Sexuality and Reproductive Health
Disabled people are sexual beings with the same rights to sexual health, pleasure, relationships, and reproductive choices as everyone else. Despite persistent myths that disabled people are asexual, childlike, or shouldn’t reproduce, we have rich sexual and reproductive lives.
This page centers disabled people’s expertise on navigating sexuality and reproductive health.
Challenging Myths
Section titled “Challenging Myths”Myths About Disabled Sexuality
Section titled “Myths About Disabled Sexuality”Myth: Disabled people aren’t sexual or don’t have sex. Reality: Disabled people have diverse sexualities and sexual lives, just like non-disabled people.
Myth: Disabled people can’t have satisfying sex. Reality: Satisfying sex looks different for everyone. Disability may require creativity and adaptation, but doesn’t preclude pleasure.
Myth: Disabled people shouldn’t have children. Reality: This is eugenics. Disabled people have the same reproductive rights as everyone else.
Myth: Dating a disabled person is charity or settling. Reality: Disabled people are desirable partners. Relationships with disabled people are real relationships.
Myth: All disabled people need “special” sex education. Reality: Everyone needs comprehensive sex education. Some disabled people may need accessible formats or specific information.
Sexual Health
Section titled “Sexual Health”Access to Sexual Healthcare
Section titled “Access to Sexual Healthcare”Disabled people often face barriers to sexual healthcare:
- Inaccessible exam rooms and equipment
- Providers who assume we’re not sexually active
- Lack of knowledge about disability-specific needs
- Cervical and breast cancer screening missed
- STI testing not offered
- Contraception options not discussed
Your Rights
Section titled “Your Rights”You have the right to:
- Sexual healthcare regardless of disability
- Accessible exam tables, equipment, and facilities
- Providers who take your sexual health seriously
- Privacy and confidentiality
- Make your own decisions about sexual health
Finding Accessible Providers
Section titled “Finding Accessible Providers”- Ask about accessibility before appointments
- Request accessible exam tables
- Bring support person if desired
- Advocate for your needs
- Seek disability-competent providers
Sexual Health Information
Section titled “Sexual Health Information”General sexual health applies to disabled people too:
- STI prevention and testing
- Contraception options
- Routine screenings (Pap smears, mammograms, prostate exams)
- Sexual function concerns
- Fertility awareness
Sex and Disability
Section titled “Sex and Disability”Adapting Sexual Activity
Section titled “Adapting Sexual Activity”Sexual activity can be adapted to work with your body:
Positioning: Find positions that work for your body. Pillows, positioning aids, and furniture can help.
Timing: Work around fatigue, pain cycles, medication schedules.
Communication: Talk with partners about what works, what doesn’t, and how to adapt.
Assistive devices: Some people use positioning aids, wedges, straps, or other adaptive equipment.
Pacing: Take breaks, go slow, stop when needed.
Disability-Specific Considerations
Section titled “Disability-Specific Considerations”Spinal cord injury: May affect sensation, erection, lubrication, and orgasm. Many people with SCI have active sex lives with adaptation. Sex therapists and physiatrists can help.
Chronic pain: Plan around pain levels, use comfortable positions, communicate about pain during sex.
Fatigue conditions: Time sex for when energy is highest, take breaks, focus on connection rather than performance.
Limited mobility: Adapt positions, use aids, communicate about physical limitations.
Sensory disabilities: Different senses may be heightened; communicate about what works.
Cognitive disabilities: May need concrete information, consent education, support for decision-making.
Mental health: Medication may affect libido or function; communicate with partners and providers.
Resources
Section titled “Resources”- Sex therapists with disability experience
- Sexuality and disability organizations
- Peer support from other disabled people
- Books and resources on disability and sexuality
Reproductive Health and Rights
Section titled “Reproductive Health and Rights”Your Reproductive Rights
Section titled “Your Reproductive Rights”Disabled people have the right to:
- Make our own decisions about reproduction
- Access contraception
- Have children (or not)
- Parent our children
- Access fertility treatments
- Receive prenatal care
- Have accessible childbirth experiences
History of Reproductive Oppression
Section titled “History of Reproductive Oppression”Disabled people have faced:
- Forced sterilization (still happening in some places)
- Coerced abortion
- Children removed by child welfare
- Denied fertility treatment
- Pressure not to reproduce
- “Unfit parent” assumptions
This history is eugenics, and it continues to affect disabled people today.
Contraception
Section titled “Contraception”All contraception options are available to disabled people:
- Discuss with your provider what works for your body and disability
- Consider physical accessibility (can you insert/remove?)
