS women had stable marriages. Women with TS differ from healthy Polish women is general in having a lesser interest in males, less frequent sexual activity, later initiation of sexual activity and a less frequent orgasm rate. The most frequent reason for reduced sexual activity is lack of a regular partner. Fewer women get married but their marriages are more stable. TS women differ from TS women in western European countries in less frequent sexual activity, later sexual initiation but greater orgastic capacity. They show a greater interest in males, more get married and their marriages are characterised by greater stability.
Conclusion: 1. In spite of significant hormonal abnormalities, sexual activity in women with Turner’s Syndrome is not completely avoided. 2. The quality of sexual life of the studied women with TS is differentiated in comparison to women from the general population and TS women from other countries and depends on the analysed parameter.
——————————————————————————–
Llewelyn, K. (Ed.). (1999, October). Our relationships: A guide for people with arthritis. London: Arthritis Care. Retrieved March 2, 2005 from http://www.arthritiscare.org.uk/downloads/pdfs/ourrelationoursex.pdf.
“Our Relationships, Our Sexuality: A Guide for People with Arthritis explores issues surrounding relationships, sexuality and arthritis… The booklet includes contributions from a range of men and women all of whom have one thing in common–arthritis. Their experiences show the funny, the serious, the truthful side to relationships.”
——————————————————————————–
Löfgren-Mårtenson, L. (2009). The invisibility of young homosexual women and men with intellectual disabilities. Sexuality and Disability, 27(1), 21-26.
The aim of the article is to identify, describe and understand the opportunities and hindrances for young people with intellectual disabilities (ID) in expressing a variety of sexual expressions, such as homosexuality and bisexuality. The method is qualitative interviews with people with ID in the age of 16–27, staff members and parents. The study found young gay people with ID to be an invisible group, and that the possibilities to show a variety of sexual expressions are depending on the surroundings attitudes and behaviors toward them. Therefore it is important to teach about different sexualities in the sex education at special schools and also to do more research concerning homosexuality and bisexuality and intellectual disability, without having the heterosexual norm as a starting point.
——————————————————————————–
Magnet, S. (2005, Winter/Spring). Erasing queerness/constraining disability: Film representations of queers with disabilities in Frida and Double the Trouble, Twice the Fun. In M. Bociurkiw, B. Burstow, C. Dobinson, R. Lee, A. Medovarksi, L. Millward, S. Rosenberg & C. Sand (Eds.), Lesbian, Bisexual, Queer, Transsexual/Transgender Sexualities [Feature issue]. Canadian Woman Studies, 24(2/3), 171-175.
“This paper combines feminist disability studies, critical race theory, and queer theory to examine the way in which disabled queer sexuality is constructed in Julie Taymor’s film Frida and in Pratibha Parmar’s video Double the Trouble, Twice the Fun. Disability is understood in this paper to be a broad category that may be manipulated by hegemonic systems of representation. (1) To deconstruct oppressive filmic representations of disabled queers, I will highlight not only the ways in which the sexuality of persons with disabilities has been distorted, but also the transgressive potential of these depictions of disabled sexuality and their potential for contributing to a reimagination of sexuality–both for people with disabilities and for the nondisabled–for queers and for heterosexuals” (p. 171).
——————————————————————————–
Mairs, N. (2008/2009). Sex and the gimpy girl. River Teeth, 10(1-2), 3-10.
“Women with every kind of disability must learn to speak forthrightly about their needs and appetites even when society appears to ignore or repudiate their feelings. The nondisabled must accustom themselves to hearing their utterances without judging the ‘rightness’ or ‘wrongness’ of their realities” (p. 10).
——————————————————————————–
Marston, C., & Atkins, D. (1999, January). Pushing the limits: An interview with Shelley Tremain. In D. Atkins & C. Marston (Eds.), Queer and Dis/Abled [Special issue]. International Journal of Sexuality and Gender Studies, 4(1), 87-95.
Shelley Tremain, the 1997-1998 Ed Roberts Postdoctoral Fellow at the World Institute on Disability and the School of Public Health of the University of California at Berkeley and editor of Pushing the Limits: Disabled Dykes Produce Culture, is interviewed by Cathy Marston and Dawn Atkins. The interview covers Tremain’s work with disabled dykes in Canada, raising awareness in queer communities about disability (and in disability communities about queer issues), research issues such as the social model of disability and problems with labels separating out “learning” and “mental” disabilities from “physical” disabilities, problems dealing with being an academic with a disability, and Tremain’s suggested readings for those interested in doing more work on the intersection of queer and disability issues.
——————————————————————————–
Maxfield, G. (n.d.). The novel approach to sexuality and disability. Reno, NV: Northern Nevada Amputee Support Group.
