Literature Review on Provision of Appropriate and Accessible ...

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were induced, coerced or felt it necessary in order to develop or
maintain a relationship (McCarthy, 1996)).
• Sex <strong>Literature</strong> education <strong>Review</strong> needs on to Provision emphasise of Appropriate a more active, and less Accessible passive
Support to People with an Intellectual Disability who are
and accepting role for women with learning difficulties.
Experiencing Crisis Pregnancy
• Women with learning disabilities need to be supported in their
sexual lives. The focus should be on empowerment, through
helping women engage in a process of critical reflection about
their sexual lives.
• It emerged from McCarthy’s research (1999) that women did not
receive sexual pleasure from much - and in some cases all - of
their sexual activity with men (McCarthy, 1999). All sex education
work with women with learning disabilities should therefore
place a significant emphasis on women’s sexual pleasure.
• Every learning-disability day and residential service should seek
to ensure that at least some staff are ready, willing and able to
discuss sexual matters with service users. This has implications
for resources in terms of staff education and training, and staff
time.
• More formal forms of sex education, such as one-to-one work or
group sessions, should be carried out on a single-sex basis; this
would offer a greater opportunity for the person with intellectual
disability to identify with their advisor in these matters and to
share life experiences (McCarthy, 1999).
• Cambridge and McCarthy (1997) considered that sexuality
policies should ensure that proactive support is given to people
with learning disabilities, meaning that issues related to
sexuality, sexual abuse and sexual health should be routinely
discussed as part of Individual Programme Plans (IPPs) or
Individual Care Plans (ICPs) and reviewed at regular intervals.