Disability and access to sexual expression: creating an elective sexuality course for occupational therapy students
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Citation
Abstract
The American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) describes sexuality as a “core characteristic and formative factor for human beings” (AOTA, 2013, para 1). Despite this statement and the inclusion of sexuality activity as an occupation and activity of daily living (ADL) in the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework (OTPF), many occupational therapy practitioners (OTPs) are unwilling to address sexuality. Research has shown that the reasons for this neglect are limited knowledge regarding sexuality, limited awareness of OTPs’ role in sexuality, decreased comfort discussing sexuality, pre-existing values and beliefs regarding sexuality and institutional barriers. These causal factors which lead to the unwillingness to include sexuality within plan of care, negatively impacts individuals with disabilities who are faced with many questions and anxieties regarding their sexuality and who continue to communicate their desire to express their sexuality (Mc Grath & Sakellariou, 2016; Mohammed, 2017; Mona et al., 2017). The goal of this project is to increase the inclusion of sexuality intervention within occupational therapy (OT) and to advocate for the importance of sexuality within a client centered and holistic healthcare model. An elective college course will be used to increase OT students’ knowledge of sexuality, improve their awareness of OT’s unique role, improve their level of comfort, navigate potential institutional barriers, and reflect on their existing attitudes and beliefs.
The Diffusion of Innovations (DOI) model is used to understand the problem of limited sexuality intervention within OT but also to create positive change within the field of OT. Utilizing a fifteen-week elective course, focusing on the most current evidence for populations who frequently report sexuality dysfunction and related questions, OT students will be more likely to integrate sexuality into their practice and diffuse this area of practice to both novice and seasoned OTPs within their practice setting. This project supports not only the advancement of the field of OT by increasing the frequency of referrals for this occupation, but also the quality of life and holistic care for individuals living with disabilities.