Intellectual Disability

Sexual experiences and freedom are basic human rights that people with disabilities are often denied. Society and those considered to be within the general public, including caregivers, family members, and professionals that work with people with disabilities, contribute to the lack of sexual experiences and opportunities people with disabilities have throughout their lifetime. This study examined the attitudes of males and females from the general public toward sexual lives for people with disabilities. Further, it explored the difference in attitudes based on disability condition, examining attitudes toward a sexual life for those with a physical disability, intellectual disability, and general or non-specified disability.
Results showed that female respondents reported more positive attitudes toward females with disabilities and females without disabilities having a sex life in comparison to the attitudes male respondents reported toward males with disabilities and males without disabilities having a sex life. Additionally, respondents felt the least positive toward adults with intellectual disabilities having a sex life. Limitations of this study and implications for further research are discussed.

College students with Intellectual Disabilities (ID) are afforded many educational opportunities through Inclusive Post-Secondary Education (IPSE) programs, including employment training. Competitive employment can contribute a rich independent life, thus more employment training opportunities can be beneficial. Low employment rates for adults with ID have motivated these efforts to develop proper employment training. In the past, on-the-job (OTJ) training with a job coach was one of the only supports for adults with ID in the workplace. Now, there are a variety of evidence-based strategies that can be used in the workplace or in other community settings, such as Covert Audio Coaching (CAC), to teach adults with ID the skills they need to maintain a job.
This study used a multiple probe design to examine the effects of CAC on teaching workplace communication skills to college students with ID in a real-world setting. In this study, students interned in an office setting and spoke to a co-worker at their work setting while the interventionist used a two-way radio system to provide coaching statements to the student during their conversations. All students in this study increased their on-topic communication exchanges, and these results demonstrate that CAC is an effective intervention for this population.

Peer, staff, and faculty members who mentored college students with Intellectual Disabilities (ID) completed self-reflections and digital interviews, and participated in focus groups. The information was used to determine whether the mentoring experience affected their attitudes and beliefs regarding individuals with ID as well as whether mentor personal growth occurred as a result of participation in the mentoring experience. The research suggested that participants from all groups of mentees did experience a change in their attitudes and beliefs regarding those with ID. Those changes in attitude and beliefs were overwhelmingly positive. Peer, staff, and faculty mentors also reported many benefits from participation in the mentoring experience including but not limited to increased self-awareness and self-improvement.