Submission
Date: 15.05.2023
I am making this submission on behalf of the people with lived experience that I have had the privilege to support in one of the most personal and contentious areas of their lives, sexual expression.
Background:
Stabilise was founded in recognition that stemmed from decades of awareness that people with a disability are rarely seen as sexual beings with the same need for information, education, and inclusion to ensure they are self-determining in such a fundamental aspect of their humanity.
Over the past ten years this has become more evident.
As a person who started their working life as a hospital trained nurse in 1981, practical solutions and clear honest information has been a fundamental principle in working with people.
This has been true working with people with a broad range of disabilities and circumstances for over forty years in a range of roles.
Stabilise provides sexuality education/consultations that are developed for the individual and access to adult toys and products.
Both of these services are NDIS registered and were audited in 2021.
These supports have also been provided to clients and engaged through a range of funding bodies including Insurance firms and formal administration services.
The issues:
Starting at the beginning: Assumptions that a person who requires different supports is not a sexual being.
1. This is evident in that basic sexual health care and checks are not provided (breast, cervical and prostate) as a matter of course.
2. That training for Health Care professionals or support workers does not include sexuality.
3. There are no accredited courses to work with people with a disability on sexuality. The one accredited unit provided through FPV (family planning Victoria) is no longer offered and was only for people with Intellectual Disability. The Sex therapy Courses offered through universities do not include disability or aging.
4. Referral forms for services do not include basic medical support needs in these areas and do not ask about intimacy, sexuality, sexual health and realtionships.
- Sexual Health is not mainstream or generally accessible. GP surgeries where Pap smears and breast checks would usually be conducted may not have examination tables that are accessible for people with mobility support requirements (they do not lower to a safe position for transfers).
People who have a uterus are seen in terms of managing unwanted pregnancies. Whether this is the persons reality or not is subject to the support network.
That contraception inserted into the body is a set and forget. People with a uterus still have these devices in situ long after they have transitioned into menopause. This undoubtably has health and wellbeing implications.
A basic observation is that funders provide single beds.
Sexuality education is not provided in “special” schools. This increases the likelihood of a person with a disability being a survivor or perpetrator of sexual assault.
The lack of education and information is indicative of a societal perspective of overarching “asexuality” and the consequences are born by the person. Labels of the person being“ sexuality inappropriate“ and having “behaviours of concern” become a flag that is applied without the insight that the person may never have been given access to basic education on these issues or provided with practical options for sexual frustration including masturbation or accessing sex workers.
The lack of education adds to the likelihood of poor health and social outcomes including life long trauma for survivors of sexual assault and incarceration for the perpetrator.
The justice system is unable to respond to people who are nonverbal.
Many (all?) of the communication devices do not include any symbols or concepts for anatomy, intimacy, sexual health, or relationships. This further embeds vulnerability and lack of autonomy in a number of areas.
Sexual Health Care Information
I would like to also give recognition to Family Planning NSW, Victoria and South Australia information booklets and kits that support sexual health education.
Adult Toys and Products:
I have been called in by service providers to see clients who have used alternative (read dangerous) items to meet their sexual needs.
Some clients have required the ambulance to be called and admission to hospital. An embarrassing, expensive and unnecessary experience.
Some referrals have been proactive with service providers having the insight that invasive surgery would be required without a proactive response.
The cost to the health care system alone in reconstructive surgery would run into the tens of thousands of dollars. The trauma to the person immeasurable. Often this can be avoided with the provision of products that may cost a few hundred dollars, several hours of developing and providing accessible information in a consultation.
In summary:
It is time for all funding bodies including the NDIS to adult up. People with a disability are first and foremost human beings. Their bodies and development of personhood go through the same changes as everyone else including puberty, maturity, and aging. They have a right to accessible information, education, sexual expression, and identity including the experiences of relationships and intimacy if they chose.
I hope this has been useful over view of an import issue and appreciate the aspects raised are multifaceted and encompass more than the scope of the committee intended.
Warm regards,
Victoria Chipperfield Director Stabilise Pty Ltd Email: info.stabilise@gmail.com Phone: