Supportive training course and self-help groups of parents of youth with physical and learning disabilities on sexual education, techniques and appropriate behaviour Erasmus Project

Project Title

Supportive training course and self-help groups of parents of youth with physical and learning disabilities on sexual education, techniques and appropriate behaviour

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for adult education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2018

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Disabilities – special needs; Health and wellbeing; Gender equality / equal opportunities

Project Summary

Nowadays the topic of sexuality and relationships for youth with physical or intellectual disabilities is neglected although that those people face strong barriers of stigma and anxieties. The first barrier is the beliefs of their parents and guardians. They think that their pupils are or should be sexually inactive and consequently do not need to learn about sexuality.

The parents as the prime sexual educator do not offer sufficient sexual education to their pupils as a stage of the youth development. Major part of youth with disabilities faced lack of the opportunity to learn about sex and protective behaviours in an appropriate manner. This leads to lack of preparation and knowledge for having human-to-human relationships, including sex and might find it difficult to express their sexuality in a satisfying way.

This could further lead to risks of sexual assault, inappropriate exploitation, sexually transmissible infections/diseases and unplanned pregnancy at a much higher rate than the rest of the population.

Our project is equiping parents with an appropriate sexual education programme and suitable training materials that enable the process of “educating” their children with disabilities to understand and manage their sexuality and express it in an appropriate way.

This process is supported by setting up of self-support parental groups which will implement advocacy activities with other parents with disabilities which will fight with the stigma in the society.

Following IOs were realised:
IO1: Parental sexual education training course + LiveBook version (online)
IO2: Guide for professional supporting parents and their children with disabilities in terms of sexual education
IO3: Handbook “How to create and manage a self-support parental groups on the topic of inclusive sexual education?”
IO4: Android based mobile application – 24/7 offer help on solutions per specific problem in terms of inclusive sexual education, with 12 animated videos addressing topics such as public masturbation, sexual abuse, rules of contact, etc. + online learning platform
ME1: Successful online multiplier event 25-26 October 2021 (livestream).

Partners:
P1: Leading inclusive education university with dedicated department working directly with parents of people with disabilities from Spain
P2: National umbrella organisation of psychologists, educators and social workers that are supporting people with disabilities and their parents from Bulgaria
P3: Leading EU pioneer in 3D animation educative videos production (special role in the project) from Greece
P4: Experienced adult education training provider from Belgium
P5: NGO of parents of people with disabilities from Austria.

The parents are now able to:
• admit to their children’s sexuality as something natural
• consent that sexual and reproductive health is a human right for everybody
• addressing their fears and worries that will be able also to reduce the fear and worries of their children too
• improve their knowledge and expertise on the topic
• spread the training to other parents by creation of a self-support groups
• raise the society awareness on the topic
• discuss issues of physical development, maturity, and sexuality on a regular basis, starting during early childhood and continuing through the adolescent years;
• ensure the privacy of each child and adolescent;
• understanding how the cognitive abilities of their children affect behavior and socialization;
• encourage children with disabilities to optimize independence, particularly as related to self-care and social skills;
• be aware of special medical needs, such as modified gynecologic examinations, latex-free protection from sexual transmitted diseases (STDs) and unplanned pregnancies, and genetic counseling when appropriate;
• recognize that children with disabilities are at an increased risk of sexual abuse and monitor for early indications of abuse;
• advocate for developmentally appropriate sexuality education in home, community, and school settings;
• be encouraged to be the principal teachers of developmentally appropriate sexuality education for their children, incorporating family values, cultural traditions, and religious beliefs; and
• provide families with information regarding appropriate community programs that address issues of sexuality for children and adolescents with disabilities.
• improved active citizenship – the project will stimulate active citizenship. Social issues can be (partly) solved with civil commitment instead of relying solely on professionals.

Our project is totally in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities IPPF charter on sexual rights.

More information can be found at https://incluedusex.eu/ while all IOs are available at https://incluedusex.eu/elearning/ (no registration needed) and https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuSQORGaP49IC6oGQEAie5g and https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.incluedusex.mobile.

Project Website

http://www.incluedusex.eu

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 218149,5 Eur

Project Coordinator

UNIVERSIDAD COMPLUTENSE DE MADRID & Country: ES

Project Partners

• SDRUZENIJE NA NA RABOTESHTITE S HORA S UVREZHDANIYA
• AUSTRIAN ASSOCIATION OF INCLUSIVE SOCIETY (AIS) – VEREIN FUR EINE OFFENE GESELLESCHAFT
• NURBS PRODUCTION – KOTSIRAS M.IKE
• PHOENIXKM BVBA