Disability education, Disability writing, self advocacy

Many benefits of mobile technology for people with an intellectual disability

by Iva and Julie

We are excited to share with you an Easy Read summary about our research called:

Mobile Technology as a Tool to Increase Social Inclusion of People with Intellectual Disabilities

Please read this document.

It shows that mobile technology can help pepole with intellectual disability to feel more included.

You can find the full article here:

https://onlinelibrary-wiley-com.wwwproxy1.library.unsw.edu.au/doi/10.1111/jar.12869

What was the research study about?

We wanted to find out:

  • What mobiles devices and apps are used on smart phones and other devices.

  • Mobile devices are smart phones, tablets and laptops.
  • Apps are applications on devices, such as a Facebook app, Google maps app.

  • how things like age and gender make a difference
  • who you are and
  • how you use devices and apps
  • impacts on how you feel included

In research we call this social inclusion. Social inclusion is about:

  • relationships with other people
  • participation in the community

Participation includes:

  • work
  • social activities

Social inclusion is about being connected with:

  • family
  • friends
  • work

What we already know from research

Devices and apps can help with life skills

Some people with intellectual disabilities

  • don’t have many friends
  • feel lonely

Relationships of people with intellectual disabilities are made up of:

  • family members
  • workers

Who was in our research team?

The researchers were from:

  • University of New South Wales
  • Self Advocacy Sydney Inc
  • Iva Strnadová and Julie Loblinzk
  • Andrew Martin and Terry Cumming
  • Joanne Danker

We also had 5 advisors from Self Advocacy Sydney.

  • Peter Locker
  • Joe Refalo
  • Robert Strike
  • Allan Gittoes
  • Bruce O’Brien

We also had one independent advisor

  • Sam Hurd

Who took part in this study?

114 people with intellectual disabilities

Half were female

About half of them receive a disability support pension

How did we do our research?

We developed an accessible survey.

People filled out the survey.

We reviewed answers people gave us.

What did we find out?

Finding 1

Participants who made their own decisions:

  • what devices/apps they use
  • how often they use them
  • when they use them
  • had positive connections with:
  • family
  • friends
  • work/volunteering

Positive connections means to:

  • stay in touch
  • do things with others
  • feel a sense of belonging

Why does it matter?

People need support to make decisions:

  • what devices/apps they use
  • how they use them
  • when they use them

Finding 2

Participants who used devices/apps more often, had more positive connections with:

  • family
  • friends
  • work/volunteering

Why does it matter?

If people use devices/apps more often, it increases:

  • competence
  • confidence

It helps to use devices/apps to make and keep social connections

Finding 3

Participants who used more devices/apps had more positive connections with:

  • family
  • friends

Why does it matter?

Using more than 1 or 2 apps helps connect people to:

  • more family members
  • more friends

Using only 1 or 2 apps means some relationships are:

  • not possible
  • more difficult to make and sustain

Finding 4

Older participants were more likely to make their own decisions about:

  • what devices/apps they use
  • how they use them
  • when they use them

Older participants:

  • needed more help to use mobile devices/apps
  • used fewer devices/apps to connect with family and friends

This meant fewer social connections.

Why does it matter?

Many older people make their own decisions about using devices/apps.

They may need support about the best devices/apps to be socially connected.

Apps most commonly used:

With family:

  • mobile phone voice calls (92%)
  • text (78%)
  • Facebook (60%)
  • You Tube (32%)
  • websites (27%)
  • Facetime/Skype (26%)

With friends:

  • mobile phone voice call (83%)
  • text (75%)
  • Facebook (58%)
  • You Tube (26%)

At work:

  • mobile phone voice call (64%)
  • text (56%)
  • Facebook (33%)
  • websites (30%)

Disability writing, self advocacy

Reflecting on 2020

by Iva and Julie

This was a hard year for everyone

COVID-19 showed some negative and positive things.

Some negatives

  • People with intellectual disability have been more isolated.
  • They are also more vulnerable to COVID-19.
  • Not many people with intellectual disability have access to internet and technology.
  • Some people with intellectual disability have access to technoloyg and internet but do not have support to use it.

Some positives

  • Everybody had to learn to use technology very quickly.
  • Technlogy allowed some people with intellectual disability to connect with others.
  • That helped to overcome loneliness.
  • It showed that technology can be used by self -advocacy organisations to support others.

There is a Royal Commission in Australia. This is positive as people with disability can have a voice.

This is a chance to change things for the better.

But it is also a negative:

Violence and abuse happened so much to people with disability that this Commission was needed.

What we found difficult this year:

  • We were not able to see each other and work together in person.
  • We struggled with technology.
  • We could not present at confeerences, as planned.

What worked for us this year:

  • We used FaceTime, Zoom and Workplace to see each other almost every day.
  • We were able to work together online.
  • We were able to work with others.
  • For example we created a video about self-advocacy.
  • This was done with Jan Walmsley and Liz Tilley from Great Britain.
  • We continued data analysis with Joanne Danker, Michelle Tso and Brydan Lenne (thank you ladies.)

We have been working with the Department of Education on a project.

It aims to give voice to people with high support needs.

See this link for more.

https://education.nsw.gov.au/teaching-and-learning/disability-learning-and-support/our-disability-strategy/latest-news/unsw-joint-venture-to-help-department-hear-students–voices

  • We piloted together with IDRS their Rights and Relationships program at Matraville High School.

(thank you Jessica Mooney and the team, Janene Cootes, Ben Garcia-Lee, Liz Dore, Joanne Danker, Alison Carter and Rosemary Malouf).

It was a great success.

  • We started to work with Mary O’Malley and created our blog.
  • Julie was a guest speaker in Iva’s courses via Zoom.

This was a new experience for us.

We did both pre-recorded and live lectures.

It was a hard year but we have a lot to be thankful for.

It was the year when Julie received the National Award for Disability Leadership in Change Making.

What are our plans for 2021?

  • Continue our blog – hopefully more frequently.
  • Share our blog with more people.
  • Continue our research work. We have many projects together
  • We will continue working with IDRS.

Their Rights and Relationship program is fantastic. We want to bring it to schools.

It will help students with intellectual disability to learn about rights, relationship and sexuality.

  • Finish writing our book.

It is about girls and women with intellectual disability.

  • Edit together with Mike Wehmeyer a special issue about transitions.
  • This is for the British Journal of Learning Disabilities.
  • We will present at conferences.

So stay tuned!

There is a lot you will hear about from us next year.

Thank you for reading our blog and writing to us.

It means a lot.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Disability writing, Mental health and wellbeing, self advocacy, Uncategorized

International Day of People with Disability 2020

by Iva and Julie

About International Day of People with Disability:

This Day is held on the 3rd December each year.

This is a United Nations day to celebrate across the world.

It aims to increase:

Public awareness, understanding and acceptance of people with disabilities

Celebration of their achievements

The day is about breaking down barriers.

These barriers can be:

Physical (e.g., ramps for people using wheelchair)

In people’s attitudes

Theme of this day for 2020 is:

Building Back Better: Toward a disability -inclusive, accessible and sustainable post COVID-19 World.

Suggestions for everyone to think about:

COVID-19 pandemic showed how much this Day is needed.

According to the Royal Disability Commission:

no Australian Government agency made ‘any significant effort’ to consult with people with disability during the beginning of COVID-19

People with disability had troubles to get:

Supports and services

Food

Medicine

Information

Personal protective equipment (e.g., face masks, gloves).

This is not good enough.

People with disability cannot be an after-thought.

National Disability Strategy 2010 – 2020

It is important that Australia has National Disability Strategy 2010 – 2020

It aims to improve:

Lives of people with disabilities

Their families / Carers

Improves focus on better inclusion of people with disabilities

What can we do to celebrate the International Day of People with Disability?

Get involved in attending the event

Promote information on the event in social media

Share information in your workplace

Nominate a person you know

Hold an event

Disability education, Disability writing

When child’s play is just not appropriate

by Iva and Julie

We were frustrated – but, sadly, not surprised – to read that Abigail Talbot, a 15-year-old girl who lives with Down syndrome, had her enrolment at a Launceston Catholic school “cancelled”.

This decision happened because her parents refused to sign off on the learning plan created by the school.

Abigail, the 15-year-old girl whose enrolment was cancelled because her parents did not agree with the learning plan imposed on her.

