2. Consent and disability

Question 1

What is consent?
FRIES

Answer 1

• Freely given. It’s not okay to pressure, trick, or threaten someone into saying yes. And you can’t give consent if you’re drunk, high, or passed out.
• Reversible. It’s okay to say yes and then change your mind — at any time! Even if you’ve done it before, and even if you’re both naked in bed.
• Informed. You can only consent to something if you have all the facts. For example, if someone says they’ll use a condom and then they don’t, there isn’t full consent.
• Enthusiastic. When it comes to sex, you should do stuff you WANT to do, not things people expect you to do. If someone doesn’t seem enthusiastic (meaning happy, excited, or energized), stop and check in.
• Specific. Saying yes to one thing (like going to the bedroom to make out) doesn’t mean you’re saying yes to other things (like having sex).
  FRIES

Question 2

diability and sexual assult statistics

Answer 2

• Women with disabilities are raped and sexually abused at a rate at least twice that of the general population of women
• Among adults who have developmental disabilities, as many as 83% of females and 32% of males are victims of sexual assault
• 40% of women with physical disabilities reported being sexually assaulted
• Women with disability report higher rates of past sexual violence and intimate partner violence than their male counterparts.
• 1 in 4 (25% or 748,000) women with disability have experienced sexual violence after the age of 15, compared with 15% (or 978,000) without disability

Question 3

sexual harrassment

Answer 3

Sexual harassment refers to behaviours a person finds improper or unwanted, makes them feel uncomfortable, and are offensive due to their sexual nature. It includes:
1. indecent messages, such as electronic messages and posts on social media, and written messages
2. indecent exposure
3. unwanted touching
4. sharing images/videos of the person that are sexual in nature and without consent
5. exposing the person to images/videos of sexual nature that they do not wish to see
- Adults with a disability, particularly those with severe or profound disabilities, are more likely to report past experiences of sexual harassment than other Australians.
- About 43% of adults with disability (or 2.5 million), and 50% (or 360,000) with severe or profound disabilities, experienced sexual harassment, compared with 37% (or 4.7 million) without disability

Question 4

how to check bias as a health provider

Answer 4

• Many people with disabilities have felt de-sexualized, so as a health professional it is important to check your bias and ask yourself these questions:
• Am I asking the same information and providing the same information, resources, options, and recommendations I would give a patient without a disability?
• Am I assuming that sex for this patient is the same as sex for a nondisabled person?
• Am I assuming their sexual orientation and gender identity?
• Am I providing accessible and inclusive resources?
  Am I talking to them, or to their parent or support staff?