Search results for ‘Subject term:"learning disabilities"’ Sort:
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Getting together
- Authors:
- LEEDS ANIMATION WORKSHOP, (Producer)
- Publisher:
- Leeds Animation Workshop
- Publication year:
- 2010
- Pagination:
- (12 mins.), DVD
- Place of publication:
- Leeds
This short cartoon DVD and accompanying booklet are designed to help people with learning disabilities understand more about relationships. The DVD contains six stories about people making friends or starting relationships. All the characters have learning disabilities and one is unable to walk or talk. Topics covered include: meeting new people; falling out and rebuilding friendships; looking for a gay partner; and learning to stay safe and say no when a relationship is not wanted. All the voices on the soundtrack are those of actors with learning disabilities. Getting Together was made in consultation with Mencap and CHANGE.
Good sexual health and relationships
- Author:
- DE LA FEUNTE Miguel Tudela
- Journal article citation:
- Learning Disability Today, 10(9), November 2010, pp.26-28.
- Publisher:
- Pavilion
- Place of publication:
- Hove
In 2009, the City of Westminster and the local NHS set up the Good Sexual Health and Relationships project in order to provide support and information on sex and relationships to people with learning disabilities. The project is being run by the sexual health charity, the Family Planning Association (FPA). The initiative develops people’s sexuality and sexual identity and supports them to take part in adult relationships in a safe environment. This is achieved through individual and group programmes. The project also trains staff working to support the sexual needs of their clients with learning disabilities. In addition, it gives information and support to the parents and carers of adults attending, or thinking of attending, the course. Education about sexuality, sexual health and relationships makes people feel more empowered to make decisions and give consent to sexual relationships as they have a better understanding about what they are able to consent to and with whom. Other benefits are that it makes people less vulnerable to abuse, less in danger of abusing others, and less likely to have unwanted pregnancies or contract sexually transmitted infections.
Sex and masturbation in easy words and pictures
- Author:
- CHANGE
- Publisher:
- Change
- Publication year:
- 2010
- Pagination:
- 37p.
- Place of publication:
- Leeds
Sex and Masturbation is one of a series of five accessible booklets about sex and relationships produced for young people with learning disabilities. It covers deciding when to have sex, using contraception, oral sex, anal sex, privacy, and consent. It also explains what sex and masturbation are. The booklet uses easy words and drawings and can be used to support open discussion about sex and masturbation. The topics in the series are based on research conducted by CHANGE with the Centre for Disability Studies at Leeds University. They have been developed by young people with learning disabilities. Contains explicit pictures.
Consenting adults?: guidance for professionals and carers when considering rights and risks in sexual relationships involving people with a mental disorder
- Author:
- MENTAL WELFARE COMMISSION FOR SCOTLAND
- Publisher:
- Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland
- Publication year:
- 2010
- Pagination:
- 40p.
- Place of publication:
- Edinburgh
Sexual expression, sexual relationships, marriage and children are a natural and expected part of a person’s life experience. People with a mental illness, learning disability or other mental disorder, have the same personal and sexual needs and rights as anyone else. At the same time people with a mental disorder can be at particular risk of abuse or exploitation. Balancing those rights and risks raises a host of legal and moral dilemmas. This guidance has been produced in response to the legal, ethical and practical issues concerning sexual relationships involving adults with a mental disorder. It is intended to provide a framework for discussion of the general issues that need to be considered when assessing risk and considering the need for intervention in a person’s sexual life. In assessing and deciding on the need for intervention, this guidance looks at a number of significant questions for practitioners. These include: assessment of capacity; issues of consent; knowledge of the person’s background and past and present wishes; the nature of the mental disorder; different forms of sexual expression; potential risks as against benefits; staff attitudes, knowledge and training; assistance given by staff; family attitudes; cultural and religious beliefs; the person’s living situation; statutory duties and professional and organisational responsibilities to investigate, including issues of confidentiality and disclosure; and intervention that may be required.
Intellectual disability and sexuality: attitudes of disability support staff and leisure industry employees
- Authors:
- GILMORE Linda, CHAMBERS Brooke
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Intellectual and Developmental Disability, 35(1), March 2010, pp.22-28.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
This paper suggests that the general attitudes of support staff and others in the community towards the sexuality of individuals with an intellectual disability have the potential to influence opportunities for normalised life experiences in the area of sexuality. A sample of 169 disability support staff and 50 employees from leisure and service industries, in Queensland, Australia, completed the Attitudes to Sexuality Questionnaires. It compared individuals with an intellectual disability, and individuals from the general population. Findings indicated that support staff and leisure workers reported generally positive attitudes towards the sexuality of individuals with an intellectual disability, but men were seen as having less self-control than women. Support staff were more cautious in their views about parenting, and both groups considered a lower level of sexual freedom to be desirable for women with an intellectual disability compared to women who are developing typically. The authors concluded that the attitudes of both groups were generally quite positive in relation to intellectual disability and sexuality.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans in easy words and pictures
- Author:
- CHANGE
- Publisher:
- Change
- Publication year:
- 2010
- Pagination:
- 37p.
