Including Disability into Sexual Health Education
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Authors
Beach, Nicole
Issue Date
2025-10-15
Type
Capstone
Language
en
Keywords
autonomy , disability , infantalization , pleasure , sexual health education
Alternative Title
Abstract
Sexual health education is a vital but often overlooked site of inclusion, justice, and empowerment. Despite being one of the largest minority groups globally, people with disabilities have been historically excluded from comprehensive sexual health discourse. Protectionist policies, cultural stigmas, and systemic ableism have portrayed individuals who are affected by disability as childlike or desexualized, erasing their rights to knowledge, desire, and agency. This exclusion not only perpetuates infantilization but also increases vulnerability to exploitation, misinformation, and abuse. This capstone critically examines the historical and contemporary marginalization of disabled individuals within sexual health education through a feminist and transformative lens. Drawing on interdisciplinary scholarship, it identifies the consequences of exclusion and explores inclusive practices that center pleasure, autonomy, and access. In doing so, it argues that affirming sexual rights and identities is essential to both personal well-being and collective justice. Ultimately, the work calls educators, practitioners, and policymakers to reimagine sexual health education as a space where individuals with disabilities are recognized as full sexual citizens, who are capable of desire, agency, and self-determination.
Description
Citation
Publisher
License
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States
openAccess
openAccess