Abstract
Sexual autonomy is the right and capacity of each individual to decide and make choices
about whom, when, and how they express themselves sexually. Individuals with
intellectual disabilities have frequently been marginalized, oppressed, and left out of
discussions about sexuality placing them at risk of abuse, unsafe sex practices, and
unplanned pregnancies. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the
usefulness of person-centered planning techniques in the development of an individual
service plan that address the social-sexual needs of individuals with intellectual
disabilities. Purposeful sampling was used to select 8 participants for this study. Specific
participants were selected because they possessed personal perspectives and experiences
regarding person-centered planning techniques. Data collection included semi-structured,
open-ended questions with face-to-face interviews and document review. Code
development began with systematic organization of narrative data that was thematically
analyzed using open-coding. Findings showed the person-centered individual service
plan is a tool that can empower and promote social-sexual autonomy for individuals with
intellectual disabilities if service and support administrators initiate a conversation about
social-sexual activity. Implications for social change include increased advocacy for
sexual autonomy, greater social acceptance of relationships, inclusive sexuality
programming for individuals with intellectual disabilities and professional development
training for service and support administrators.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:waldenu.edu/oai:scholarworks.waldenu.edu:dissertations-7267 |
| Date | 01 January 2018 |
| Creators | Brown-Hall, Earlie Simone |
| Publisher | ScholarWorks |
| Source Sets | Walden University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies |
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