2.4 Sexual pleasure and disability

Around 15% of the world's population lives with some form of disability. This might be a physical disability, or one which affects someone’s mental health/learning ability. Not all disabilities are visible. Often, people with disabilities find that their sexuality is ignored, neglected or stigmatised by society.

Figure 2.6 Understanding sexuality and disability

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This is a line drawing of a woman with her right hand raised as if she is using sign language. The woman is saying (in a speech bubble): ‘my deafness does not prevent me from having sexual feelings, just as wearing glasses does not prevent you from being thirsty or hungry.’

Figure 2.6 Understanding sexuality and disability

You are now going to watch a documentary about women in India living with disabilities which shows why it’s important to include pleasure in CSE. It’s a really great video, and you could watch it all the way through if you have time, but for the purposes of this activity we’re going to focus on two clips.