Reading the article (https://ab.co/3jzcQDz) , we thought about so many things that went wrong.

For example, a student’s learning plan NEEDS to be created in collaboration between the student, their parents and the teacher. It was never meant to be a document created by a school and forced on a student and their parents. It just does not work that way.

There were other things that went wrong in the story. In this blog, we will focus only on one issue out of many – age-appropriateness. Including a picture of the Very Hungry Caterpillar into the learning plan of a 15-year- old student is simply not on. The Australian legislation Disability Standards for Education highlights the importance of reasonable adjustments. To us, the word “reasonable” also means that it should be relevant to the student and their age.

Being age-appropriate is important regardless of age. Adults need to be treated like adults. Yet, adults with intellectual disability get so often treated as children. This is demonstrated in Julie’s very recent experience below:

JULIE’S STORY

“As an adult with Intellectual Disability and Hearing Impairment it’s important in my life that Education and Learning is treated in the same way as people who do not have a disability.

“I want to be treated fairly and equal.

“Everyone with an Intellectual Disability wants to learn with age appropriate activities within education learning including being part of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

“Within COVID-19, between March and June this year, I had support from NDIS under social activities at home from a service provider for three hours on a weekend.

“I had one-on-one support because you could not get together in a group for social activities.

I was given a bag by the staff member and activities included:

  • Who am I? game for children age 6 year +
  • Large print colour in book with small colour pencils
  • Building –a-tool box for a child age three upwards
  • Play dough for children three years and older
  • Making pom poms kit
  • Instructions on how to make a paper airplane
  • 20 game activity sheets on scavenger hunts – kid’s stuff
  • How to make bake clay in oven
  • Having a sheet to draw myself
  • Making an activity jar with adding water and pictures – three year old
  • Blob tree to colour in how you feel today
  • Hop Scotch drawing on path – kid’s stuff
  • Template to create a plane
  • And the list goes on.
Examples from Julie’s kit

“My point is, I would rather play adult games and have fun with seeing how many games I could win and lose.

“Many people with Intellectual Disability like to have fun, be challenged to learn new things as adults do.

“Services for people with a disability need to review the following:

  • How things are done so that people can learn in way that suits their needs
  • Activities and event they offer are age appropriate
  • All they do need to be based in person centred planning.”

Do you have similar experiences that you would like to share with us? Please let us know.

Disability writing

Join an online book launch

by Iva and Julie

PLEASE SEE THE PLAIN ENGLISH VERSION BELOW

We would like to invite you to an online launch of the book, “Belonging and People with Profound Intellectual and Multiple Disabilities: Pushing the Boundaries of Inclusion”.

the cover of the new book Belonging for People with Profound Intellectual and Multiple Disabilities
the cover of the new book

We are very excited about this book for several reasons:

This book resonates with what we stand for. We want all people with disability to KNOW that they belong in this world, in the society, in their communities…

We have often talked about how people with intellectual disabilities continue to be excluded. This is especially true for people with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities. Yet, they have right to be included, and to belong.

We always celebrate each other’s accomplishments .

The chapters in the book are divided into three sections: belonging in education, belonging in research and belonging in communities.

Johanna with some of her family

This book is dedicated to the memory of Johanna de Haas (1988 – 2019), an inspirational woman with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities. Johanna is an example of how people with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities can be included and empowered to contribute to people close to them, to research, and to the community.

Please join us at the book launch on Monday 6 July, 4 – 5 pm Sydney (Australia) time. Registration link: https://events.humanitix.com/belonging-for-people-with-profound-intellectual-and-multiple-disabilities-online-book-launch?c=school

PLAIN ENGLISH

We would like to invite you to an online launch of the book called

“Belonging and People with Profound Intellectual and Multiple Disabilities: Pushing the Boundaries of Inclusion”.

We are very excited about this because:

  • This book is about what we stand for
  • We want all people with disability to KNOW:
  • they belong in this world;
  • in the society;
  • in their communities.

The two of us often talk about how people with intellectual disabilities continue to be left out.

This is true for people with profound intellectual disabilities and multiple disabilities.

Yet, they have a right:

  • to be included;
  • to belong.