The Novel Approach is exactly that, a unique novel about sex and disability covering the adventures of two beguiling handicapped women. Disgruntled with society’s fumbling and misconceptions, they undertake interviews among their own kind, exploring the little known world they inhabit. This is an insiders’ look at sexuality outside it’s usual form. The book is entertaining, touching, often funny, highly factual, tactfully presented and rich in lore of life before, during and after traumatic experiences. Excerpts available online: http://www.powernet.net/~nnasg/book.htm.
——————————————————————————–
McCarthy, M. (1999). Sexuality and women with learning disabilities. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers, Ltd.
In this study of women with mild and moderate learning disabilities, Michelle McCarthy investigates how these women experience their sexual lives, basing her research on interviews with the women themselves. She argues the importance of informing the work of those responsible at research, practice and policy levels with the voices of people with learning disabilities. In the interviews, women talk openly about what form their sexual activity takes and what it means for them, the circumstances in which it occurs, and the pleasures (or lack thereof) associated with it. These interviews directly shape the policy and practice recommendations the author makes.
Michelle McCarthy’s findings suggest that women with learning disabilities commonly find themselves engaged in sexual activity which is not to their liking and not of their choosing. A high level of sexual abuse was also reported. The author discusses this in relation to the cultural forces which have influenced Western perceptions of sexuality, feminism and theories and prejudices about learning disabilities. She also studied the impact of institutional and community settings on the sexuality of women with learning disabilities. In Sexuality and Women with Learning Disabilities, McCarthy makes recommendations for policy and practice which will protect this vulnerable group, and advises on education, support and seeking justice for abused women.
——————————————————————————–
McDermott, S., Martin, M., Weinrich, M., Kelly, M. (1999). Program evaluation of a sex education curriculum for women with mental retardation. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 20(2), 93-106.
Study examining the effectiveness of a sex education and sexual health promotion program for women with mental retardation (MR). Data were collected on prior knowledge and experience, instructional contacts, and outcomes for 252 women with MR who participated in the family planning program of the South Carolina Department of Disabilities and Special Needs (DDSN). The study examined the relationships of social skills, hygiene practices, and prior sexual experience to sexual knowledge, as well as whether the number of family planning instructional sessions in which a woman participated was related to increases in her knowledge of sexuality, hygiene, and social skills.
——————————————————————————–
McDonagh, P. (2000). Diminished men and dangerous women: Representations of gender and learning disability in early- and mid-nineteenth-century Britain. British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 28(2), 49–53.
The present article explores the relationship of gender and learning disabilities in early- and mid-nineteenth-century literary representations of people with learning disabilities. Literary texts are useful historical documents because these often foreground how learning disabilities worked symbolically in a social context and enable us to examine the ideological forces shaping notions of learning disabilities. The images explored in the present study suggest some common cultural themes. Men with learning disabilities were understood as being diminished, somehow lacking an essential component of masculine identity. Women, on the other hand, were often reduced to the essential, yet disruptive element of feminine sexuality, or later in the century, were conceived as deviant from the feminine norm in their carnality.
——————————————————————————–
McGee, D. (Director). (1993). Toward intimacy: Women with disabilities [Film]. New York: Filmakers Library.
Here is a realistic yet positive portrayal of four women with serious physical disabilities who have found meaningful love relationships. With candor, they each talk about the struggle for self esteem, the search for love, and the challenge of finding sexual expression.
Helen, in a wheelchair because of a rare bone disease, thought she might be too frail for a physical relationship. Her doctor assured her that she was perfectly able, and her relationship with her boyfriend blossomed. Gail, who has cerebral palsy, needed counseling to help her overcome her reserve. She now has developed a fulfilling relationship with Roger. Amethya, a lesbian who is severely hearing impaired, became active in a disabled women’s network and met her lover there. Barbara, legally blind since birth, overcame the challenge of widowhood and single parenting to find another love.
This important film challenges the stereotypical notion that women with disabilities are asexual beings.
——————————————————————————–
Meyer, B. (2002, December). Extraordinary stories: Disability, queerness and feminism. NORA: Nordic Journal of Women’s Studies, 10(3), 168-173.
In June 2002 the editors of NORA participated in three US-organized conferences on current gender research in Anglo-American contexts. These were, respectively, The First International Conference on Queerness & Disability at San Francisco State University, The Disability, Difference and Tolerance Conference in Oakland and the 23rd National Women’s Studies Association Conference in Las Vegas. The essay is an introduction to the emerging and intersecting interests of feminist research, queer and disability studies arising from the discussions and insights of these conferences.
——————————————————————————–
Moin, V., Duvdevany, I., & Mazor, D. (2009). Sexual identity, body image and life satisfaction among women with and without physical disability. Sexuality and Disability, 27(2), 83-95.
The current study examined the association between sexual identity, body image and life satisfaction among women with and without physical disability. Seventy women with physical disability (spinal cord injuries and injuries resulting from polio) and 64 women without disability completed the following questionnaires: Sexuality Scale, Body Image Scale and Quality of Life Questionnaire. The results demonstrated that women with physical disability had the same sexual needs and desires as women without disability, but their body image, sexual self-esteem, sexual satisfaction and life satisfaction were significantly lower. These differences were stronger among young adult women than among more mature women. It was also found that sexual satisfaction was a major factor in explaining the variance in life satisfaction in both groups, and the relationships between sexual satisfaction and life satisfaction were bidirectional. At the same time, different patterns of congruency and inconsistency between sexual satisfaction and life satisfaction were exposed in both groups. In addition, the research demonstrated a moderating effect of family status on links between sexual and life satisfaction.
——————————————————————————–
Mung-nga Li, C., & Kwai-sang Yau, M. (2006, March). Sexual issues and concerns: Tales of Chinese women with spinal cord impairments. Sexuality and Disability, 24(1), 1-26.
Background: Much has been written about the pathophysiological impact of spinal cord impairment (SCI) on sexual function in women, yet the literature offers only sparse coverage of its psychological and emotional impacts on female sexuality, and the factors which may influence the maintenance of sexual identity as a woman with physical disability.
Methodology: To gain insights into sexual experiences and concerns, in-depth interviews were conducted with 10 Chinese women with SCI. Narrative data on marital relationships, sexual identity, sexual knowledge, and sexual satisfaction was transcribed and the content analyzed.
Results: When disability intrudes in a woman’s life, sexuality is reshaped against the foundation of previous sexual experiences and expectations, especially for women who acquired disabilities in adulthood. Constructions of sexuality among these women encompassed broader areas than the sexual act alone. These included the couple’s adjustment to her disabilities, society’s perception of a woman’s image, internalization of messages about women’s roles within the family, the attitude of health professionals towards sexuality, and the onset of disability.
Conclusion: Sexuality is an important health concern for women who live with long-term physical disabilities and should be acknowledged by sensitive and responsive health practices. Health care professionals need to renounce the sexual myths and stereotypes and genuinely attempt to understand the possible impact of SCI on women’s sexuality.
——————————————————————————–
Nisha. (n.d.). Regulation of disabled women’s sexuality. Winnipeg, MB: DPI. Retrieved February 8, 2005 from http://www.dpi.org/en/resources/topics/documents/BodyPolitics.doc.
“I began this essay by asking two of my colleagues, leaders in the disability movement in India, about their views on sexuality and disability. One response was, “You know better about the issues being faced by disabled persons here than to waste your time on sex obsessed Western thinking.” The other wondered, “(Disability) still remains a kicked off affair in the triangle of charity/welfare, medical rehabilitation and vocational training … when and how do we talk about sexuality?”
——————————————————————————–
O’Toole, C., & Bregante, J. L. (1992, September). Lesbians with disabilities. Sexuality and Disability, 10(3), 163-172.
There is a severe lack of information on sexuality for any woman with a disability. Often, what is available is limited to material on birth control and child delivery. For women who are disabled and lesbian, virtually no written information exist and health care workers seldom feel comfortable discussing the topic. Lesbians with disabilities have the responsibility to discuss sexual preference with their health care workers. Yet, there is much to lose. This paper discusses the issues of being lesbian and disabled as well as the unique problems faced by their partners. Finally, the article discusses negative attitudes of health care workers toward both disability and homosexuality.
——————————————————————————–
O’Toole, C. J. (2000, Fall). The view from below: Developing a knowledge base about an unknown population. Sexuality and Disability, 18(3), 207-224.
This paper uses the experiences of disabled lesbians to explore the intersections between disability, race, and sexuality. In addition to looking at the connections in oppressions the paper celebrates the positive and joyful sexuality of disabled lesbians. While identity formation and management remains challenging, the barriers are being dealt with as disabled lesbians claim their wholeness. Visibility and invisibility in the disability and lesbian communities are discussed and critiques are aimed at the constructions of both lesbianism and disabled people.
——————————————————————————–
O’Toole, C. J., & Brown, A. A. (2002, December). No reflection in the mirror: Challenges for disabled lesbians accessing mental health services. Journal of Lesbian Studies, 7(1), 35-49.
