Sex And Disability : An Open Minded Perspective From Individuals

57) Disabled families often face the effects of stereotypes of disability through government systems where disabled families are often portrayed to be dependent, incapable, and unreasonable. This reality often excludes disabled families from the decisions that affect their lives, and their needs/desires are put aside to favor protecting normalcy. Facilitating interdependence among disabled families and the greater society could bring new light to the experiences of disabled families. Many disabled families fear that they will be separated if deemed “too disabled” to care for one-another, which often prevents them from “coming-out” or asking for help (Wilde & Hoskinson-Clark, 2014, p. 57. Opening communication channels, and fielding trust and creating supportive foundations by directly considering what individual disabled families and want can largely improve life for those with disabilities and impact their perception and acceptance by the larger society. When disabled people feel as though they are understood, protected, and considered in the decisions that impact their lives a sense of independence develops, and the misrepresentation they experience can be largely reduced to allow individual autonomy to

Disability has been a difficult topic of society for years. Many people find discomfort in the presence of the disabled and many feel pity for those who are disabled. Back in the 1800s, the disabled were perceived as unable to contribute to society, often forced to undergo sterilization, and forced into institutions and asylums (“A Brief History”). In fact, this treatment of the disabled and mentally ill has been persistent until somewhat recently, when the Civil Rights movement took place, and those with disabilities decided to take a stand for their rights. Although people with disabilities continue to face difficulties in finding jobs, legitimizing their opinion, having the right to vote, and choosing whether or not they receive or refuse

Through my experiences with people of many backgrounds, as well as my education, I have learned to separate the idea of sex and gender. I still maintain certain traditional views regarding gender, however I’ve come to the realization that the social constructs of men and women are not, and should not, be as rigid. In my opinion, I have acknowledged that there are differences between ‘men’ and ‘women’, however these differences should be used to uplift one another, rather than to tear the other gender apart. For example, a family unit in which the man decides to take on the responsibilities of the

Although men and women have significant biological differences, the question whether gender-specific labels stems from these biological differences or are gender constructed remains a polarised nature versus nurture debate. Whether it is through the process of socialisation or genetic make-up, “gender identity” is given from a person’s birth, determining how a person culturally interacts and the expectations society places on them. Along with a “gender identity” comes a whole set of “norms”, “values” and so-called “gender characteristics”, which are supposed to define the differences between a male and a female. According to the World Health Organisation (n.d.), the term “sex” is often used to define the biological and physiological

This paper will outline sexuality at different life stages, and as a sexual therapist I will coach an adolescent girl with a boyfriend who is pressuring her to have sex; an elderly couple with a wife exhibiting a renewed interest in sexual activity and a unwilling husband; and finally a handicapped male that has been paralyzed since he was four years old.

Sterilization of the developmentally disabled or the mentally retarded is an issue that has long been debated in America. Mental retardation is defined as the inability to learn normally and develop mentally. Traditionally in America if a mentally retarded person was born to a family, that family had 2 choices- take care of the child at home, or it was strongly recommended that the child was sent to a state run institution or hospital. The state institution was where this person would spend his or her entire life. Unfortunately these hospitals were often huge warehouses of people with disabilities, or mental illnesses. These hospitals offered no contact with the

In Israelite and Swartz’s informative article, “Reformulating the Feminist Perspective: Giving Voice to Women with Disabilities”, the various ways in which disabled people, and more specifically, disabled women live and are perceived is discussed. The authors’ underlying comments about this perception are a product of the comparison between two models of disability brought up in the text and the further analysis of the social model within its many social applications. However, the authors successfully isolate some faults in the aforementioned models which brings room for critiques and scrutiny.