We always have a good time and celebrate what each of us achieves:))

The book has three parts:

  • belonging in education
  • belonging in research: and
  • belonging in communities

This book is in memory of Johanna de Haas (1988 – 2019), an inspiring woman with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities.

Johanna is an example of a person who was included and empowered to:

  • contribute to research;
  • contribute to the community.

Please join us at the online book launch

Monday 6 July 4 – 5 pm Sydney (Australia) time.

Registration link:

https://events.humanitix.com/belonging-for-people-with-profound-intellectual-and-multiple-disabilities-online-book-launch?c=school

Iva Strnadová and Julie Loblinzk are research partners and friends. They write the inclusive blog, Disability and Me.

Disability writing

Self advocacy organisations improve people’s lives

by Iva and Julie

We are excited to share with you an Easy Read summary about how self-advocacy organisations impact people’s lives. Please read this document, which shows that self-advocacy organisations help people with intellectual disability to live good lives. This is a good resource that we can use to advocate for more support from governments for self-advocacy organisations. You can find the full article here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jar.12752

easy read document on value of self advocacy organisations.
Easy Read document on self advocacy
Disability Royal Commission, Disability writing

Disablity, abuse and neglect: a scar on our society

by Iva and Julie

Ann-Marie Smith, Willow Dunn, and hundreds of thousands of people with disability… Things need to change!

On May 30 Australians are being asked to hold a one-minute vigil for Ann-Marie Smith, a tragic story of abuse of a woman with a disability.

Ann-Marie Smith was a 54-year-old Adelaide woman with cerebral palsy, who lived on her own. She relied on her carer to support all her needs. She died this April with the following issues: severe septic shock, organ failure, sores, malnutrition. She had spent more than a year in a cane chair, 24 hours per day. Yet she was funded for six hours a day of disability care and support a day. Thankfully the carer was sacked, is being investigated by police, and should not be allowed to support people with disability again.  

Ann-marie Smith
Ann-Marie Smith will always be remembered

But this is not a story of one neglectful carer. This is a story of a major issue with our disability care system across Australia. On May 28 news came of a little girl with Down’s Syndrome, called Willow Dunn, allegedly murdered by her own father. This prompted an online candlelight vigil.  Abuse keeps on happening. People with disability are simply not being supported in our society. Indeed, this story highlights how little communities value people with disability. One minute is all it would have taken for neighbours to check in on Ann-Marie. Or Willow for that matter. Thus the call for one-minute’s silence.

The COVID-19 context demonstrates that this is not a rare case. Consider the shocking percentage of deaths in care homes worldwide, and the fact that people with intellectual disability were refused testing for COVID-19 in some countries, though they are among the most vulnerable populations. What does is say about us as a society?

Abuse of people with disability should not be ignored and reports should be sent to authorities. Review of practices should be strongly implemented to make sure this behaviour is stopped. 

We are heartened by some of the responses on our personal Facebook pages to news of these shocking cases.  From Alex Strike: “This is wrong! I don’t understand why people act this way towards people with disability. How dare they get away with it!” And from Angelo Hatz: “It’s absolutely disgraceful that people with physical and intellectual disabilities are treated like this in this day and age. More needs to be done now to ensure that this type of abuse and neglect does not happen… people with physical and intellectual disabilities need to be treated like human beings and valued members of our community.”

This is why the recently released COVID-19 Statement of Concern: Human rights, disability and ethical decision-making is so critical. See: http://wwda.org.au/media-release-covid-19-statement-of-concern-human-rights-disability-and-ethical-decision-making/?fbclid=IwAR38TiKhB14uCYqPcFvFQX6csM-X66jf8X9kBAz1zZdR-qoiC7697O7ExrI

And this is why the Disability Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability is so ESSENTIAL. We need to hear the voices of those who have been silenced for centuries. We need to stop the abuse. We need to put in preventive measures, so that abuse and neglect of people with disability does not happen again.

That is also why it is so important to REMEMBER. To remember that lives of some people, like those with intellectual and other disability continue to be treated as if they are worth less than others. The blog by our dear friend Jan Walmsley is a great reminder of that: https://janniewannie.wordpress.com/2020/05/02/remembering/

Will you also join us in the one-minute vigil for Ann Marie? https://www.aminuteforannmarie.com/?fbclid=IwAR1v-0jA3mWROU9iHlo4UzmNXBCGdfdV0WMp_Mk0h1CmOn_2dAmPHD2u-oo? 

