Sexual Assistance for People with Intellectual Disabilities: Proposal for a Service Delivery Model

The figure of the sexual assistant is increasingly demanded as a right in the disabilities field. This figure requires debate, adaptation to the characteristics of countries and cultures, as well as to the characteristics of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. This study present...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Gutiérrez Bermejo, Belén, Jenaro Río, Cristina
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2022
País:España
Institución:Universidad de Salamanca (USAL)
Repositorio:GREDOS. Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Salamanca
OAI Identifier:oai:gredos.usal.es:10366/152124
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10366/152124
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:SEXUAL ASSISTANCE . INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY . MODEL . SUPPORT NEEDS . SPAIN
Descripción
Sumario:The figure of the sexual assistant is increasingly demanded as a right in the disabilities field. This figure requires debate, adaptation to the characteristics of countries and cultures, as well as to the characteristics of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. This study presents the work carried out with representatives of Spanish organizations of people with intellectual disabilities to develop a proposal for the figure of support staff for sexual behavior. Together with a rights perspective, this proposal is aligned with the Supports paradigm to better meet the health and behavior needs of users. The figure is framed within the auto-erotic and therapeutic model of sexual assistance. This figure excludes characteristics of the erotic model that involves interaction or sexual exchange between the sexual assistant and the individual with a disability. Several advantages and disadvantages need to be carefully considered before implementing this support in a delivery service model. We argue that the proposed figure requires specific accreditation, training, and monitoring.