Lesbians with disabilities have atypical life experiences–they are virtually invisible within the mainstream culture. Both women with disabilities and lesbians experience societal, familial and economic pressures that directly impact their lives and the range of options available to them. When a lesbian is also a woman with a disability, the combination of these pressures has important mental health implications. This article explores the issues and barriers related to disabled lesbians accessing mental health services. Because no systematic research on the mental health needs and experiences of lesbians with disabilities exists, it is unknown how many of them are in need of, access, or are denied appropriate mental health services. The little research that exists on the mental health needs of women with disabilities has either excluded or ignored the particular experiences associated with lesbian identity. Likewise, lesbian mental health research has historically overlooked disabled women’s identity and experiences. Shared experiences and other similarities, such as discriminatory attitudes in the health service system, social stigma, and self-devaluation, are discussed within the context of disabled lesbians’ compounded risk for mental health problems. Service access and barriers, key therapeutic issues, and cultural competency are discussed as additional issues that emerge when addressing mental health services. We also examine how lesbians with disabilities have proactively networked, caring for each other through informal supports within their communities, and have creatively developed their own strategies and resources. The paper concludes with a discussion of new efforts toward gaining visibility, successful strategies for mental health practitioners in addressing issues and challenges associated with providing care to lesbians with disabilities, and recommendations for further research.
——————————————————————————–
Ostrander, N. (2009). Sexual pursuits of pleasure among men and women with spinal cord injuries. Sexuality and Disability, 27(1), 11-19.
Following a spinal cord injury, sexual relationships, intimacy, and pleasure remain important pursuits for individuals. This literature review examines the subjective experiences of sexual intimacy for men and women with spinal cord injuries, as well as their intimate partners. Several themes emerged that span gender differences and nationality differences. Specifically, studies indicate that despite individual struggles with neutering internal and external perspectives, they can lead satisfying sex lives that may be more creative and mutually pleasurable than their sex lives prior to the injury. This review also provides suggestions to improve sex education and therapy following a spinal cord injury.
——————————————————————————–
Parmar, P. (1992). Double the trouble, twice the fun [Film]. New York: Women Make Movies.
A rare and lively examination of disability and homosexuality as it affects both women and men, Double the Trouble, Twice the Fun, advocates for acceptance rather than pity for the participants in this video. Interviews with a wide range of disabled lesbian and gay people are intercut with dramatic recreations and performances. Made for Channel Four Television by Pratibha Parmar (A Place of Rage, Warrior Marks), this enlightening video dispels the myth that all disabled people are unhappy or have no sexual identity. It also looks at the difficulties of enduring prejudice as both a disabled and gay person.
——————————————————————————–
Peel, E., & Thomson, M. (Ed.). (2009, November). Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Queer Health Psychology [Special issue]. Feminism & Psychology, 19(4).
“Gender has been an important and profitable lens through which the bio- and social sciences have sought to understand health, its differentials and inequalities. While health is clearly multi-factorial, gender has been recognized as an important determinant of health profiles and feminist principles of equity and inclusiveness have long been incorporated into health psychology (Brown Travis et al., 1991). Women’s health is an accepted sub-discipline in many fields and whilst men’s health remains a somewhat marginal concern (although see Courtney, 2000; Thomson, 2008), it is (generally) accepted that ‘the doing of health is a form of doing gender’ (Saltonstall, 1993: 12). This special issue aims to build upon this work by seeking to explore the value of sexuality as an axis of study in health psychology” (p. 427).
——————————————————————————–
Phenix, L. M. (1994). Cancer in two voices [Film]. New York: Women Make Movies.
“I’m the first among our friends to have cancer… Many will see their future in the way I handle mine,” Barbara Rosenblum wrote after learning she had advanced breast cancer. For three years Barbara had yet to live, she and her partner, Sandra Butler, documented their lives with courage and frankness. This stunning film provides a unique view into the intimacy of a relationship in a time of crisis. The two women talk about their identity as Jewish women and as lesbians, and they speak openly about the difficult issues each is facing: anger, guilt, feelings about their bodies and changing sexuality, about death and loss. Never once losing either its balance or its fierce emotional integrity, Cancer in Two Voices provides a practical example of dealing with death with sensitivity and a deep commitment to living.
——————————————————————————–
Poulin, C., & Gouliquer, L. (2003). Part-time disabled lesbian passing on roller blades, or PMS, Prozac, and essentializing women’s ailments. Women & Therapy, 26(1), 95-108.
This paper discusses the role of the medical and psychiatric systems, as well as the pharmaceutical industry, in the social construction of women’s hormonally-related ailments and their treatments. For some marginalised groups, passing as normal is a protection strategy against discrimination and maltreatment. Lesbians and invisibly disabled persons are examples of such groups. Given that the reproductive cycle and madness have been linked historically, women suffering from disabling cyclical conditions might also be stigmatised. In this context, the dilemma between seeking treatment versus being labelled psychologically ill is expounded.
——————————————————————————–
Rintala, D. H., Howland, C. A., Nosek, M. A., Bennett, J. L., Young, M. E., Foley, C. C. Rossi, C. D., & Chanpong. G. (1997, December). Dating issues for women with physical disabilities. Sexuality and Disability, 15(4), 219-242.