PLAIN ENGLISH VERSION

On May 30 Australians are being asked to hold a one-minute vigil for Ann-Marie Smith, a tragic story of abuse of a woman with a disability.

Ann-Marie Smith:

  • 54-year-old
  • lived on her own
  • had a carer to support her in all her needs for 6 hours per day
  • had a disability (cerebral palsy)
  • died in April 2020.

Ann died because:

  • severe infection,
  • organ failure,
  • sores,
  • hunger,
  • spent more than a year in a cane chair, 24 hours per day.

Thankfully her carer was sacked. This is being looked into by police.

Her carer should not be allowed to support people with disability again.  

Also, in May we learnt about a little girl with Down’s Syndrome, Willow Dunn. She was allegedly killed by her own father.

This story is not about one carer who was careless. Or about one parent who killed their child.

It is about:

  • major issues people with disability have with care system across Australia.
  • Abuse keeps on happening.
  • People with disability are not being supported in our society.
  • Communities do not value people with disability.
  • It does not take long to check on your neighbours and how they are.

The COVID-19 situation shows this is not a rare case.

  • Think about the deaths in care homes worldwide.
  • People with intellectual disability were refused testing for COVID-19 in some countries. But there are among the most at risk people.

What does is say about our world?

Abuse of people with disability should not be overlooked.

Reports should be sent to authorities.

Review of practices should happen, so this abuse does not happen again.

This is what some people said about this on our Facebook pages:

  • Alex Strike: “This is wrong! I don’t understand why people act this way towards people with disability. How dare they get away with it!” 
  • Angelo Hatz: “It’s absolutely disgraceful that people with physical and intellectual disabilities are treated like this in this day and age. More needs to be done now to ensure that this type of abuse and neglect does not happen… people with physical and intellectual disabilities need to be treated like human beings and valued members of our community.”

This is why:

We need to hear the voices of those who have been silenced for years.

This needs to stop.

It is important that lives of people with disabilities are treated as lives of anybody else. They are not different to others.

This blog is a reminder of issues.

You may also like a blog by our friend, Jan Walmsley: https://janniewannie.wordpress.com/2020/05/02/remembering/

Will you also join us in the one-minute vigil for Ann Marie? https://www.aminuteforannmarie.com/?fbclid=IwAR3y9T9U66etz1vGo6AMBJUmlNmLCaXmiF59jzXoQbfMep03ZNpump47eQk

Iva Strnadová and Julie Loblinkz are research partners and friends. They host the blog Disability and Me. Both are strong advocates for people with intellectual disability.

Disability writing, Sexuality education

Students can teach us about sex education

by Iva and Julie

Teachers can learn a lot from students with intellectual disability when it comes to educating them about sexuality, according to our recent study in NSW schools.As part of our research into sexuality education in NSW high schools, we spoke to parents, teachers and students. (Sex Education Needs to be Explicit)

The findings from students were most instructive. Students told us that through school they had learned about such topics as relationships, using contraception, having children and taking care of them, sexually transmitted illnesses, puberty, and women’s and men’s bodies. 

Julie (left) and Iva working on their research.
Juile, left, and Iva working on their research

However, not all students in our study learnt about different sexuality and gender identities, leading to some confusion.

One student told us: “I would have liked to know about the different types of sexuality, so I didn’t think I was super-weird. … You had to find out through someone else, like, ‘Oh, if you’re feeling like this, maybe you have this.’” 

“They’re like, ‘Oh, my God, I feel so much better, knowing I have a name to this!  It was like, yes, names help! It also makes you feel like, well, hey, if there’s a name for this, I’m not the only one who’s feeling it! ’ ”

The students also told us that the resources their teachers mostly used in sexuality education classes included videos, books and worksheets. Only one student mentioned the use of pictures. The students had many recommendations for teachers, which included:

  • Using large font size
  • Simplifying language used in classes, as the use of complicated terms by teachers impacted on their ability to understand what they were being taught
  • Explaining vocabulary used in each lesson
  • Using a question box, so that students can pose their questions about sexuality anonymously
  • Teaching students how to do Google searches
  • Allowing students to use time out cards and/ or bean bags when they feel stressed out.