- Place of publication:
- Leeds
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans is one of a series of five accessible booklets about sex and relationships produced for young people with learning disabilities. It covers what it means to be a lesbian, gay, bisexual and/or trans, your sexuality, talking to people about your sexuality, bullying, and safe sex. The booklet uses easy words and drawings and can be used to support open discussion about sexuality. The topics in the series are based on research conducted by CHANGE with the Centre for Disability Studies at Leeds University. They have been developed by young people with learning disabilities. (Some pictures are quite explicit.)
Mates 'n Dates
- Authors:
- JONES Chris, MAGOWAN Erin
- Journal article citation:
- Learning Disability Today, 10(8), October 2010, pp.32-34.
- Publisher:
- Pavilion
- Place of publication:
- Hove
A dating and friendship agency for people with learning disabilities, Mates ‘n Dates, which was launched in October 2007 is described. It organises social events that allow people to meet in a romantic setting, for example it runs popular Grand Balls and supports regular nightclub evenings. It also supports and arranges one-to-one dates between people who want to meet each other. A discrete chaperone can be provided on a first date, who can also help with providing feedback and planning future dates. It also supports a special group, called Mingle, for people who identify as lesbian, gay, transgendered or bisexual, or just different. Before someone can join Mates ‘n Dates, they need to have an individual interview. This enables discussion about likes and dislikes, and hopes and expectations.
A case note follow-up of women with intellectual disability referred for sterilization
- Author:
- ROY Meera
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Intellectual Disabilities, 14(1), March 2010, pp.43-52.
- Publisher:
- Sage
- Place of publication:
- London
In the UK, sexual activity by people with intellectual disabilities caused concern for the Victorian society, who responded by encouraging segregation. Until 1975, women with such disabilities were being sterilized, either voluntarily or with parental consent. This was in accordance with the recommendations of the Brock committee in 1934. This paper describes a case note audit that was carried out to follow up women with intellectual disabilities referred for contraceptive sterilization 20 years ago. None of the women had been sexually active or become pregnant. Two had hysterectomies for medical indications at a younger age. The author suggests that women with intellectual disability should use reversible and less invasive methods of contraception before considering contraceptive sterilization. In conclusion, the paper indicates that although the assessments predated the Mental Capacity Act 2005, they were largely compliant with it.
Coming out of the shadows
- Author:
- BLYTH Craig
- Journal article citation:
- Learning Disability Today, 10(5), June 2010, pp.15-16.
- Publisher:
- Pavilion
- Place of publication:
- Hove
Research has shown that the way men with learning disabilities are supported to develop romantic and sexual relationships may be different for heterosexual and gay relationships. Some men experienced negative attitudes from staff and the assumption of heterosexuality was common. ‘Gay spaces’ such as Manchester’s Gay Village can play a crucial role in enabling gay people to develop a range of relationships, providing them with a sense of community and territory and the opportunity to develop positive gay identities validated by others. A four-year project explored the experiences of disabled gay men who had accessed or attempted to access this space. Four key findings arose: accessing the Village, for many this was part of the wider process of coming out and some support staff felt uncomfortable about visiting gay venues; attitudinal barriers from within the gay community itself; “the cult of the perfect body”, which some believe runs deep in the gay community; and alternative gay spaces. For some, their experiences of accessing the Village had led them to abandon it and seek out other, higher risk, locations, such as public toilets, to meet gay men. The author concludes that for some gay men with learning difficulties a lack of appropriate recognition and support is resulting in them placing themselves in extremely vulnerable situations simply in order to develop sexual or romantic relationships. He suggests these men have a right to receive high quality and appropriate support to pursue the relationships they choose.
People need people
- Author:
- HOLMAN Andrew
- Journal article citation:
- Learning Disability Today, 10(2), February 2010, pp.14-17.
- Publisher:
- Pavilion
- Place of publication:
- Hove
Andrew Holman, Chairman of Stars in the Sky, a social enterprise dating agency for people with learning disabilities in the UK, explains why his organisation is joining with Learning Disability Today to launch a campaign to tackle isolation. He addresses the related issues of friendship and relationships noting that in the past friendships have often been ignored by service providers with little effort made to help people maintain old friendships or make new ones. It is also suggested that independence and choice can sometimes end in isolation. Not only are friendships good for the individual but prioritising friendship can mean different, but ultimately fewer, demands on services. The author believes that compared to maintaining friendships the thought of having a long-term relationship can seem insurmountable. He accepts that things have move forward since sexual relationships between people with learning disabilities were first openly discussed in the 1970s. ‘Valuing People Now’, the Government’s new three year strategy for people with learning disabilities, pays attention to relationships. It puts emphasis on the importance of enabling people with learning disabilities to meet new people, form all kinds of relationships and lead a full life with access to a diverse range of social and leisure activities. It includes the right to become parents. The idea behind the campaign discussed here is that everyone should have access to these rights and ‘Growing Friendships’ is calling on partnership boards in areas of the country without a friendship or dating agency to set one up.