A study of dating issues for 250 single women with physical disabilities and 180 single women without disabilities was undertaken to determine (a) differences between women with and without disabilities and (b) predictors of dating outcomes for women with disabilities. A survey was sent to a national sample of women with disabilities along with a similar survey to give to a female friend without a disability. Dating outcomes included (a) satisfaction with dating frequency, (b) perceived constraints on attracting partners, (c) perceived personal barriers to dating, (d) perceived societal barriers to dating, and (e) perceived communication problems. Women with disabilities were disadvantaged on all but (e). Between 21% and 47% of the variance in the outcomes was accounted for in multiple regression analyses. Potential interventions suggested by the findings are discussed.
——————————————————————————–
Rogers, C. (2009). (S)excerpts from a life told: Sex, gender and learning disability. Sexualities, 12(3), 270-288.
This is an article about Sarah’s sexual teenage journey, seen through the lens of her mother, the author. It tackles learning disability, sexual experimentation, education, governance and responsibility. By using an autoethnographical method the article speaks personally to these intimate lived experiences and yet broadly and contextually these issues can give further insight into the difficult social processes that permeate surveillance and control, of sexual activity amongst a particular group of adults (young, learning disabled), by way of legal practice and sex education; family practices and the negotiation of power and control over sexual activity; and sexual citizenship and rights to a sexual identity.
——————————————————————————–
Rogers, C. (2010, January). But it’s not all about the sex: Mothering, normalisation and young learning disabled people. Disability & Society, 25(1), 63-74.
This paper is about mothering, young learning disabled people, their sexualised and relationship lives and normalisation – not through the lens of the disabled person, but via a mothers perspective and theoretical discussion. As a mother who has a learning disabled daughter, a feminist and an academic my own mothering experience, my Ph.D. research and social theory are woven throughout this paper with the intention of opening up debate about sex, intimacy and normalisation, and how these impact upon young learning disabled people. I suggest that the relationship between sex, reproduction, intimacy and intellectual impairment and a project to decipher what it means to be human in all its dirty glory are also part of the discourse that needs to be discussed experientially and theoretically. So much so that the messy world within which we all live can be variously and differently constructed.
——————————————————————————–
Rose, H., & Stahl, F. (Writers). (1998). Dance me to my song [Film]. Hendon, South Australia: Vertigo Productions.
This Australian film and Cannes selection was written by and stars Heather Rose, a woman with cerebral palsy who uses a computer to communicate. The film features Rose’s exceptional acting and a powerful exploration of sexuality, friendship, and daily support issues. This is a strong film that deals with life issues and comes highly recommended. Disability is not demonized, defined as tragedy or deficiency, focused on as something to overcome, used to teach a lesson, or any of the other common misrepresentations in film. It is an important part, but clearly not the only part, of Rose’s character as she lives her life.
——————————————————————————–
Rousso, H. (Ed.). (2005, Spring). Dating, intimacy and sexuality [Feature issue]. The Women’s Center at Premier HealthCare Newsletter, 2(1). New York: The Women’s Center at Premier HealthCare.
“This Newsletter offers a range of information about sexuality and intimate relationships as well as a series of personal stories, all designed to promote sexual empowerment.” The Women’s Center provides health care for women with disabilities in the New York City area. To be added to the Newsletter mailing list, send an email to Thewomenscenter@yai.org.
——————————————————————————–
Samuels, E. J. (2003). My body, my closet: Invisible disability and the limits of coming-out discourse. In R. McRuer & A. L. Wilkerson (Eds.), Desiring disability: Queer theory meets disability studies [Feature issue]. GLQ: A Journal of Lesbian and Gay Studies, 9(1-2), 233-255.
“…a discussion not only of analogies between queerness and disability but of the specifics of coming out in each context as a person whose bodily appearance does not immediately signal one’s own sense of identity. In the first section of this essay I consider the complicated dynamics inherent in the analogizing of social identities, with specific reference to feminist, queer, and disability studies. In the second section I turn to the politics of visibility and invisibility, drawing on autobiographical narratives as well as social theory to explore constructions of coming out or passing in a number of social contexts. In the third section I further explore these issues through a focus on two `invisible’ identities: lesbian-femme and nonvisible disability. Thus each section seeks to `queer’ disability in order to develop new paradigms of identity, representation, and social interaction.”
——————————————————————————–
Saulnier, C. F. (2002, October). Deciding who to see: Lesbians discuss their preferences in health and mental health care providers. Social Work, 47(4), 355-365.
Few researchers have studied how lesbians choose health and mental health care providers. Using a series of studies, the Lesbian Health Care Project of Western New York gathered region-specific information concerning lesbians’ preferences and decision making. This article reports on community focus groups in which 33 working class, middle class, African American, young, and older lesbians, as well as lesbians who frequent bars, reported that decision making was based on their past experiences and their hopes for high quality care. They encountered a continuum of provider reactions that helped shape their decisions. The continuum and consisted of five categories: homophobia, heterosexism, tolerance, lesbian sensitivity, and lesbian affirmation. Each category is discussed and examples are provided.