In addition, less than a third of the students attended their Individual Education Plan (IEP) meeting, and none of them ever received a copy of their own IEP. 

This worries us tremendously, as this means that students with intellectual disability might not have a say in planning for their learning and do not even know what their learning plan is! How are they meant to learn self-determination and independence? This really is against the “Nothing about us without us” disability movement motto.

All of the suggestions made by students are in line with evidence-based practices, that is practices evaluated by research as efficient and beneficial for students

Iva and Julie

All of the suggestions made by students are in line with evidence-based practices, that is practices evaluated by research as efficient and beneficial for students. Such evidence-based practices include direct instruction, task analysis, video modelling, active participation in IEP meetings, and many others. 

These are some great resources for teachers to learn about evidence-based practices that can be used across different subject areas, not just sexuality education:

There is also this amazing resources developed by our colleague, Professor Michael Wehmeyer, which helps teachers to explain to students with disabilities the purpose of IEPs, and how to take part in these in a meaningful and self-determined way. The program is called Whose Future Is It Anyway?, and it is accessible here, free of charge: http://www.ou.edu/education/centers-and-partnerships/zarrow/transition-education-materials/whos-future-is-it-anyway 

It is important that students understand what is being taught, get information in a way they understand, and be supported by teachers and family.

PLAIN ENGLISH VERSION

We talked to the following people in our study:

  • Students with intellectual disability
  • Their parents
  • Their teachers.

Students with intellectual disability from New South Wales high schools said the following information in our study:

  • Teachers can learn a lot when it comes to teaching about sexuality.
  • Sexuality education needs to be clearly discussed.

Students also said that they learnt about these topics in their sexuality education classes:

  • Relationships
  • Contraception
  • Having children
  • Taking care of children
  • Sexual Transmitted diseases (STI’s)
  • Puberty and
  • Women’s and men’s bodies

Teachers used the following resources to teach them:

  • Video’s
  • Books
  • Worksheets and
  • One student talked about pictures

Not all students learnt about:

  • Different sexuality or
  • Genders (the fact of being who a person is).

This was confusing to some people. For example, one student said:

  • “I would like to have known the different types of sexuality, so I did not think about I was super-weird.”
  • “I feel so much better knowing I have a name to this.”
  • “It also makes you feel like … I am not the only one who is feeling it.”

Students had many ideas for teachers to think about:

  • Use large font (size 14 or above)
  • Use simple language so students understand
  • Explain language in lessons
  • Use a question box for students to write questions down so it’s private on who said what
  • Support students to learn to use Google searches
  • Use tine out cards, bean bags when stressed
  • Provide information in plain English

Only 3 students attended their Individual Education Plan meeting (IEP).

No students received a copy of their IEP!

This worries us greatly because:

  • Students might not have a say in planning for their learning.
  • How they will learn self-determination (being independent)?
  • It’s going against our saying in disability movement:

“Nothing about us without us”.

All of the suggestions from students are in line with information about practices that work for students.

These practices are called “evidence-based practices”.

Here are some examples:

  • Direct Instructions
  • Task Evaluation
  • Video
  • Taking part in IEP Meetings

There are great resources for teachers about these practices – see list below:

The National Professional Development Center on ASD (NPDC): https://autismpdc.fpg.unc.edu/evidence-based-practices

Iva Strnadová and Julie Loblinkz are research partners and friends. They host the blog Disability and Me. Both are strong advocates for people with intellectual disability.

Disability writing, Sexuality education

Sex education needs to be explicit

by Iva and Julie

Please see the Plain English version below

What are the challenges for teachers educating students with intellectual disability about sexuality?

Recently we conducted a study on sexuality education for students with intellectual disability in New South Wales mainstream high schools. We talked to students with intellectual disability, their parents and their teachers. We found some positive outcomes, but also many problems.

The very best news is that sexuality education is available in the first place. When I (Julie) went to school, students with intellectual disability did not receive sexuality education at all, and I didn’t think it would be ever possible.

