KissMeGoodnight
eLearning Series:
Your Sexual Health
Overcoming
a Disability and Your Sexual Health
There
is a misconception in society that believes when a person
is disabled, they no longer enjoy the pleasures
of a sexual experience. This is not the case. Many individuals
are disabled in some fashion and still enjoy the intimacy and
pleasure that comes from being with a partner. An important
part of therapy for a disabled individual is regaining the
self-confidence and sexual identity. To relearn that they are
a sexual person and not simply a person with a disability is
an important part of their individuality.
There are individuals who have the belief that people with
disabilities are not sexual beings or should not want to engage
in sexual activities. Regardless of this viewpoint a person,
living with a disability does not stop the desire to be loved,
touched, and intimate with another person. It is important
to provide the disabled person with the sexual information
relevant to their disability and show them how they can overcome
the challenges they face in this new area of their life.
Here is a look at the issues of reproduction and pregnancy
among women with disabilities. As with men living with disabilities,
both men and women are individuals first. These people are
individuals who have a disability and should not be defined
by their disability. To decide to have children is often a
desire of those with disabilities and this is not to be considered
lightly. There are considerations regarding the disabilities
that either one or both may have.
- Are the disabilities genetic?
- How will becoming pregnant affect the health of the woman
if she is disabled?
- How will caring for the child influence the lives of the parents?
Is it only one parent with the disability or both?
The medical professional will talk with the perspective parents
to make certain that all their questions are answered.
The woman has many considerations before taking on the challenges
of pregnancy, labor and delivery, and finally child rearing.
There is help available and she should not hesitate to consult
with her doctor regarding every aspect of childbirth. If the
woman has a disability and has significantly overcome the emotional
challenges that come with limitations, it is important that
she is aware of the emotional changes that occur during pregnancy,
giving birth, and postpartum. It is very easy to be in the
position of wanting something so desperately that you think
you can go through anything to achieve it – it is a completely
different picture when you are in the middle of a pregnancy
wondering what is happening to you.
Those
who experience disabilities deserve to be treated with
respect. They deserve to be validated just as everyone else
is on a daily basis as to their sexuality and desires. They
do not deserve to be treated as if they should never experience
pleasure and be looked upon as less than for wanting to engage
in sexual relationships. To completely accept a person with
a disability means that they are supported in his or her right
to find a partner and marry if they so choose. They need support
to have their right to have children. The man or woman may
have a disability but that does not change the fact that they
have desires and want them met like any other individual on
this planet. They deserve the same access to sexual information
as the rest of society and having this access will aid them
in making wise choices as to their sexual behavior.
It is extremely important that sexual information not be withheld
from a person with a disability. If that individual has a question,
they deserve an answer and if they want to find it on their
own, they should be able to have access to a library to do
their own research. The numbers increase daily of those individuals
with disabilities that go to public schools and work in the
public businesses. Persons with disabilities are educated in
the mainstream of society and who has the right to tell them
they do not have access to what every other person in society
has access too. Library’s now are providing handicapped ramps
for those person’s with disabilities and are beginning to equip
the inside of the library to meet the needs of those with disabilities.
If a disabled person does not have access to appropriate material
on sexuality then they could very well be putting their life
at risk. If they do not know about the various sexually transmitted
diseases and how to be protected, they will engage in high-risk
behavior and possibly become infected as well as potentially
spreading the disease. # # # # #
KissMeGoodnight.com
: 2006
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