——————————————————————————–
Savulescu, J. (2002, October). Deaf lesbians, ‘designer disability,’ and the future of medicine. British Medical Journal, 324(7367), 771-773.
A deaf lesbian couple in the United States have deliberately created a deaf child. Sharon Duchesneau and Candy McCullough used their own sperm donor, a deaf friend with five generations of deafness in his family. Like others in the deaf community, Duchesneau and McCullough don’t see deafness as a disability. They see being deaf as defining their cultural identity and see signing as a sophisticated, unique form of communication
——————————————————————————–
Shakespeare, T. (1999, January). Coming out and coming home. In D. Atkins & C. Marston (Eds.), Queer and Dis/Abled [Feature issue]. International Journal of Sexuality and Gender Studies, 4(1), 39-51.
This paper draws on the testimonies of British disabled lesbians and gay men about their experience of coming out as gay, and coming out as disabled. They reflect on the different aspects of their identity, and the interrelation of their sexuality and their disability. The respondents share their experiences of exclusion and marginality in both the disability and gay communities, and discuss where they feel most at home as disabled lesbians and gays.
——————————————————————————–
Shakespeare, T., Gillespie-Sells, K., & Davies, D. (1996). The sexual politics of disability: Untold desires. London: Cassell Publications.
One of the authors of this British book is Kathy Gillespie-Sells, a lesbian with a disability. She also runs Regard, an organization and campaigning group for lesbians and gay men with disabilities. Regard’s email address is regard@dircon.co.uk. Chapter 6, “ Double the Trouble?,” is about being gay or lesbian and disabled. Lesbian, gay, and bisexual accounts occur elsewhere in the book, but this chapter deals exclusively with their issues, including community access, prejudice against disability, choosing a living situation, and practical issues such as how one can meet people when he or she is accompanied by personal assistants.
This book is now available online via the Disability Archive UK at the Centre for Disability Studies at the University of Leeds. The web site for the archive is http://www.leeds.ac.uk/disability-studies/archiveuk/.
——————————————————————————–
Shoultz, B. (1998). Solidarity and support: Lesbians with and without disabilities as allies for each other. Disability Studies Quarterly, 18(3), 190-197.
“This article is an attempt to explore ways in which support and solidarity between lesbians with and without disabilities is impeded and fostered. Emphasis will be placed on lesbians in human services, especially developmental disability services.”
——————————————————————————–
Sinister Wisdom #39: Disability. (1989-1990). Berkeley, CA: Sinister Wisdom.
This is a 140-page collection of poetry, essays, drawings, pictures, and articles which all focus on disability. Most of the pieces are first-person accounts by lesbians who have disabilities. The women in this issue represent a variety of viewpoints and address a wide range of disability issues from a personal and a political point of view. The women who contributed to this volume have a range of disabilities such as dyslexia, severe allergies, physical disabilities, and blindness, as well as representing a range of racial, cultural, and economic diversity.
Resources of interest to lesbians with disabilities are listed in the back of the collections; these include books, periodicals, organizations, both art organizations and disability organizations.
There are some copies of this back issue still available; for more information go to their web site at: http://www.sinisterwisdom.org/order.html.
——————————————————————————–
Stinson, J., Christian, L., & Dotson, L. A. (2002, Spring). Overcoming barriers to the sexual expression of women with developmental disabilities. Journal of the Association for Persons with Severe Handicaps (JASH), 27(1), 18-26.
This article discusses barriers to sexual fulfillment faced by women with developmental disabilities, including: access to gynecological healthcare, limited choices regarding reproductive issues, lack of sex education, and prevailing negative stereotypes that affect the way women are viewed by others and the way they view themselves. Recommendations are provided.
——————————————————————————–
Taylor, C. (2001, May). Who goes there and how? Lesbians and disability. Women Writers: A Zine. Retrieved January 8, 2005 from http://www.womenwriters.net/may2001/taylor.htm.
As a queer activist, I’ve always thought that I’ve been very aware of injustice and oppression in the world. I’ve been involved in my community and one of many insisting on the importance of justice for all. I try to always keep in mind how necessary it is to be visible as a lesbian. A little over a year ago when my partner became disabled, I began to learn that I didn’t really know anything about invisibility. I learned about an entire population of people that are ignored, left out of most discussions regarding their own lives. I learned that disabled lesbians are not only invalidated and marginalized by the larger society, but are ignored and avoided by able-bodied members of the queer community as well. And, I learned how I’ve participated in the process of isolation and alienation, and how I might have gone on not seeing had it not been for my partner’s disability.