But an alarming finding was the extent to which teachers found some students had been abused or subjected to domestic violence. This is a huge concern and consistent with what we know from literature – that people with intellectual disability (and especially girls and women) experience more domestic violenceand other forms of gender-based and sexual violence, such as rape, than other people. In the context of COVID-19, people with intellectual disability are even more vulnerable.

Cover Sex Safe and Fun brochure from Family Planning NSW
Family Planning NSW has some good Easy Read resources

Teachers also highlighted the lack of accessible (Easy Read or plain English) resources that they could use for sexuality education. Some of those that did know of accessible resources say they don’t feel comfortable with the explicit pictures. This is a worry because students with intellectual disability need explicit instruction. If teachers are not comfortable with using these materials, how will the students learn?

It is important that teachers use accessible and straightforward resources and overcome their discomfort about tackling the subject. Here are some ideas:

  • A/Professor Patsie Frawley from Deakin University and her team developed a Sexual Lives and Respectful Relationships website. https://www.slrr.com.au

We will share with you what the students and their parents told us in the forthcoming blogs.

Iva Strnadová and Julie Loblinkz are research partners and friends. They host the blog Disability and Me. Both are strong advocates for people with intellectual disability.

PLAIN ENGLISH VERSION

Iva and I did a study about sexuality education.

We went to mainstream high school students in New South Wales. We talked to:

  • Students with intellectual disability
  • Their parents
  • Teachers

There were positives and problems.

This plain information is about teachers.

Positive

  • Sexuality is being taught to students with intellectual disability.

Problems

  • Students being abused
  • Students going through domestic violence
  • Lack of Easy Read information resources

People with intellectual disability being

  • Abused or
  • Going through domestic violence or
  • Being raped

is a big problem.

In one of our stories we talked about COVID-19 and how people with intellectual disability are at risk.

Teachers should use accessible information resources. See below:

Disability writing, Sexuality education

Sex education needs to be explicit

by Iva and Julie

What are the challenges for teachers in educating students with intellectual disability about sexuality?

Recently we conducted a study on sexuality education for students with intellectual disability in New South Wales mainstream high schools. We talked to students with intellectual disability, their parents and their teachers. We found some positive outcomes, but also many problems.

The very best news is that sexuality education is available in the first place. When I (Julie) went to school, students with intellectual disability did not receive sexuality education at all, and I didn’t think it would be ever possible.

cover of Sex Safe and Fun brochure from Family Planning NSW
Family Planning NSW has some Easy Read resources

But an alarming finding was the extent to which teachers found students had been abused or subjected to domestic violence. This is a huge concern and consistent with what we know from literature – that people with intellectual disability (and especially girls and women) experience more domestic violenceand other forms of gender-based and sexual violence, such as rape, than other people. In the context of COVID-19, people with intellectual disability are even more vulnerable.

Teachers also highlighted the lack of accessible (Easy Read or plain English) resources that they could use for sexuality education. Those that did know of some accessible resources say they don’t feel comfortable with the explicit pictures. This is a worry because students with intellectual disability need explicit instruction. If teachers are not comfortable with using these materials, how will the students learn?

It is important that teachers use accessible and straightforward resources and overcome their discomfort about tackling the subject. Here are some ideas:

We will share with you what the students and their parents told us in the forthcoming blogs.

Iva Strnadová and Julie Loblinkz are research partners and friends. They host the blog Disability and Me. Both are strong advocates for people with intellectual disability.

PLAIN LANGUAGE VERSION

Iva and I did a study about sexuality education.

We went to mainstream high school students in New South Wales. We talked to:

  • Students with intellectual disability
  • Their parents
  • Teachers

There were positives and problems.

This plain information is about teachers.

POSITIVEPROBLEM
Sexuality being taught to students with intellectual disability In the past it was not taught in schools
Students being abused
Students going through domestic violence
Lack of Easy Read information resources

People with intellectual disability being

  • Abused or
  • Going through domestic violence or
  • Being raped

is a big problem.

In one of our stories we talked about COVID-19 and how people with intellectual disability are at risk.

Teachers should use accessible information resources. See below:

Iva Strnadová and Julie Loblinkz are research partners and friends. They host the blog Disability and Me. Both are strong advocates for people with intellectual disability.