Workshop Description
Note: This is a pre-recorded, online workshop. Upon purchase, you will receive access to the video recording and any accompanying documents.
There is finally broad agreement that individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities are sexual beings. There is far less agreement about what that means for service providers who are both willing to and anxious about providing supportive services in this area of people’s lives. From “she hasn’t shown an interest” to “the guardian said no” to “we need to involve the risk committee,” it’s clear – there needs to be a greater understanding of some of the most contentious issues related to sexuality and people who use IDD services.
Beginning with an assumption that sexuality in service delivery is primarily a rights issue, with health and legal rules to address, this online workshop will present a definition of informed consent, explore the roles of a guardian in this area of a person’s life (in Massachusetts, this person is adjudicated ‘incapacitated’ in probate court) and discuss options for agency policy to help providers be less inclined to ‘toss the hot potato’ of sexuality or be concerned about ‘getting burned.’
Learning Objectives
By the end of this 90-minute webinar, participants will be able to:
- Define the general components of informed consent to engage in sexual activity
- Identify some approaches to determining when informed consent is required and who must provide it
- Discuss the role of a guardian in supporting an incapacitated person (in some places, this person is called a ‘ward’) to pursue a happy, healthy, and satisfying sex life, including intimate relationships between consenting adults
- List some elements of a ‘sexuality policy’ that will enhance the provider’s ability to accept, define, and promote a rights-based approach to sexuality among the people it supports
This workshop is for anyone who works with professionals, administrators, self-advocates, parents, etc.
Workshop Price: $30.00
Workshop Leaders
Patricia A Carney, M.Ed., ABD, Consultant in Sexuality and Human Rights. Pat has 40 years experience in human services, working with people who have developmental and intellectual disabilities. Starting as a direct support professional, Pat has done direct service throughout her career as an educator/consultant. As a trainer and advocate, Pat’s focus areas are sexuality education for individuals served, staff development in the areas of sexuality and developmental disabilities, and the human rights of people with developmental and intellectual disabilities. For Pat, sexuality and human rights are inseparable parts of a larger discussion acknowledging the humanity and personhood of individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities. Pat has published articles in national disability publications and presented on sexuality and rights regionally, nationally, and internationally. Pat has a M.Ed. in Health Education and is a matriculating Ph.D. candidate at the University of Massachusetts Boston in the School for Global Inclusion and Social Development.
Katherine McLaughlin, M.Ed., CSE, is a national expert and trains individuals, staff, and parents on sexuality and developmental disabilities. She teaches sexuality education to people with DD/ID as well as trains them to be peer sexuality educators themselves. Katherine is the author of an agency and school curriculum, Sexuality Education for People with Developmental Disabilities, and has developed two online courses: one to train professionals, Developmental Disability and Sexuality 101, and one for parents, Talking to Your Kids: Developmental Disabilities and Sexuality. Katherine has spent her career trying to elevate the status of all people, which is why the new name for her growing company is Elevatus Training.