Coping with a disability many would assume that sexuality is no longer a factor or want. However, this is another result of societal barriers and stigmas people place on individuals with disabilities. Sexual healing as Mitchell mentioned, should be part of the rehabilitation process. Mitchell states that he learned more from his peers and mentors whom have acquired disabilities and I find this interesting. He learned and gained the most knowledge from others in his situation and I believe many are educated this way similarly to young children learning societal norms. The social learning theory is a great example of Mitchells closing analysis about men with disabilities. Men apply what is learned socially throughout life. After an individual becomes disabled attitudes prior to and after the disability should be addressed in treatment. For Mitchell learning from others that he could understand and relate to was a form of

Research has shown that females with disabilities are twice likely to suffer sexual abuse as females without disabilities (Clark & Vasta, 2007)

The overarching topic of the book is focused on creating a new future about the concept of disability and disabled bodies. The overarching argument of the book is the idea that “disability is often seen as a future that no one wants. Furthermore, Kafer writes this book to bring a new definition of disability focusing on the political experiences of this concept. Throughout the chapters of the book, Kafer incorporates a variety of social issues that are analyzed using different theoretical principles. Some of these theoretical principles include crip theory, queer theory, and disability studies. In many chapters of the book, Kafer cites herself when she talks about her experiences as a disabled person.

People are being treated unfairly and without consideration. According to Elizabeth Ries the author of “Divergence and disorder” Stated “ The conditions once known under the umbrella terms intersex and hermaphroditism are now generally being called disorders of sex development in medical settings. The terms might seem synonymous, but in fact there are significant differences with controversial consequences. The term disorder of sex development may promise clarity for doctors who diagnose patients with such conditions and provide some relief for parents of children being born with such conditions, but it has produced considerable rancor among adults who identify as intersex. Specifically, their problem is with the word disorder. The disability rights movement has taught us that atypicality does not necessarily mean disordered. Doesn 't disorder imply something is seriously wrong and needs to

What do you think of when you hear the word “disability”? Do you think of individuals who need extra resources? Or do you think of individuals who are limited by society? The topic of people with disabilities is often controversially. Some individuals take the firm stance that labeling a person as “disabled” can be helpful as it ensures that individual that they will get the extra resources they need to have the best quality of life. On the other hand, people take the stance that the term “disability” should be eliminated because it leads to social stigma and individual who do suffer from health, whether it is physical or mental, complications are often given less opportunities because they have been labeled as “disabled.” Especially because some individuals are targeted as being “sick” when they are healthy, which

Since the beginning of time, gender has always been divided into two categories, either male or female, with few instances that have stepped in between. As civilization has evolved, it has began to learn that this division is a lie, and that it is disgusting, disgraceful, hurtful and untrue at its rotten core. This is because this “division” has never counted for anything but a label and a set of roles as a stereotype, which was unjustly assigned at birth in a societal attempt to conform each and every unique soul into a shape that they cannot fully fit. There should not exist such standards and expectations that do not account for anything besides what one's body has to say, without asking the mind of the thoughtless vessel known as the body.

Both draw from diverse components of the term, disability. An important factor emphasise is that on of these models shouldn’t be chosen over the other, rather, the positive aspect from both should be taken and adapted to all impairments. The atmosphere around disabled people usually is assumed to be very public or assumed to be people who aren’t commonly exposed to the individuals with disabilities. Recent publications explore the private, home environments and how the stigmas from society vanish within the family setting. Parents of disabled children are documented to combine both models while attempting to provide the best opportunities for their child. (Manago, Davis & Goar, 2017) (Blum, 2015; Davis and Manago, 2016; Landsman, 2005; Leiter et al., 2004) Despite the clear differences in models, this study asks the question about disregarding the split perspectives and combining them taking positives from both. To throw away the stigma and discrimination and applying ways to help impaired people socially and medically if they choose to. Thus giving the choice of adaption to the individual with the

Siebers asserts that, similar to the LGBTQIA community, individuals with disabilities are sexual minorities, who are often misunderstood, disenfranchised, and abused by a patriarchal, classist, and ableist majority. Siebers frames his argument into four parts: first, that disabled sexuality expands the limited notion of sexuality, second that disabled sexuality is broadly defined by public and private spaces, three that ableism constructs a hierarchy of sexual conduct, and four that there is a pervasive pattern of sexual violence against disabled people. Seibers first defines the difference between a sex life, which is non-inclusive of disability, and a sex culture, which “provides a deeper, more sustained idea of sex and identity” (p.139).