The invisibility of disabled lesbians is clear in the lack of research regarding their experience in society. Finding literature specific to lesbians and disability has been difficult at best. While I have found works written by disabled dykes that speak to the lived experience of being disabled, I have found little academic research that addresses the problems and possible solutions for these women in their negotiation of a heterosexist and ableist society.
——————————————————————————–
Thompson, S. A., Bryson, M., & de Castell, S. (2001, March). Prospects for identity formation for lesbian, gay, or bisexual persons with developmental disabilities. International Journal of Disability, Development and Education, 48(1), 53-65.
The theoretical and practical constraints of identity formation for lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) persons with developmental disabilities are explored. Firstly, disability and queer theory and conceptions of identification and community are presented. This is followed by a synopsis of some of the common societal myths about disability and about homosexuality. Thirdly, we trace how these myths affect and filter into caregiver attitudes, lesbian and gay communities and communities of persons with disabilities, including developmental disabilities. All these factors conspire to inhibit self-identification as LGB for persons with developmental disabilities. It is further argued that neither disability theorists nor queer theorists have adequately accounted for such complex identities, and that, perhaps, a fusion of disability theory and queer theory may provide a more comprehensive lens to capture these complexities. We conclude with tentative yet practical suggestions to begin to create community for LGB persons with a developmental disability.
——————————————————————————–
Tremain, S. (Ed.). (1996). Pushing the limits: Disabled dykes produce culture. London: Women’s Press.
This anthology begins with “Introduction: We’re here. We’re disabled and queer. Get used to it,” by Shelley Tremain, and is divided into seven sections: searching; becoming; loving; positioning; enduring; not surrendering; and testifying, with five to twelve pieces by disabled dykes in each section. This sensitive, intelligent, and questioning collection addresses topics such as the power and importance of language, the misuses of power, the corruption and convenience that governs the medical profession, and the passive disinterest of non-disabled sisters. The selections include essays, poetry, stories, and personal narratives.
——————————————————————————–
Vansteenwegen, A., Jans, I., & Revell, A. T. (2003, December). Sexual experience of women with a physical disability: A comparative study. Sexuality and Disability, 21(4), 293-290.
The sexual experience of 167 women was compared: 82 women who suffered from a physical disability; 85 women free of physical impairment. Each participant filled out an extensive questionnaire (Frenken & Vennix, 1978). Areas investigated were sexual acceptance, psychosexual stimulation, sexual motivation and general sexual satisfaction. Sexual knowledge and sexual experience were briefly explored. Conclusions, which can be drawn from the study, appear to be that women with a disability have a more rejective attitude towards sexuality, less sexual knowledge and less experience with intercourse. They are less satisfied with their sexual experience. No difference was found with regard to sexual desire and fantasy; likewise both groups share equal sexual motivation when actively living in a sexual relationship.
——————————————————————————–
Walmsley, J. (2000). Women and the Mental Deficiency Act of 1913: Citizenship, sexuality and regulation. British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 28(2), 65–70.
The present paper examines how women were targeted for sexual regulation and treated as ‘mental defectives’ under early-twentieth-century legislation, depriving them of citizenship. It also looks at factors which determined whether they continued to be detained in institutions or were ‘released’ into the community.
——————————————————————————–
Walter, L. J., Nosek, M. A., & Langdon, K. (2001, Spring). Understanding of sexuality and reproductive health among women with and without physical disabilities. In M. Nosek (Ed.), Feature issue on The Center for Research on Women with Disabilities (CROWD), Part I. Sexuality and Disability, 19(1), 167-176.
This study compares differences in how women with disabilities and women without disabilities learned about their sexuality and reproductive functioning. A written questionnaire was sent to a national sample of women with disabilities and their non-disabled woman friends recruited through independent living centers and announcements in the media. Responses were received from 504 women with disabilities and 442 women without disabilities. Participants were asked how old they were when they first learned about the physical aspects of sexual intercourse. Women with disabilities learned about the physical aspects of sexual intercourse at about the same age (M = 13.16) as women without disabilities (M = 12.93). The most commonly reported sources for learning about sexuality and sexual functioning for both groups were books and other printed material, having sex, partners, friends, and teachers in primary school. More women with disabilities received information from a woman with a disability and a rehabilitation counselor. Women in both groups indicated that sex was never or seldom the subject of general family conversation. On average the women with physical disabilities had their first date at age 16.6, which is later than women without physical disabilities (M = 14.91). Women with physical disabilities who reported having acquired sexuality information at a later age reported having sexual intercourse at an older age (M = 20.37) than women without physical disabilities (M = 17.75). Age at acquiring sexuality information was neither associated with frequency of intimate touch nor frequency of sexual intercourse. The results of this study can be used to generate recommendations for health care professionals concerning ways to respond more effectively to the special needs for sexuality information of physically disabled women.
