Sexuality and Disability in Health Care

A physical disability changes how a body moves, feels and responds, yet it leaves a person's interest in closeness and intimacy intact. That idea runs through news coverage of how rehabilitation and education services treat sexual health as part of ordinary life after injury or illness.

Counselling in a hospital setting

Some rehabilitation hospitals in Canada offer sexual health counselling to patients. Staff help people adapt after accidents or illness, with topics such as maintaining a positive body image when part of the body is missing or no longer works as before. Clinicians in such programs describe sexual health as a major part of life and as one element of returning to a normal routine. Many people with spinal cord injuries or other forms of paralysis report satisfying intimate lives, and parenthood is possible for many, though the effects of an injury on sexual function and fertility vary by person and by the nature of the injury.

Training for professionals

Many health workers finish their schooling with little preparation in this area, so continuing education has become a specialty of its own. Provincial sexual health organizations and universities have offered online courses for clinicians, therapists and other providers. Typical outlines cover basic anatomy and physiology, the way illness and impairment shape sexual identity and functioning, and particular concerns that arise in practice. The stated goal is to raise provider confidence in meeting the range of questions clients bring.

Couples and peer settings

Researchers have studied public attitudes toward disability and sexuality, and the experiences of couples when one partner has a chronic condition such as multiple sclerosis. Patient societies sometimes host retreats or workshops for couples. Programs of this kind reflect a broader view that relationships, not only individual bodies, are affected by chronic conditions. Stigma and silence in health care settings remain recurring themes in the literature and frequent targets of disability rights advocacy.