- Consider interactions with medications
- Consider menstrual management if relevant
Pregnancy
Section titled “Pregnancy”Disabled people get pregnant, carry pregnancies, and give birth:
- Find providers experienced with disability and pregnancy
- Discuss disability-specific considerations early
- Advocate for accessible prenatal care
- Plan for accessible labor and delivery
- Connect with other disabled parents
Parenting with Disability
Section titled “Parenting with Disability”Disabled people parent successfully:
- Adaptive parenting equipment exists
- Support services may be available
- Disability doesn’t determine parenting ability
- See “Parenting with a Disability” page for more
Consent and Sexuality
Section titled “Consent and Sexuality”Your Right to Make Decisions
Section titled “Your Right to Make Decisions”All disabled people have the right to make their own sexual decisions:
- Consent to or refuse sexual activity
- Choose partners
- Decide about sexual boundaries
- Access sexual health services
Supported Decision-Making
Section titled “Supported Decision-Making”Some people may benefit from support in understanding and making decisions about sexuality:
- Support should enhance autonomy, not replace it
- Guardianship doesn’t eliminate sexual rights
- People with cognitive disabilities have sexual rights
- Sex education should be accessible to everyone
Consent Education
Section titled “Consent Education”Everyone needs education about:
- What consent means
- How to give and receive consent
- Recognizing healthy vs. unhealthy relationships
- Reporting abuse
Abuse and Sexuality
Section titled “Abuse and Sexuality”Disabled people face higher rates of sexual abuse. Resources on the Abuse, Safety, and Consent page.
LGBTQ+ Disabled People
Section titled “LGBTQ+ Disabled People”Double Marginalization
Section titled “Double Marginalization”LGBTQ+ disabled people navigate both ableism and homo/bi/transphobia. You belong in both communities.
Finding Community
Section titled “Finding Community”- LGBTQ+ disability organizations
- Disability spaces that are LGBTQ+-affirming
- LGBTQ+ spaces that are accessible and disability-aware
- Online communities
Specific Considerations
Section titled “Specific Considerations”Trans disabled people:
- May face additional barriers to gender-affirming care
- Accessibility of gender clinics varies
- Intersecting discrimination in healthcare
LGBTQ+ youth with disabilities:
- May need accessible LGBTQ+ resources
- May face isolation in multiple ways
- Deserve affirming support
Sex Workers with Disabilities
Section titled “Sex Workers with Disabilities”Some disabled people are sex workers. They deserve:
- Safety and rights
- Healthcare without judgment
- Decriminalization advocacy
- Recognition of their agency and choices
Intersectionality
Section titled “Intersectionality”Disabled Women
Section titled “Disabled Women”Face:
- Higher rates of sexual violence
- Reproductive coercion
- Medical gaslighting about sexual health
- Assumptions about lack of sexuality
Disabled People of Color
Section titled “Disabled People of Color”Experience:
- Racist and ableist barriers to reproductive healthcare
- Higher rates of reproductive coercion
- Medical racism affecting sexual health care
- Intersecting stereotypes
Disabled Youth
Section titled “Disabled Youth”Need:
- Comprehensive, accessible sex education
- Protection from abuse
- Age-appropriate information about sexuality
- Recognition as developing sexual beings (like all youth)
Resources by Country
Section titled “Resources by Country”United States
Section titled “United States”- Planned Parenthood: Sexual health services (accessibility varies by location)
- Sexuality and Disability organizations: Various regional organizations
- Disability-focused sex educators: Search for professionals in your area
United Kingdom
Section titled “United Kingdom”- NHS sexual health services: Available to all (accessibility varies)
- Outsiders Trust: Social and peer support network for disabled people around relationships and sexuality
- Enhance the UK: Disability and sexuality resources
Global
Section titled “Global”- WHO guidance on disability and sexuality: Framework for rights-based approaches
Finding Support
Section titled “Finding Support”Sex Therapists and Counselors
Section titled “Sex Therapists and Counselors”Look for:
- Experience with disability
- Non-judgmental approach
- Understanding of disability-specific issues
- Accessibility of their practice
Peer Support
Section titled “Peer Support”Connect with:
- Other disabled people with similar experiences
- Online communities discussing disability and sexuality
- Disability organizations that address sexuality
Medical Providers
Section titled “Medical Providers”Seek:
- Providers who take disabled sexuality seriously
- Accessible facilities and equipment
- Willingness to discuss sexual health
- Knowledge of disability-specific considerations
Scenarios: Finding What You Need
Section titled “Scenarios: Finding What You Need””My doctor never asks about my sexual health”
Section titled “”My doctor never asks about my sexual health””Bring it up yourself. Say “I want to discuss my sexual health” or “I need STI testing.” You may need to educate your provider that disabled people are sexually active.
”I want to have children but people keep discouraging me”
Section titled “”I want to have children but people keep discouraging me””You have the right to have children. Find supportive providers. Connect with other disabled parents. Know your rights if child welfare gets involved.
”I’m having sexual difficulties related to my disability”
Section titled “”I’m having sexual difficulties related to my disability””Talk to your doctor or a sex therapist with disability experience. Many issues can be addressed with adaptation, treatment, or equipment.
”I’m LGBTQ+ and disabled and feel alone”
Section titled “”I’m LGBTQ+ and disabled and feel alone””Seek out LGBTQ+ disability communities online or in person. Both identities are valid. You’re not alone.
”I was never given sex education because of my disability”
Section titled “”I was never given sex education because of my disability””You deserve this information. Seek accessible sex education resources. Books, online resources, and disability organizations may help.
Contribute to This Page
Section titled “Contribute to This Page”Do you have experience navigating sexuality and reproductive health as a disabled person? Have resources to share?
Share your knowledge: Contribution Form
We especially welcome:
- First-hand experiences
- Resources for specific disabilities
- Country-specific information
- Tips for finding affirming providers
This page centers disabled people’s expertise on our own sexuality and reproductive lives. Disabled people are sexual beings with full reproductive rights.