——————————————————————————–
Welner, S. L. (1997, July). Gynecologic care and sexuality issues for women with disabilities. Maturitas, 27(3), 295-296.
Approximately ten percent of the world’s population has a disability. In the United States, it is estimated that there are 43 million disabled people and roughly 30% of them are women. There is often limited physical and structural access to health care for disabled women. As young girls, women with disabilities are often told that marriage is not a possibility, which can lead to feelings of asexuality. Barriers to contraception for women with disabilities may be two-fold; attitudinal as well as knowledge based. Sexually transmitted disease detection and prompt management interventions may be hampered by a number of factors. Women with disabilities that become pregnant have identical issues in many ways as compared with nondisabled women. Fertility and sexuality are closely intertwined. As a woman with a disability undergoes an infertility evaluation, her sexuality as well as identity as a woman may be threatened. Disabled women are living longer and are reaching the age of menopause while remaining active and involved in their family life, social life, and in the workforce.
——————————————————————————–
Westgren, N., & Levi, R. (1999). Sexuality after injury: Interviews with women after traumatic spinal cord injury. Sexuality and Disability, 17(4), 309-319.
Qualitative study of the sexual experiences of women after spinal cord injury (SCI), including psychological, physical, and social barriers that must be overcome to allow resumption of a sexually active life with a partner. Data are from interviews with 8 women age 20-43 with experience of stable heterosexual relationships both before and after SCI. Topics include: (1) expectations, concerns, and outcome of the first sexual contact after injury; (2) communication with partner on sexual matters, before and after injury; and (3) limitations of sexual activity after injury, and compensatory strategies.
——————————————————————————–
Whitney, C. (2006, March). Intersections in identity–identity development among queer women with disabilities. Sexuality and Disability, 24(1), 39-52.
Until recently the sexuality of individuals with disabilities has largely been ignored or incorrectly assumed to be non-existent. Individuals with disabilities have a range of sexual orientations encompassing both heterosexual and queer identities. In what ways do individuals with disabilities construct their sexual orientation identity? How do women who identify as both disabled and queer develop their multiple identities? Do current models of lesbian identity development or models of disability identity development address the reality of queer women with disabilities identity? This project involved interviews with five queer women with disabilities in the Northwest to understand their subjective experiences of their identity and the process of its development. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed with Atlas.ti software. Both identity development models for disability and queer identity could be used to describe either women’s disability identity development or queer identity development. A combination of identity development models best fit these women’s life experiences.
——————————————————————————–
Wilkerson, A. (2002, Fall). Disability, sex radicalism, and political agency. In K. Q. Hall (Ed.), Feminist Disability Studies [Special issue]. NWSA Journal, 14(3), 33-57.
This paper uses queer and disability perspectives to argue that sexual agency is central to political agency, and that a group’s experience of sexually-based harms and constraints on sexual agency should be recognized as a hallmark of oppression. It explores the political implications of erotophobia as it affects oppressed groups, the role of sexual shame in oppression based on sexuality and gender, and medical constructions of the sexuality of people with disabilities and others. The use of counter-discourses and coalition politics is proposed as one strategy for overcoming the corrosive effects of erotophobia on oppressed groups and their sexual/political agency.
——————————————————————————–
Williams, L., & Nind, M. (1999, September). Insiders or outsiders: Normalisation and women with learning difficulties. Disability & Society, 14(5) 659-672.
This paper examines changing attitudes towards women with learning difficulties within the culture of normalisation. It builds on earlier critiques of the normalisation principle and, whilst welcoming these, argues the case for looking at women in particular. The authors review literature on sex education for people with learning difficulties to illustrate the ways in which gender has been ignored and women’s sexuality has been treated. Writing from their perspective as lesbian feminists, they explore the oppressive nature of sex education in a culture that places a premium on normality. The paper ends with a discussion of alternative ways for women with learning difficulties to gain a sense of identity and belonging.
——————————————————————————–
Yoshida, K. K., Li, A., & Odette, F. (1999). Cross-cultural views of disability and sexuality: Experiences of a group of ethno-racial women with physical disabilities. Sexuality and Disability, 17(4), 321-337.
The field of sexuality research as it pertains to women with physical disabilities from different ethno-cultural communities is limited. This may be due to the lack of understanding among health care providers and researchers regarding the issues related to sexuality for women with disabilities. The impact of cultural beliefs and values related to sex and sexuality can further hinder women with disabilities from expressing themselves as ‘sexual beings.’ The purpose of this paper is: 1) identify issues and barriers experienced by women with disabilities from different ethno-cultural communities within an urban setting and 2) identify commonalities in experience of women with disabilities along the lines of cultural values about disability and gender.